Among muscle-car fans, Mustang's original Shelby GT350
holds a special place in history as the premier powerful, track-hugging, custom
Ford pony car of the late 1960s.
Now Carroll
Shelby, who just turned 87, is modifying the latest high-powered 2011 Ford
Mustang GT, due on sale this spring, to create a new version of the GT350, which
was formally unveiled Monday night at the opening gala for the Barrett-Jackson
Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The new car is being released on the 45th anniversary of
the original GT350, and only about 2,200 of them will be produced over the next
two years.
The new GT350 plays heavily on nostalgia and is aimed
straight at "old Baby Boomers" who remember the original, Shelby says. "They
love the performance and they will stick with it."
Even better, there is a higher likelihood than with younger
Shelby fans that Boomers can afford it. To get one, buyers first have to
purchase a new, stock 2011 Mustang GT from Ford, which is expected to be priced
at $30,000. Then they will need to write a check to Shelby American for an
additional $33,995 to pay for morphing the car into a GT350.
