“There it is! Zero to a hundred to zero!” This was the commentary I heard from the journalist standing next to me as we watched with widening eyes the cobalt blue 2021 Shelby GT500 roar like a beast coming towards us on the Texas Motor Speedway and in a split second coming to an instant halt. It was more than impressive. I could talk endlessly about the 5.2L Supercharged Cross Plane Crank V8 pumping out a bone-jarring 760hps and 625 lb-ft. of neck-snapping torque , but what I specifically remember in that moment is seeing the excitement in my husband’s eyes and how in that one instant, he was transported into becoming every child who ever sat on the kitchen floor racing their Hot Wheels as the blocked patterns of linoleum became make-do streets.
Old school muscle evolved with an original Mustang Shelby GT350 in the foreground as the 2021 Mustang Shelby GT500 looms in the background.
When Frank and I found out we had been invited to attend the 2021 GT500 North American Track Tour with Ford Performance in Dallas, Texas, to say both of us were a bit giddy about participating in the event would be a vast understatement. It was every child’s racecar fantasy made into a reality, and there we were standing right in the middle of it. Only a few minutes after witnessing the speed of the GT500 going from zero to one hundred back to zero demonstration, a feeling of sheer exhilaration, and yet, nervousness overcame me. The group we were assigned to would actually be driving the car around the racetrack ourselves and we were up next.
Proud souvenir from the experience of taking part in Ford Performance’s Mustang Shelby GT500 North American Track Tour at the Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas.
There are some people who live their lives by leaping first and asking questions later. I am not one of those people. I am a classic case nervous Nelly graduated with full honors from overthinker’s university. As excited as I was to get behind the wheel, my nerves began getting the better of me. Rest assured, the professional drivers helping us to get suited up with our safety gear talked me through the entire procedure, and by the time I got behind the wheel, I was ready to put pedal to the metal! It speaks volumes of the professionalism displayed by the folks at Ford Performance in all regards to ensure that a participant not only gets the most enjoyable experience but always feels safe in the process.
Behind the wheel with a permanent grin!
As we each got seated in our own car, a Go-Pro camera was placed on the windshield to capture our experience. Five cars were each lined up directly behind the professional driver who was able to communicate directly with each of us through a headset within our helmets. After a few simple directions, we were off! Once we made it through the infield guided by our driver, we entered the racetrack and accelerated. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!” My confidence steadily grew with each lap we made. By the time I felt like the car and I were in sync and now one, we were on our final lap and I couldn’t believe it was already over! As each of us pulled back into the pit, another driver immediately opened the door and checked on me, asking how I liked it. I told him that mere words simply fail to capture what I just experienced. On this account, I was wrong. When playing back the Go-Pro video once we were back home in Houston, the words that were captured during that moment went something like this, “Woo Hoo! Oh my God! This is a hell of a lot of fun!” Words which would be spoken by me once again when I opted to take a hot lap around the track with a professional driver.
Launching down the straights at the Texas Motor Speedway.
There’s a moment when in a race car, taking those curves with top speeds, that the world and everything in it just fades away. Your entire being is overcome with adrenaline and you just know there could never be anything else that could ever come close to matching the exhilaration of that moment. For a few seconds, I closed my eyes and could see Carroll Shelby, in his cowboy hat, forever a part of this car. I could hear his voice and see the passion in his eyes as he said, “I’ve always been asked, What is my favorite car? And I’ve always said, ‘The next one.” Here I was, sitting in Shelby’s ‘next car,’ and what a hell of a car it was! One he would be proud to be talking about with his buddies as he tossed back a few beverages while hosting a chili cook-off at his ranch in Terlingua.
One of Ford Performance’s photographers took this photo of me while racing along the back stretch in this gorgeous Rapid Red variant of the Mustang Shelby GT500.
The day came to a close by us getting to hear Carroll’s grandson, Aaron Shelby, talk about the passion that once fueled his grandfather’s dreams, and how those dreams are still coming to fruition by the continued partnership with Ford Performance. Visions of Shelby, Mustangs, and Texas were swirling in my head, and I couldn’t help but think of how lucky I was to have been a part of this experience. It was going to make driving my kiddos to school back in Houston a deflating ordeal, but in my mind, I would always remember that thrill of being on the racetrack… That sudden rush of adrenaline pumping and then a rude awakening as my daughter would say, “Mom? What are you doing? The car ahead of you in the line is moving.”
Following my husband through a turn along the inner track before entering onto the main loop. The 2021 Mustang Shelby GT500’s acceleration through the turns and driving experience in Track mode is adrenaline-pumping!
ABOUT THE 2021 MUSTANG SHELBY GT500
When the first Mustang Shelby GT500 rolled off the assembly line in 1967, Shelby America had created an icon whose evolution and storied history has become the stuff of American automotive legend.
For 2021, the Mustang Shelby GT500 builds upon its racing pedigree with the most powerful street-legal V8 engine Ford has ever produced, pumping out a thrilling 760 supercharged horsepower and neck-snapping 625 lb-ft. of torque. Mated to the powertrain is a 7-speed Tremec dual clutch transmission that’s so quick and precise in its shifts, even a blinking eye can’t catch-up. To bring the Mustang Shelby GT500 to super quick stops are 15.5” Front Rotors with 6-piston Brembo Calipers and 15” Rear Rotors with 4-piston Brembo Calipers. This setup is flawless and in Track mode, is beyond words in how incredibly quick the car can stop on a dime.
The interior seating is race-ready, featuring optional RECARO seats designed specifically for the Mustang Shelby GT500 that provide all the bolstering and 5-point harness capable functionality you’d expect from a street-legal racecar. The 12-inch LDC Digital Instrument Cluster provides all the information you need and nothing you don’t with three different views that include Normal, Sport, and Track.
A Carbon Fiber Track Pack includes a host of additional upgrades featuring:
20-inch exposed carbon fiber wheels
Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 Tires specifically designed for the Mustang Shelby GT500
Rear seat delete
Exposed carbon fiber instrument panel
Exposted carbon fiber GT4 track wing
Adjustable strut top mounts
RECARO leather trimmed seats (noted above as an option)
Splitter wickers
Wheel-locking kit
On the outside, 11 color options that can be outfitted with additional tape stripes along the sides or a racing stripe across the length of the Mustang Shelby GT500 are available, each with a stunning presence that regardless of color choice looks absolutely stunning.
Pricing starts at $72,900 which for a race-ready car like the 2021 Mustang Shelby GT500 is extremely generous. So much so, we’re trying to figure out how to add one to our garage.
