Goodguys Rod & Custom Association events are known for pre-1972 machines. That’s just the way its been for years. Recently though, with the popularity of the modern muscle car era, there was a push to include newer cars, especially with the popular autocross competition. So, the staff at Goodguys came up with a solution, let the late-models in on the last day of the event, and thus, K&N All-American Sunday was born!

During the third-annual Goodguys North Carolina Nationals in Raleigh, North Carolina, two Shelby Mustangs caught our attention — a 2015 Shelby Terlingua and a 2016 Shelby GT350.

2015 Terlingua

Far too often we see ultra cool special-edition Mustangs like the Cobra Jet, Boss 302 Laguna Secas, Cobra Rs, etc., fall in the hands of collectors and static displays . While there is certainly nothing wrong the collecting cool Mustangs, we like to see them driven and enjoyed, which was just what the owners of these special Shelbys were doing — driving these machines as they were meant to be driven.

The 2015 Ford Mustang Shelby Terlingua first caught our eye on Saturday in the Mothers display in the vendor midway. One of just 50 Terlinguas built between 2015 and 2016, this is one rare Shelby.

The Terlingua is no appearance package, however, these cars are all-business. A Whipple Supercharger cranks the horsepower up to over 750, and all that go-fast is brought back down to earth by a massive set of Shelby Brembo brakes with yellow calipers; six-piston in the front and four-piston in the rear. Functional air ducts keep these brakes cool.

The Terlingua keeps the power glued to the track with the help of all kinds of special Shelby goodies. It has adjustable sway bar, Eibach coilovers, caster/camber plates, so it is a great car for the Goodguys autocross.

Of course, it stands out from the crowd as well. The black and yellow paint scheme is just the beginning of the exterior modifications. It wears several carbon-fiber body components — including the front splitter, hood, brake duct inlets, mirror caps, rocker panels, rear spoiler, and rear fascia diffuser — so it looked great carving up the cones.

Let the record show that this Shelby collectible is driven — hard!

The Shelby Terlingua is built in tribute to the Terlingua Racing Team and its 1967 Trans Am championship and in our opinion its a home run in both the styling and performance department.

Now, just because this car was in the Mothers tent on Saturday, that does not mean it’s all show and no go. Kyle Tucker from Detroit Speed had the car out on the auotcross track on Sunday running some competitive times! Kyle’s best time of 43.165 seconds was good for eighth out of 17 participants in the All-American class.

2016 Shelby GT350

Ted Collier’s 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R also caught our eye at the event. When we first walked up to the car, he was about to go out for another pass on the course. We rushed to our position in the stands to check out the run and Ted did not disappoint!

Ted’s best lap of the day was 39.952 seconds, which gave him the number one spot in the All-American class. That’s just over a second faster than the nearest competitor, which just happened to be a 2017 Chevy Camaro. In comparison, that time would have been good enough for fitth place in the Pro Class on Saturday, falling in just behind some purpose-built, corner carving machines. Way to go, Ted!

Of course this should probably come as no surprise when you look at the spec sheet on the GT350R. Magneride adaptive dampers tuned especially for the corners complement the high-performance springs and sway bars, plus the R-model is 130 pounds lighter than the standard GT350. It’s also more aerodynamic thanks to a larger splitter and rear wing.

Toss on some sticky tires on the lightweight carbon fiber wheels and top it all off with the already venomous 526-horsepower, flat-plane-crank 5.2-liter V8 and the end result is one of the most impressive track machines Ford has ever built. So on second thought, it’s no surprise this R-model dominated the  Sunday autocross!

For more information on the next Goodguys Rod & Custom event in your area, including the K&N All-American Sunday, be sure and visit the official site here.