Making a big splash at this years 39th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector car auction was the return of the iconic 2011 Shelby GT350. Now comes news the 2011 Shelby GT350 will be the official pace car of the 2010 Shelby American Sprint Cup NASCAR race held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway February 26-28th. This will be the first time we get to see the new Shelby GT350 in action and it will also be the first time a Shelby GT350 has paced a NASCAR event. Who will be driving the new pace car around the Las Vegas Speedway is a mystery but expect it to be somebody noteworthy. The new 2011 Shelby GT350 is not factory built by Ford Motor Company but rather a post-title package offered by Shelby American. Customers wanting to purchase one will have to buy a new 2011 Mustang GT than arrange shipping to Shelby American's Las Vegas facility for the transformation. The Shelby GT350 will be powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 mated to a six-speed transmission with other goodies like Ford Racing suspension, Baer brakes, Borla exhaust, Cragar wheels and several exterior enhancements. Every Shelby GT350 for 2011 will be painted white with Shelby Guardsman blue Le Mans stripes while carrying an MSRP of $33,995 which does not include the 2011 Mustang GT.
Press Release:
Those who attend the 2010 Shelby American Sprint Cup NASCAR race will see the 2011 Shelby GT350, built by Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI
K), make history as it paces the Las Vegas NASCAR race on February 28. It will be the first opportunity for the public to see the supercharged supercar at speed and the first time for a Shelby GT350 to pace a NASCAR event when the car circles the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Shelby American race.“When we unveiled the new 2011 Shelby GT350 last month, fans clamored for the car to pace this NASCAR race,” said Amy Boylan, president of Shelby American. “Since so much of the GT350 was developed on the road course, drag strip and oval of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was appropriate to show off the Shelby’s handling there during the race. It will be exciting to watch a Shelby GT350 lead a race for the first time since 1970.”
The Shelby team unveiled a supercharged concept version of the Mustang-based 2011 Shelby GT350 to the surprise of thousands gathered at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Opening Night Gala to honor the 45th anniversary of the first GT350 and first Shelby big block Cobra. It was an immediate hit with the muscle car crowd.
“The Shelby GT350 was designed to be nimble and powerful,” added Gary Davis, vice president of production for Shelby American. “Beginning with the new 2011 ‘small block’ Ford Mustang GT, we created a car that is as fun to drive as the 1965-1970 model year Shelby GT350 but thoroughly modern. It’s a true driver’s car.”
The Shelby GT350 is a post title program; a customer purchases a car from their local Ford Dealer, which is turned into a GT350 by the Shelby American Team. A limited number will be built in the 2011 model year. A Ford Mustang GT can be dropped shipped by a Ford dealer to Shelby’s Las Vegas facility for conversion or a customer can arrange to have a properly specified car transported to the factory.
Each GT350 will be clad in traditional white with Shelby Guardsman blue Le Mans stripes and feature the new Coyote 5.0 liter Ford V8 coupled to a 6 speed transmission and center exit exhaust. Blue Shelby GT350 valve covers and billet caps set off the supercharged engine. The Baer brake system features 6 piston kit in the front, as well as 14” ERADISPEED rotors in the rear with cooling ducts for all four corners.
