Ford Shelby GT500KR.

The new Ford Shelby GT500KR, recently revealed at the 2007 New York International Auto Show, was released early in the spring of 2008. The car is powered by a 540 horsepower 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 variation with a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack. According to Automobile Magazine, production was limited to only 1,000 units in 2008; and the edition of Hot Rod Magazine stated that 1,571 will be manufactured in 2009. The Shelby GT500KR features a carbon composite hood with scoops and hood pins, a lowered front air dam, and 14-inch Brembo brand front brakes with functional cooling ducts. The GT500KR draws on styling features from the classic 1968 "King of the Road" GT500KR model, and the 2008 model includes "40th Anniversary" badging; both years will have silver paint with blue "LeMans" stripes, and Carroll Shelby signature embroidered seats. The GT500KR's price will be approx $80,000.(price correction:Star Ford in Glendale CA, approx $250,000 08/28/2008)
The Shelby GT500KR also features as 'KITT' in the 2008 Knight Rider movie.
you Mustang fans are a restless bunch. It's barely been a year after the release of the most powerful Mustang ever built-the 500-horse 2007 Shelby GT500-and already you're moping around like a horde of hungry Oliver Twists begging for "more, please."Unlike Charles Dickens's Mr. Bumble, though, Ford Motors is only too happy to serve you and it won't be an extra helping of gruel. Coming next spring is a reborn, limited-edition version of one of the most fearsome nameplates of the 1960s, the Shelby GT500KR. Like its progenitor from 1968, the new "King of the Road" Mustang promises to rock the asphalt with more performance than any previous ponycar in Ford's history. It could even cause the Corvette Z06 to bead up with sweat.
By the time you read this, the 2008 GT500KR will have made its official debut at the New York auto show. Before the grand unveiling, though, Ford granted Motor Trend an exclusive, early peek at the show car. Because the KR is still nearly a year away, final specs are in flux (indeed, at the time of these photos, the KR's paint was barely dry). But the big picture is clear: This Mustang is gonna stand out like Dog the Bounty Hunter in a library.

If you know your Mustang lore, you know that the 1968 KR-roughly 1500 of which were built in coupe and convertible form-was and remains one of the most highly sought of the original Shelby Mustangs, today selling for several times the price of a "standard" 1968 Shelby GT500. Carroll Shelby, now 84, recounts the birth of that original KR with a devilish chuckle. "In 1968, I found out that Chevrolet was going to build a King of the Road Corvette. So immediately I called my lawyer in Washington and asked, 'Is "King of the Road" taken?' And he said, 'I'll let you know tomorrow morning'-to which I replied, 'I'll have another lawyer tomorrow morning! I want to know in an hour!' Because they were going to build that Corvette in two weeks. So my lawyer called back and told me the name wasn't taken. I said, 'Great, be down there at eight o'clock tomorrow morning and copyright the name KR.'"
Having snatched the "King of the Road" moniker right from under the Corvette's fiberglass nose, Shelby turned his attentions to creating a KR of his own. "I had 3M make up some decals for the rocker panels, then I called my shop manager and asked, 'How many GT500s are we making this week?' He replied, 'We're doing 50 coupes and 50 roadsters.' And I said, 'Well, now we're going to call them GT500KRs. King of the Road.'"

The '68 GT500KR (see accompanying photo) thundered onto American streets with a 428-cubic-inch Cobra Jet big-block V-8 officially rated at 335 horsepower (a pathetic attempt to dupe insurance companies) but actually producing more than 400. Brakes and suspension were upgraded to match. The Mustang faithful went bananas. The Shelby magic had struck again.
40 years later though, bringing the KR back to life was a no-brainer, says Shelby president Amy Boylan, who two years ago left her post at Mattel to kick-start the struggling Shelby nameplate. "Right when I took over, Gary Patterson [vice president of Shelby operations] and I headed to Dearborn with a deck of everything we wanted to do with Ford. That included the GT-H with Hertz, the Shelby GT, the 40th-anniversary GT500, and the KR-plus a few other projects I can't talk about yet. The GT500 is such an amazing platform; it's perfect for a new KR. The development has very much been a partnership, between us, Ford Racing, Ford Design, SVT, and the engineers of the standard Mustang GT. It's an ideal relationship, because at Shelby we can move fast, with Ford guiding and helping us.all the way, we hope!

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