Ford Shelby GT500 Driving Experiences

Premiered at the New York International Auto Show in 2005, the Ford Shelby GT500 - or Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 to give it its full name - was a collaboration between Ford’s Special Vehicle Team and Carroll Shelby, and has now gained fans the world over as one of the most popular Mustang cars ever produced.

The particular model we have available to book for driving experiences here at TrackDays is affectionately known as Eleanor - so named of course, after the original classic Shelby Mustang muscle car that featured in the hit 2000 film Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie.

As you can see from our preview video below, the power on the Shelby GT500 is a vibrant V8 engine, powering out 550 bhp. And with it whizzing from 0 - 60 mph in under 5 seconds, you can expect to reach top speeds of 134 mph in this top range Stateside motor.

The Ford Shelby GT500 was produced by Ford at their Flat Rock, Michigan assembly line in limited runs of 10,000 a year for three consecutive years, before it was succeeded by the Ford Shelby GT500KR in 2009.

Back in 2006, the US motoring website MotorTrend drove the first ever Shelby GT500 - before it had even rolled off the production line - and drove it coast to coast road trip from Los Angeles to New York. They completed their trip over 3,479 miles and 14 States in just four days.