There are countless memes and videos online poking fun at Mustangs and the ability of these musclecars to go in a straight line. So you’d think naming a Mustang ‘Code Red’ is not a good idea. Yet, here we are. Say hello to the Shelby GT500 Code Red.

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First Of Its Kind

The Shelby GT500 Code Red is made by Shelby American, which is not to be confused with the high-performance Mustangs produced by Ford that carry the same famous name. The Code Red was conceived as a testbed for future developments. However, demand from customers has led the company to commit to producing 30 units.

Shelby American has only produced EXP (or experimental) versions three times before. These were the 1968 Green Hornet, the 1967 Super Snake, and the 1967 Little Red. Shelby’s GT500 Super Snake had a 427-race engine. The Green Hornet was used to test fuel injection and independent rear suspension. Little Red had twin superchargers and a host of other innovations. It should be noted that none of them made it into production. 

“Shelby American has built cutting-edge experimental versions of the Shelby GT500 since the model was launched in 1967,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American. “While these testbeds for innovation never became production cars at the time, they helped make our vehicles better. For the first time in our 60-year history, we’re turning an experimental car into a limited-edition vehicle. The enormous demand for a Code Red edition is an opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities, as well as the enormous potential of Ford Motor Company’s marvelous Shelby GT500 as a dedicated straight-line performer.”

Click here to read about the Ford Shelby GT500KR that you can buy in SA.

BEEG Power

The biggest change with the Shelby GT500 Code Red is the motor. Shelby has bolted on a pair of turbochargers to the 5,2-litre ‘Coyote’ motor. Other changes include custom pistons, a new exhaust, competition valves, new oil pumps, a reworked fuel system, and an anti-lag system. The twin 62 mm ball-bearing blowers feed compressed air through an air-to-water intercooler.

The net result of the changes is 970 kW (1 300 hp) of power and 1 355 N.m of torque when fed E85 Ethanol. On 93 the motor still produces over 746 kW (1 000 hp) and 1 057 N.m of twist effort.

Mean As a Snake

The GT500 Code Red has an appearance that is sure to make most fast-lane hoggers jump out of the way. The package includes a carbon-fibre bonnet, splitter, rear diffuser, rear wing, and side sills. In addition the rear arches are flared to house 345 section rubber; the front footwear is 305 mm wide.

To own one of these you’d have to hand over a base car AND just about U$210k. Which is, well, we aren’t going to do the mathe. Rest assured it’s a LOT of dosh when converted into ZAR.