2008 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500KR: 40 Years of Pure Pleasure

The original 1968 Shelby Cobra GT500KR is celebrating its 40th anniversary and to honor the occasion, Ford Motor Co. and tuner company Shelby will again partner for the limited production of the 2008 Shelby GT500KR.

The new Shelby will follow in the tradition of the original Shelby muscle car. The exterior sheetmetal will sport 40th anniversary badges as well as a unique striping, a custom composite hood with scoops, and 20-inch aluminum wheels with custom caps. Inside, the dash will include a numbered plaque and the seat headrests with the Carroll Shelby  signature.

Okay, now for the good stuff. The GT500KR will be powered by a 5.4 liter supercharged V-8 engine that can generate 540 horsepower, 40 more than the Shelby GT500 and, incidentally, making it the most powerful production Mustang on the planet. The rear-wheel drive car will also feature a six-speed manual transmission with a short throw shifter.

Only 1,000 of these beauties will be produced which are expected to go on sale in the Spring of 2008.

Our take? We're already waiting in line with our sister mags to test drive one of these cars.

Via Forbes