Being scared of cars isn't unhealthy. Rather, it's a sign of respect for what four wheels, thousands of pounds of mass and gobs of power can do to yourself and others when forced to an immediate, screeching and metal-crunching stop. It's a good feeling. It makes you feel alive. Click "next" to see the cars that get our hearts racing.

Car: TVR Cerbera Speed 12

Why We're Afraid Of It: Starting with the obvious: it's a TVR. The specs almost match up with the Veyron except, you know, it's much lighter. And why is it so much lighter? No complex crumple zones, safety equipment, or electronic nannies to weight you down. But hey, you didn't buy one thinking you were going to live that long anyways.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Cubensis

Car: Dodge Viper SRT10

Why We're Afraid Of It: It'll burn you one way or another. It'll either leave a "Viper tatoo" of charred flesh along your calf as you exit or, if not given the proper respect, out the narrow front windshield. All power and no visibility make this a toy only for the well insured.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Us

Car: Caterham R500

Why We're Afraid Of It: If the Caparo T1 is like driving an F1 car, the Caterham R500 is like driving a motor and not much else. It does 0-to-60 MPH in... NOW. At a hair over 1,100 pounds it's got a power-to-weight ratio of 520 HP-per-ton. Windscreen and heart pills optional.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Arcsine

Car: Any Cobra Replica

Why We're Afraid Of It: Oversteer is a helluva drug. Shops like Factory Five have continued to pour more power into Cobra replicas and, in the name o fidelity to Shelby, not much else. It's basically the best way imaginable to piss your pants.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: VeeArrrSix

Car: Porsche 930

Why We're Afraid Of It: Though it's the best sort of being scared, the original Porsche 911 Turbo was one of the earliest production vehicles to feature turbocharging. With around 400 HP coming out of an engine hanging out the back, the physics of the 930 are questionable and become that much more frightening when you throw in überturbolag. Stay on the throttle and it'll, almost magically, get you around the corner. Lift and you're toast.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Jeb_Hoge

Car: Wienermobile

Why We're Afraid Of It: We enjoy driving the occasional commercial truck, but when you remove the box and throw on an awkward and top-heavy dog-in-bun costume things change a bit. Based on a GMC platform, the latest big Wienermobile is powered by a 300 HP, which is completely manageable. What scares us the most about this particular vehicle is everyone else on the road swerving into us while trying to take video with their cell phone. We hear it's worse than a Bugatti.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: PDQ2

Car: LS-Powered Cars That Aren't LS Cars

Why We're Afraid Of It: Whether LS1 or LS9 not all cars were intended for large, powerful V8 engines. And while throwing out a flat-head six in an old truck and dropping in an LSwhatever feels right, a Corvette-powered Chevy Aveo or Corvair is a proposition only for those without a history of heart problems.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Dmartino

Car: Dodge Caliber SRT4

Why We're Afraid Of It: Sure, 285 Horsepower isn't that much, until you consider it's been put in a vehicle barely designed to handle 100 HP. Buy hey, FWD cars with lots of power isn't necessarily bad, it's why God created differentials... except this doesn't have one. It has a "braking" diff that just hard-brakes one of the wheels on you. It's as comforting as it sounds.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Us one winter in Chicago.

Car: Caparo T1

Why We're Afraid Of It: It's considered the F1 car for the street. We'll reiterate: it's the F1 car for the street. Lots of power, not much weight, limited protection, and it nearly killed Jeremy Clarkson. Where do we sign up?

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Motor_Yakuza

Car: Chrysler Sebring

Why We're Afraid Of It: The Chrysler Sebring Convertible doesn't have half the power most of the cars on this list have, but it feels like it's made of tin, drives like its tires are coated with astroturf, and is so loud with the top down that you're sure death is but a pothole away.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Lprice

Hat tip to Ralph!

Don't let the beautifully polished but familiar Cobra body fool you. There's about as much original Cobra beneath that skin as there is in a Fiat Panda. And yet, even with the eye-searing polished body, we might as well still call it a sleeper as the car beneath is so far out there, the only way to appreciate it is by seeing the build images. Thankfully there are almost two hundred to go through.

The only constraint Ellison placed on the team at Kirkham was there much be no changes to the overall body shape, everything else was fair game. So they set out by building the car digitally first, using CAD and finite element analysis to design the highest possible performance vehicle underneath the body's packaging constraints. The result is a 100% machined billet aluminum frame, SLA suspension with inboard springs and dampers, and a hand formed all-aluminum body mirror finished body. The combination of old-world craftsmanship and computer era precision is unspeakably beautiful.

But why aluminum? They could have just as easily built it from carbon fiber and kevlar or a tube frame? We'll let them explain:

A solid block of aluminum demands to be carved into something useful, something beautiful. Though a simple block of aluminum will suffice to make a seemingly insignificant bracket, what would happen if that bracket were given to an engineer to make it lighter, stronger? What would happen if that engineer then exercised strict weight discipline to make it even lighter still-say, to the extreme? What would happen if we then gave the engineered bracket to an artist who could transform harsh engineering edges into a graceful genesis of beauty? The world has never seen a billet chassis.

And the genius only begins there. This car's frame isn't in fact welded, that would change the physical properties of the heat treated aluminum. Instead the chassis is pinned together with high strength bolts and dowel guides, just like a connecting rod or a cylinder head. Utterly brilliant.

Each part is in itself a work of art, mechanical parts machined from a solid block of aluminum which regularly required 90% of the original material to be removed. The body is a masterwork as much as the chassis. Hand formed, and fitted, stretched over a hand built support frame, it's the essence of ultimate coachwork. Looking through the pictures you see the team of skilled craftsman carefully honing the aluminum into shape, not settling for anything but perfection. There is no body filler or primer or paint to hide even the slightest of flaws, the perfect body is on display, a testament to the hands that worked it.

Amusingly, the entire process was carefully documented and collected in a book, but not just any book. The documentation of such a car should have a certain craftsmanship to it as well, cue 35 lbs of aluminum billet being machined into book form, the back covered in leather and presented to the owner along with the car.
While it's available in extremely limited supply, the $4,500 price will keep most away. Thankfully, all of the content contained inside is available for free in a series of 23 PDFs at the Kirkham website. We'd encourage everyone to pull it down and give it a good read, just to see how unskilled you really are. (Thanks for the tip Fletch Lives)

[Kirkham Motorsports]

Part I:

Part II:


Part III:

The BARC folks have been going to Sebring since the 1950s, and their site features galleries of photographs from 1955 through 1965. If you like MGs, Porsches, Ferraris, Maseratis, Cobras, the works, be sure to check it out. Thanks to Scroggzilla for the tip!
[BARC]

Patrick has proven herself as a driver by being the first woman to win an Indy Car race, which has nothing to do with her being the first Indy driver we'd be okay with seeing in a bikini (sorry Andrettis). In the end, this is more of the well-coordinated campaign to make Danica Patrick simultaneously a: sex symbol, pioneer for women in motorsports, bankable marketing figure, and relevant athlete. Thanks to Graverobber for the tip!

[More photos of Danica and other quasi-athletic women in swimwear at the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Microsite]

What happens when a troll purporting to be a 2003 Mustang Cobra fanboy wanders into GM forum territory and drops a bombastic tribute to his claimed chariot of choice? Trolling that reads like a Chuck Norris tribute novella. We've seen this type of character before, but never for the '03 Mustang Cobra. Obviously it must be because we didn't realize the weakest part of an '03 Cobra's drivetrain is the driver's neck. Read on:

Little Known Facts About the 03-04 Cobra
WhAts Up hOMiEs. I uSualy pOsT oN sTangNet or StREeT-RacInG.NeT, But I FIguRed i wOuLD poST uP hERe sINcE wE cAn ALL apPRecIAte sOMe cOlD hARd FaCts oN wHy tHe 03 CoBRA ownS YoUr FACES (as a whole).

• The 03 cobra motor has been outlawed from NASCAR, Formula 1, and CART, due to the unfair advantage any team using the motor would have.
• The weakest part of the 03 Cobra’s drivetrain is the driver’s neck, which is typically the first thing to break during hard launches.
• The 16 cylinder, quad turbocharged engine in the bugatti veyron is bugatti's strongest attempt at replicating the power generated by the 03 cobra.
• If you see the driver of an 03 cobra walking with a limp, it is not because he hurt his back - it's from getting laid several times a day.
• The movie "Terminator" is actually a simulation of what could happen if the 03 cobra motor was to become sentient.
• Top Fuel drag cars are powered by 03 cobra motors with a pulley, long tubes and a tune.
• There is no material/element in existence that would be strong enough to be used for the engine block of an 03 cobra with bolt-ons and nitrous.
• When filming Fast and the Furious, to get the cars to do wheelies they just swapped in stock cobra motors.
• The amount of power generated by an 03 cobra motor with only 6 spark plugs and mixed wires with 3 gallons of gas could power the entire Vegas strip for a week.
• NASA recently announced that all future rocket launches will be powered by 03 cobra motors
• If the 03 cobra motor had a penis it would be the biggest in the world.
• It is possible to roast coffee beans with just the exhaust coming from an 03 cobra a block away.
• To make a time machine you do not need a flux capacitor, just the 03 cobra motor. "Back to the Future" was actually based on a true story involving an 03 cobra, but was disguised as a delorean so as not to give away any big secrets.
• The land speed record is held by an 03 cobra with a pulley on highway 9.
• It is physically impossible to be late to anything anywhere EVER if you are driving an 03 cobra.
• Scientists around the world are petitioning to include the 03 cobra motor in the periodic table of elements.
• Other than diamond itself, the only other known element which can cut diamond is an 03 cobra motor.
• If you ever run out of gas in a cobra, chances are your moving fast enough to coast to your destination.
• The 03-04 cobra has been determined to be the most significant cause of global warming, simply due to the heat radiating from the exhaust because of the sheer amount of hp the engine generates.
• Scientists hypothesize that by coupling an 03-04 cobra motor's flywheel to power plants around the world, we can permanently put an end to the power crisis.
• If you have ever driven past a cobra mustang, it was either on the brakes hard or parked.
• If a gay man drives an 03 cobra, he comes out of the experience a homophobic straight man with a wife and 3 kids.
• It has been determined that it would be impossible to stop an 03 cobra with a head and cam swap, because there would be no way for commercially available brakes to stop the car.
• 99% of chevy and dodge guys have never driven an 03 cobra. This is a good thing, because if they did, GM and Chrystler would instantly go out of business due to a huge slump in car sales.
• The nobel prize was awarded to the 03 cobra assembly manual.
• The earth is being thrown off it's rotational axis by a man that mounted slicks on his 03 cobra and punched it from a stoplight.
• Traction control was not invented prior to the discovery of the 03 cobra, as there was no need.
• There are no commercially available tires which can harness the sheer torque produced by an 03 cobra.
• The CHP ordered thousands of cobras but later backed out of the contract as they had a difficult time keeping the car straight and not wheelstanding
• An 03-04 cobra could supplement the energy provided by the sun and bring an end to the next ice age.
• The only WMD that needs to be sent to Iraq is an 03 cobra.
• Default A Few more Facts about the 03-04 Cobra
• On the 7th day, when God was pretending to rest, he designed the 03 cobra.
• Lumberjacks use 03 cobra to uproot 300 year old redwood trees.
• Freight trains are powered by cobra motors - however they need to be detuned to prevent the train from welding its wheels to the track.
• A stock 03 Cobra with drag radials exerted so much force on the earth’s surface that it created the volcanic chain known as the “ring of fire.”
• The power generated by an 03 Cobra motor can supplement the sun and bring an end to the next ice age.
• An 03 Cobra motor is so powerful even superman is unable to handle the forces exerted under acceleration.
• The Lockheed martin Joint Strike fighter disguises a cobra motor as a rocket engine to preserve the secret as to why it is superior to every other military plane ever made. Ever.
• If a cobra motor was retuned to utilize its maximum capability, the engine would suck in so much oxygen that earth’s atmosphere would collapse and all humans would cease to exist.
• Hurricane Katrina was caused by the turbulent exhaust flow of an 03 Cobra driving down the highway at 7000 RPM.
• An 03 Cobra motor does not actually require fuel. The fuel tank is merely attached to an independent mechanism that burns fuel to retain the secret that could drive all oil companies out of business and crumble global economies.
• If we were to build a freeway into outer space, it would be possible to prove the theory of time travel using an 03 Cobra.

Needless to say, a bunch a guys on Norcal LSX forums, a place dedicated to the love of the General's LSX motors, were not terribly receptive to this... this "Cobra driver" coming into their home turf and laying down a list of reasons "03 CoBRA ownS YoUr FACES (as a whole)." This is a variety of trolling we like to refer to as "being a dick" and this is a particularly excellent example. [Norcal-LSX]

UPDATE: Cached version of the Norcal-LSX page here.

(Auto Forum Troll Of The Week is Jalopnik's public service to the auto forums, helping them rid their threads of trolls lurking about. Do you have a nominee for "Auto Forum Troll Of The Week," send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com with "Auto Forum Troll Of The Week" as the subject line!)

A true Jalop in every sense of the word; CoyoteGary has built what may be the world’s first and only 1974 Datsun 260Z with a hand built fiberglass Shelby Cobra front fascia and a 1962 Ferrari GTO rear tub modified to fit onto the original car. This is the kind of project that we dream about but never had the sick imagination to pull it off. There’s quite the laundry list of upgrades to this car aside from what you see on the exterior so we’ll let CoyoteGary explain some of the finer details of the car in his videos below.

Exterior Walk Around And Specs

Engine Specs And Startup

Burnout

[via ZCar Forums, YouTube]

COBRA JET THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE MUSTANG FR500 SERIES OF RACE CARS FROM FORD RACING

DEARBORN, Mich, Nov. 4, 2008 – With the addition of the 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang, Ford Racing will have once again expanded its current stable of race-ready Mustang race cars.

This time, however, the Mustang is designed for drag racing.

The Mustang FR500CJ, known simply as the Cobra Jet, will be officially unveiled Nov. 4 at the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. It joins its road racing brethren: the Mustang FR500S, the Mustang FR500C and the Mustang FR500GT.

“The Cobra Jet is the newest offspring of the Ford Racing lineup of race cars,” said Jamie Allison, manager of the Ford Racing Performance Group. “We started with the FR500C in 2005 and then followed by the FR500S in 2007.

“All along the way, we worked with Brian Wolfe, who, at the time, was really in the calibration activity. He oversaw worldwide calibrations, and he was a big supporter of Ford Racing, both professionally and personally,” Allison said. “He had always kind of asked us about our plans to do a drag race car and the time had just come early this year to, indeed, take all of the lessons we learned, all the processes, all of the relationships that we have inside with the plant and with the team and put together a sportsmen-destined drag race Mustang. Clearly, what we did in 1968 is the impetus for it, and we felt that it was time to bring back the Cobra Jet.”

The Cobra Jet is the drag racing equivalent of the Mustang FR500S, allowing those interested in NHRA sportsmen drag racing the opportunity to get involved with an affordable vehicle that can compete right off of the truck and run in the 10-second range.

“We are talking about designing and building competition-ready race cars,” added Allison. “These are not just the simple parts that we sometimes create. This is a full-fledged, ready to race vehicle. There is a lot of engineering that goes into the preparation, development, testing, and release of these cars. There’s a full team of engineers from Ford Racing who have been involved on the engineering side of the Ford Racing Mustangs, led by Andy Slankard who leads the group. On the Cobra Jet, that group was personally directed and overseen by Brian Wolfe because of his personal background of racing in the sportsmen class. So he’s been hands-on involved in the very specifications of the 40th anniversary Cobra Jet. ”

In addition to the Cobra Jet, the other Ford Racing Mustangs provide customers a racing ladder, all within one manufacturer, to climb up through the ranks of professional racing. The Ford Racing Mustang ladder in road racing begins with the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School at Miller Motorsports Park featuring specially prepared school Mustangs.

The next step on the ladder is the Mustang FR500S, which is delivered as a race-ready vehicle complete with a racing seat and safety harnesses, and provides competitors with a base to hone their driving skills and an exciting year-long schedule to race against other semi-pro drivers in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup.

Moving further up the ladder puts racers behind the wheel of the Mustang FR500C, which competes in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, and the FR500GT4, which competes in the GT4 European Cup. Both Mustangs are proven winners with each car having won championships in its first year of competition. The FR500C led drivers to championships in 2005 and 2008, while the FR500GT4 has won two titles in the GT4 European Cup in 2007 and 2008.

At the top of the ladder sit both the Mustang FR500GT and FR500GT3, which represent the ultimate race-bred road racing Mustang. The FR500GT is being homologated for Grand-Am Rolex GT and other applications, while the FR500GT3 has already competed in select FIA GT3 European Championship races.

Customers or competitors looking for more information on how to get behind the wheel of their own Cobra Jet Mustang should visit www.fordracingparts.com.

FORD RACING COBRA JET MUSTANG
The Legend Continues
(M-FR500-CJ)

In 1968, Ford took the NHRA Winternationals by storm with the Cobra Jet Mustang. Only 50 factory lightweights were built, and in its first appearance, the Cobra Jet won. Forty years after this historic event, Ford Racing is happy to announce that the legend continues with a new NHRA-legal race car – the 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang!

The 2008 Ford Racing Cobra Jet (FR500CJ) is a factory-built race car (serialized but no VIN), ready for the drag strip with only minor additional prep required. It is available for order from any Ford dealer as a Ford Racing part. Following are key Ford Racing components to help define this exciting new race car:

Functional

* 5.4 Cobra Jet engine
* Cobra Jet cold air kit
* Throttle body
* A/C deleted
* Crankshaft damper
* Cobra Jet bell housing
* 6-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission with SFI bell housing
* Stainless steel long-tube racing headers
* 9" rear axle assembly
* One piece driveshaft drive shaft
* Single hoop drive shaft loop
* Cobra Jet rear control arms and anti-roll bar
* Ford Racing adjustable dampers
* Drag race spring kit
* Cobra Jet wheels — 15" x 4" (front), 15" x 10" (rear)

Exterior

* Painted Cobra Jet body in white
* Cobra Jet hood scoop
* Cobra Jet Lexan backlight
* Flush quarter window louvers

Interior

* 5" pedestal tachometer
* SVT Mustang short-throw shifter with black shift knob and handle
* Cobra Jet seat package

Visit www.fordracingparts.com for more information.

[Source: Ford]

AMC Concord AMX
Powered by an optional 5.0-liter V8, the '78 AMX was based on the otherwise boring new-for-'78 AMC Concord. You could get the 4.2-liter straight-six with a 4-speed manual, but if you wanted the macho V8, you were stuck with a 3-speed slushbox. For those wanting to rebel against the empire of Detroit's big three, while still buying American, this was the way to go. Besides, who else was gonna offer you authentic Levi's denim seats?
[source]

Ford Mustang King Cobra
With the new fox-body Mustangs right around the corner, the '78 King Cobra was a last hurrah for the old Mustang II. The Cobra-adorned hood featured a new reverse hood scoop, and tucked underneath was a 5.0-liter V8. That mill wheezed out about 140 HP, and was connected to a 4-speed manual or an optional automatic. Really, not much was mechanically different from the previous Cobra II, but if you wanted a bitchin' snake on your hood, this was the car for you.
[source]

Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am
Starring in the previous year's film Smokey And The Bandit, the T/A went mostly unchanged for '78. However, GM did make changes where it counted, as 1978 actually saw an increase in the 6.6-liter V8's compression ratio — to 8.1:1. Of course, output was still only 188 HP, but that was still more than you got in a base '78 Corvette. Plus, if you were a real bandit, you could order a special high-altitude model that used an Oldsmobile 403 CI V8 rather than the Pontiac 400 CI lump...and somehow lose 8 HP in the process. Either way, you were lucky sure to outrun any smokey.
[image source]

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Irvine, CA - On Monday, April 21, Shelby Distribution USA presented automotive legend Carroll Shelby with a custom Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. This unique gift was made possible by Amy Boylan and the team at Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas and Lance Stander and the employees at Shelby Distribution USA in Irvine, CA. "It was fantastic to have the opportunity to honor Carroll Shelby with this special car," said Stander. "We hope he enjoys driving it as much as we enjoyed giving it to him."

Painted in the same "Guardsman Blue" of the original cars, Carroll's Daytona Coupe also features the number 98 that represents chassis #2300 that Shelby himself owned up until 1999. Power comes from a Roush 427SR V8 with 480 horsepower and 515 lb-ft torque. Unique to Carroll's Daytona Coupe is a shifting system that utilizes paddles and buttons on the steering wheel. Developed by MasterShift (www.mastershift.com) of San Diego, the Art Carr 2004R 4-speed automatic transmission can be up shifted via paddles and downshifted using two buttons on either side of the steering wheel. The system also has safety features including a one second delay from Drive to Neutral as well as a speed sensor to prevent the car from being shifted into reverse or park unless it is completely stopped. Installation of the engine, transmission and paddle shift system was handled by Exotic Auto Restoration of Costa Mesa.

History of the Daytona Coupe

The original six Daytona Cobra Coupe factory racers enjoyed a short but impressive racing career: Originally built for the 1964-65 for the 1964-65 racing season using 289 Shelby Cobra roadster chassis, these were America's answer to Ferrari's highly successful 250 GTO. In their first year of competition, the Daytona Coupes won the GT class at Sebring and then placed 4th overall at Le Mans. They proved to be so competitive that Ferrari officials, fearing a loss of the championship, managed to get the Monza, Italy final round cancelled, knowing the Daytona's would win the race and the Championship. Consequently, Ferrari claimed the 1964 FIA World Manufacturer's Championship. The following year Enzo Ferrari, realizing he would lose to the Daytona's, pulled his factory support from the GT program, paving the way for the Daytona Coupe walkover. In 1965, the ex-Shelby Daytona Coupes of the UK's Alan Mann racing team won the FIA's World Manufacturer's GT title with ease.

Recreating the Legend

Almost 40 years later, Superformance has re-created this nostalgic player in American racing history. The Coupe is a Carroll Shelby licensed product and was designed by some of the original team, including Peter Brock and Bob Negstad. The Coupe boasts amazingly sleek lines and a contoured body which is slightly larger than that of the original race car. The original suspension was further engineered and improved and the interior space was optimized for more room. Addding value to this impressive Daytona is the fact that it is also eligible for the Shelby American Automobile Club owners registry, capturing each chassis number as a part of American history.

Superformance Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe Standard Equipment*

• A complete factory-assembled rolling chassis.
• Show quality PPG paint finishes with many standard colors - custom colors also available.
• Fully independent front and rear suspension.
• Bilstein® coil over progressive shocks with H&R Springs®.
• Tubular space frame constructed of mild steel.
• Power assisted rack & pinion steering.
• Four-wheel vented disc brakes, power assisted.
• PBR® calipers.
• Aluminum radiator / oil cooler with dual electric fans.
• Oil cooler and braided lines.
• Stainless steel fuel tank. 20 gallon.
• Vinylester and glass composite body.
• Custom TFE air conditioning system.
• BTR / Dana HydraTrac limited slip differential.
• 18" cast Alloy wheels and tires.
• Tinted front, side and rear windows.
• Remote door locks and immobilizer system.
• Unique under car exhaust -side pipes.
• Black leather and Alcantra interior.
• Retractable 3 point seat belts.
• Stewart Warner electronic gauges.
*Some components and features are subject to change

Iconic Motors says that this is just the beginning for their company, even hinting at the possibility of a future electric supercar, but time will tell. For now, the planned run of 100 GTR Roadsters will be sold for about $600,000 a pop. That may seem like quite a lot if you're comparing it to a fiberglass kit car; but if you look at it through the eyes of the carnauba-drenched, mirrors to show off the chassis, custom hot rod commissioners, it all makes sense.

Long Island, N.Y. - The GTR Roadster by Iconic Motors will make its world auto show debut at the New York International Auto Show. A truly groundbreaking automobile, the Iconic GTR boasts 18 pending U.S. patents, a chassis made of high strength chromoly, a carbon fiber passenger tub and carbon fiber body panels, and a high performance air management system with under body inverted carbon fiber wings designed to generate more than 500 pounds of down force at 175 miles per hour.

The Iconic GTR's 1950s inspired body design features many panels constructed of a poly silicate matrix sandwiched between two layers of carbon fiber that results in an incredibly strong light weight and rigid body. With its carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb reinforced chassis having over 20,000 pounds of torsional rigidity, the GTR offers a level of performance handling that rivals that found in many modern race cars.

"I have wanted to build a car that combines the latest innovative technologies with the most exquisite detailing, design and all out performance since the day I began reading car magazines as a kid," said Claudio Ballard, the inventor and visionary behind the GTR Roadster. "Everything from the custom-built, heated and cooled carbon fiber seats to the computerized gas cap that slides open like the glass on a moon roof embodies my vision."

From its luxurious leather and suede hand-stitched interior to its hand-assembled 420-cid/800-horsepower naturally aspirated V-8 engine, the vehicle is a rolling showcase for revolutionary technology shrouded in a racecar. The entire nose clip swings up and forward to reveal the highly detailed engine compartment, showcasing a custom-fabricated engine built to super car racing standards featuring titanium valves, high strength light weight stainless and aluminum components throughout along with the very latest in high performance friction reduction technology. The patent pending shifter mechanism is specifically designed to display its inner workings as a beautiful piece of automotive artwork, and even the gauges, dashboard starter and hazard light push button switches are custom designed from stainless steel and manmade synthetic sapphire with a hardness level just below that of diamond. The dash center console has a 8-inch touch screen display utilizing the same bright-view technology found in military strike fighters and bombers for clear visibility regardless of sunlight exposure in support of its onboard GPS navigation and driver information displays.

The Iconic GTR - proudly designed, engineered and constructed using state-of-the-art computer-aided design and manufacturing technology entirely in the United States with over 99% U.S. sourced materials.

Ballard will build one hundred of these high performance pieces of rolling artwork roadsters. Priced at $600,000, his team will begin taking orders for the Iconic GTR in April with production slated to begin in Fall 2008.

[Iconic Motors]

FORD SHELBY GT500KR ROARS INTO PRODUCTION ON AUTOMOTIVE LEGEND'S 85TH BIRTHDAY

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 11, 2008 - Automotive legend Carroll Shelby shares his 85th birthday with a new performance standout - the 540-horsepower 2008 GT5000KR, which begins production today.

The GT500KR or "King of the Road" Mustang is the fourth limited-edition Mustang that Shelby Automobiles and Ford have brought to market since resuming their collaboration in 2001. It builds on the performance and success of the 500-horsepower Shelby GT500 - the most powerful production Mustang ever.

The new GT500KR will be available at select Ford dealerships this spring. Production is limited at 1,000 units.

"It is simply magic when Shelby and Ford team up and deliver products like the GT500KR," said Mark Fields, Ford's president, The Americas. "Collaborations like this have helped Mustang remain at the top of the sports car segment for 22 straight years - and running - and help inspire people who truly want and value performance."

Carroll Shelby, who was actively involved in the GT500KR's development, said: "My energy and passion for performance products has always been strongest when I am working with Ford. I'm always looking to up the ante when it comes to performance, and bringing back the 'King of the Road' Mustang is just what we need."

Delivering the "King of the Road"

Each Shelby GT500KR begins life as a GT500, built at AutoAlliance International Inc., in Flat Rock, Mich. From there, the cars are shipped to Shelby Automobile's facility in Las Vegas, where a Ford Racing performance pack, exhaust system and short-throw shifter are installed. The GT500KR also is fitted with body, chassis and interior components. Every GT500KR will be hand customized and delivered to each customer in an enclosed transporter, just like the legendary Ford GT.

To fine-tune the GT500KR's chassis - stiffened 50 percent to deliver increased body control - SVT engineers and Shelby put the GT500KR through a rigorous testing program developed specially for SVT products, including a 12-hour racetrack durability test. The result is a car with increased performance capability that is still comfortable to drive on the street.

The GT500KR's aerodynamics were fine-tuned to add 50 pounds of downforce over the front axle and move the center of aero pressure forward in the vehicle to improve high-speed balance and downforce under high-speed braking. A new front splitter design works with the hood and revised rear spoiler to deliver these benefits. The bottom line: the GT500KR sets new performance standards for Mustang handling and straight-line performance on the racetrack, slalom course and skidpad.

"Because the Shelby GT500 strikes a great balance between ride and handling, we knew that the GT500KR had to be even better," said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer at Ford SVT. "We used a holistic approach, having chassis engineers work closely with the engine specialists to develop a tuning suspension that optimizes the engine enhancements."

Added Gary Davis, vice president production for Shelby Automobiles: "We aren't fixing our attention on one or two attributes, but working on the vehicle as a whole. The throttle response, power delivery, exhaust note and handling all work together to deliver a great total driving experience."

To deliver that balance, the ride height has been lowered to the optimum setting for limit handling, which equates to a 20 mm ride height reduction in the front and 15 mm in the rear.

The Shelby GT500KR team sculpted a modern interpretation of the original's bulging hood scoop, a visual indication of the extra horsepower packed beneath it. The hood is secured by a pair of stainless steel, twist-down hood pins.

To save weight, the hood borrows design elements from the ducted aluminum/carbon fiber clamshell on the Ford GT. Developed through intensive use of analytical tools including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the design optimizes the structural properties of carbon fiber delivering panels at a wafer-thin 0.8 mm. The hood saves 15 pounds versus its aluminum counterpart in the GT500.

Unlike most traditional designs, the hood has three components: the outer panel, an integrated airflow duct which spans the entire hood and the inner panel. The duct serves three purposes: to channel supplemental fresh air into the new cold air intake, to relieve high-speed underhood pressure and to move air from the front intake and engine compartment to the rear extractors.

The Shelby GT500KR will ride on all-new Goodyear tires, which make their North American debut exclusively on this new Mustang. The Supercar F1 tire, made of a new performance compound, resulted from a special collaboration between SVT and Goodyear.

Each GT500KR model is identified by a special 40th Anniversary badge on the fenders and grille, distinctive body colored mirror caps and Shelby lettering stretching across the front of the hood and along the rear portion of the deck lid. a special Shelby VIN tag is affixed to each vehicle, mounted in the engine compartment.

The all-leather interior features Carroll Shelby signature embroidered headrests and an official Shelby CSM 40th Anniversary GT500KR dash plate mounted at the top of the center stack.

Other standard equipment includes HID headlamps, an interior ambient lighting package, wrapped and stitched instrument panel, center console and armrests, as well as an electrochromic rearview mirror. Optional equipment includes a Shaker 1000 audio system and DVD navigation system.
The GT500KR's 5.4-liter V-8 Gets the Royal Treatment

Just like its namesake, the 1968 GT500KR, the 2008 "King of the Road" packs a walloping dose of Ford performance. The Ford SVT-engineered 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 is enhanced with a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack that boosts horsepower to an estimated 540-hp and torque to 510 ft.-lbs. The added power comes thanks to revised ignition and throttle calibration and a cold air intake system that replaces the stock unit. The Shelby GT500KR cold air intake seal was designed in unison with the new carbon fiber hood to prevent hot engine compartment air from reaching the air intake.

Calibration modifications include advancing the ignition timing as well as re-mapping the electronic throttle settings to provide quicker throttle response for better off-line and mid-range acceleration. Increased throttle response will be met with a sharper roar from the Ford Racing-inspired exhaust system.

Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission and 3.73:1 rear axle ratio, compared with the GT500's 3.31:1.

To perform optimally on track and during performance driving, the Shelby GT500KR has been fitted with an elevated axle vent reservoir to prevent axle fluid expulsion. Gear selection is courtesy of an all-new Ford Racing short-throw shifter making its debut on the GT500KR. Topped with a white ball, the new shifter throws are 25 percent shorter than the unit on the GT500 providing for crisper, sharper shifts. [Source: Ford]