Shelby blasts into South Africa

When the Ford Mustang launched in December last year, it did so with great fanfare. All available Mustangs were immediately sold out and there was already a waiting list longer than the queue at a OneDirection concert, with a waiting period of “a year and a bit”, according to Kuda Takura, Ford SA brand manager. So let’s say you finally get your long-awaited Mustang, what will you do with it?

Send it away!

You can drive it if you want to. But if you are an absolutely die-hard petrolhead deluxe, you’re going to send it off to Shelby South Africa straight away, so it can undergo the transformation needed to become a Shelby. Contrary to popular belief, Shelby do not manufacture vehicles, but they do modify them to such an extent that they look, sound and perform like the iconic American supercar. But best you don’t get any ideas about transforming any Ford into a Shelby -  only very few select Ford products, like the Mustang, will be eligible.

Shelby HQ, Cape Town

The official launch of Shelby South Africa took place in Cape Town on the 7th of July, with a very suave cocktail function at Crossley & Webb, which is where the Shelby conversions will be taking place.

At the event, some very beefy-looking Shelby Mustangs decorated the  floor, including a Triple Yellow and black 2016 Shelby GT and two Shelby Super Snakes. One of the Super Snakes belongs to a Ferrari owner, who swears that the Shelby attracts more than twice the amount of attention as the Ferrari. And on the evening itself, a whopping 8 Shelbys were ordered straight from the launch.

I’ve got my Ford Mustang, so what kind of Shelby Mustang can it become?

Well, once you’ve forked out R 713 900 or more for the donor car (the entry-level Ford Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost Fastback retails for this price), the choice is yours.

You can turn your above mentioned EcoBoost Fastback into a Shelby GT 2.3 L EcoBoost, with upgrade packages from R 665 000. You will then get some standard interior and exterior Shelby kit, as well as some performance enhancing equipment like the Ford Performance Handling pack, and Ford Performance exhaust with Shelby tips, to name but a few. Optional equipment include the Carbon Fibre Bonnet Extension (R 9000), Wilword 6 or 4-piston Brake Upgrades (R 55 222.27 per front or rear) and Ford Racing Suspension Kit (R 33 660).

My personal favourite is without a doubt the Shelby Super Snake. With upgrade packages starting from R 1 248 000, your ‘everyday’, naturally aspirated Ford Mustang can be pimped into becoming the most sought-after and radically modified Shelby of the bunch. If raw and unadulterated power and muscle is what you’re after, rest assured that this is what you’ll get. Spec it with either a standard 670+ HorsePower (493 kW) or optional 750 HP (560 kW) supercharger, and you’ll be beyond bad-ass. Then there’s all the imposing Super Snake badging and emblems, Ford Performance gear, the glittering Carbon Fibre Bonnet Extension (standard, if you so desire) and all the other Super Snake bells and whistles to make your Shelby truly awe-inspiring. The gutteral exhaust note that was emitted from that Supercharged 750 HP V8 engine (560 kW) was almost deafening. In Shelby’s words: ‘If you want quiet, go to the library or buy a hybrid.’

If the Super Snake is too much reptile for you, you can always convert your Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 Fastback or Convertible into the Shelby GT, with standard Shelby kit such as vast amounts of shiny carbon fibre, GT stripes, and 20-inch WELD racing wheels,  Upgrade packages start from R 665 000, with similar specs as the Shelby GT 2.3 L EcoBoost. (An optional 670 HP supercharger upgrade pack is suggested, obviously not available on the EcoBoost engine.)

But the most unique and special Shelby Mustang of them all, is the track-inspired 2016 Shelby Terlingua, built as a tribute to the Terlingua Racing Team and their 1967 Trans Am Championship. Only 50 of these collector’s items have been produced and only 5 allocated to South Africa. The bad news is that they’ve all found their forever homes already.

So what is the next step?

Once the Mustang is in your name, and you’ve filled out the Shelby order form and paid the deposit, the conversion is to take place at Crossley & Webb in Cape Town. The whole process will take a maximum of 6 weeks, and you only pay for the vehicle to be delivered to the closest Mod Shop. Shelby SA will see to its delivery back to you.

Are we keen?

We are dead keen. As if the Mustang didn’t turn enough heads already, Shelby catapults it into superstardom.

Who to contact:

For more information, contact Abbi (abbi@shelbysa.com) or Paige Lindenberg (paige@shelbysa.com), or pop over to Crossley & Webb at 15 Solan Road, Cape Town.

 

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