The Ford Mustang may be an American icon, but it’s also a global model that’s sold in numerous countries around the world. This is true not only of regular pony car variants, but also aftermarket models like the RTR Mustang. Now, another legendary tuner – Shelby American – is launching the mighty Shelby Mustang GT500KR – the new version of which debuted back in December – in South Africa for the very first time – in right-hand-drive, too – giving folks in that country a chance to get their hands on the ultimate version of Ford’s pony car.
“Customers looking for the latest in personal expression and power are going to be rewarded by what the latest GT500KR has to offer,” said Doreen Mashinini, General Manager for Marketing at Ford South Africa. “This is the first time that this exclusive model is available for Mustang enthusiasts in South Africa, and epitomizes everything that Carroll Shelby stood for.”
This is just the third time in history that a Mustang has worn the KR – or “King of the Road” designation, joining the original 1968 and 2008/2009 models.The biggest upgrade present on the latest GT500KR lies under the hood, where the Ford 5.2L V8 Predator has been treated to a Shelby by Whipple 3.8L supercharger system, high-volume intercooler, heat exchanger, an open-air intake, and a Shelby by Borla cat-back exhaust system. Shelby says that these upgrades are good enough to bring horsepower up from 760 to over 900, a significant increase of more than 140 ponies.
Underneath, the GT500KR features a special MagneRide suspension calibration, heavy-duty performance driveshafts, adjustable Shelby springs, Ford Performance sway bars, and caster camber plates. The fortified snake rides on a set of one-piece Shelby 6061-T6 forged aluminum wheels measuring 20×11 inches in the front and 20×11.5 inches in the rear, which are wrapped with Performance spec tires, with a carbon fiber hood, front splitter, rear diffuser, and Gurney flap, as well as Shelby rocker and body stripes.
There’s just one catch, of course – only 225 units of the new Shelby Mustang GT500KR will be built for the entire world, and South Africa will get betting a grand total of four of them across 2023 and 2024. Each of these four models – one of which has already been sold – will be built at Shelby’s approved West Cape mod shop, though none will exactly be cheap, with a price tag of R4.4 million ($263,907 USD).
We’ll have more on the new Shelby GT500KR soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Mustang news, Mustang Shelby GT500 news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.
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