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Ford gave muscle car enthusiasts a rare opportunity to bid on the racetrack durability car used to develop the 2013 Shelby GT500 production Mustang. The car was auctioned at the 41st Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction late Saturday night in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The sale raised $350,000 for JDRF (formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), the world’s largest charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research. On the auction stage was Ford’s President of The Americas Mark Fields, and members of SVT. The event was broadcast live on the SPEED Channel.
“This GT500 durability car represents the most recent collaboration between Ford SVT and Carroll Shelby,” said Fields. “Working alongside Carroll, our SVT team put this durability car through some of the most demanding driving conditions at Sebring International Raceway as well as others across the country. The result of those tests is the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, the most powerful production V8 in the world.”
The durability car was built in 2007 – one of the first vehicles with the new 2010 body. Then, for the 2013 model, the prototype was run for 24 hours at top speeds of 150 mph at Sebring to ensure all systems function properly for customers who will replicate such grueling conditions.
The car includes a full roll cage, six-point harness seatbelts and new Recaro racing seats that were donated by Recaro North America, identical to those used in development. The production 2013 Shelby GT500 will be available with optional SVT-designed Recaro seats. Evidence of instrumentation from development also can be found inside the vehicle. Each member of SVT engineering who worked on the 2013 Shelby GT500 has signed the underside of the trunk lid.
“I raced on the Sebring International racetrack for many years, but my ambition was always to build my own car,” said Carroll Shelby. “It was exciting to be back to collaborate on this GT500 durability car with the SVT guys. I’m really proud to have my name on this car. They took my dreams of what a car should be and made it a reality.”
All proceeds from the auction of the car will benefit JDRF, a leader in research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes. During the past five years, Ford has raised more than $3 million for charity through sales of vehicles at Barrett-Jackson auctions.
“Ford is proud of its ongoing partnership with JDRF in the fight to find a cure for type 1 diabetes,” said Edsel B. Ford II. “The energy and excitement at Barrett-Jackson creates the perfect environment for Ford to raise significant funds that will help bring us closer to a world free from diabetes.”
“When the Ford SVT team and Carroll Shelby collaborate on a car, you know it’s going to be firing on all cylinders,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “We have a long history of working with Ford and Carroll and are excited to have this one-of-one durability car cross our auction block in Scottsdale to benefit a very worthy charity.”
2013 Ford Shelby GT500
The ultimate Ford Mustang – Shelby GT500 – raises the bar high on performance by delivering a test track top speed of more than 200 mph. The 5.8-liter V8 aluminum-block engine produces 650 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, making it the most powerful production V8 in the world.
Nearly every part of the powertrain has been optimized for producing the additional horsepower, including a new supercharger, new cross-drilled block and heads, updated camshaft profiles, a new carbon fiber driveshaft and upgraded clutch, transmission and axle.
Plus, nearly every gear on the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 has been revised to manage the torque and use more of the power in a way that makes it more driver-friendly.
The 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 will be built at AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Mich.
