Shelby American revealed the 467kW Shelby GT at the Ford stand during the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction where the first Shelby Mustang GT350R was being auctioned for charity.

SHELBY AMERICAN has opened the order books for its first-ever global Shelby GT muscle car with sales expected to commence around the middle of the year.

“This 2015 Shelby GT incorporates all of the engineering lessons we’ve learned building high performance vehicles over the past 50 years,” said Joe Conway, co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American.

“With the international distribution of the current Ford Mustang, we worked closely with our partners to develop a car that can be offered in both North America and overseas. It’s the first Shelby muscle car in our history designed from day one to be a truly global vehicle.”

Practical Motoring has reached out to Ford Australia to see whether there’s a chance the Shelby GT might be available Down Under.

Shelby American said the aim with the Shelby GT was to produce a car that was both powerful yet reliable. And it only used parts that it either produced in-house or came from the Ford Performance parts catalogue.

“We had a lot of fun designing these cars and ended up building the most powerful Shelby GT ever offered without sacrificing reliability. All exterior parts were designed and developed in-house, with every component exclusive to Shelby. We only used lightweight carbon fibre for all the aerodynamic components, including the brand new hood. The components were designed to allow a high level of customization for our customers, like the new billet aluminum front grilles,” said Shelby American Vice President of Operations Akos J. Feher.

The 2015 Shelby GT gets a Ford Racing supercharger fitted to its 5.0-litre V8 which boosts output to 467kW although a 522kW upgrade is available. It also gets a performance handling kit and half shafts. Gearing has been upgraded 3.73 gears and paired with chrome-tipped Borla exhaust. The Shelby GT rides on a staggered set of WELD Racing wheels shod with sticky Michelin tires. Helping it stop are Wilwood six-piston front brakes.

The Shelby GT can be had with either a manual or automatic and is available with a 700hp (522kW) upgrade which comes with adjustable suspension, upgraded big brake kit and a raft of interior tweaks.

The Shelby GT is a post-purchase kit, meaning customers need to purchase a Mustang GT first and then let the approved Ford dealer “worldwide” to have the car built to Shelby GT specifications. Each car will be issued a Shelby American CSM number for documentation in the official Shelby American Worldwide Registry to maximize potential collectability.

Pricing for the base Shelby GT, not including the base Mustang GT is US$39,995, or $48,635 (based on the exchange rate as of 18 January).

2015 Shelby GT key features:

Exterior:

• Carbon Fibre hood with customizable hood vents

• Carbon Fibre front splitter

• Carbon Fibre rocker panels

• Carbon Fibre 2-piece rear diffuser

• Carbon Fibre rear deck lid

• Carbon Fibre trunk spoiler

• Carbon Fibre mirror covers

• Carbon Fibre hood extension

• Modular customizable billet aluminum upper and lower front grilles

• Shelby GT striping

• Shelby GT badging on front grille and on C-pillars

• Shelby faux gas cap

• “Powered by Ford” front fender badges

• SHELBY lettering on trunk lid

• Washer relocation kit

Interior:

• Shelby branded custom headrests

• CSM dash plaque and engine plate

• Carbon Fibre dash pod with 3 gauges

• Shelby GT door sill plates

• Shelby branded floor mats

Performance:

• Ford Racing 627+HP supercharger

• Ford Racing by Borla exhaust with Shelby oval tips

• Ford Racing half-shafts

• Ford Racing handling pack with upgraded shocks, springs and sway bars

• Ford Racing short throw shifter for the manual cars

• Wilwood performance front brake upgrade

• Shelby Venice wheels by WELD Racing, 9.5×20 front and 10.5×20 on rear

• Michelin tires 275/35/20 on front, 305/30/20 on rear

• 3:73 rear gears

Additional Options:

• 700+ HP (522kW) performance upgrade

• Painted carbon fibre options

• Rear brake upgrade

• Shelby custom interior on both stock and Recaro seats

• Front brake cooling system

• Carbon Fibre intakes

• Fog light re-location

• Air injection plate with channeling

• Shelby Extreme Cooling system

• Adjustable track suspension package

• Engine dress up package

• Track Delivery Experience