The KR Super Cobra is a sweet looking car, but after I dug into the numbers, I'm rather disappointed.

First, you have to have a GT500...that's a given, but that's also about a $55-grand given...

To add the KR Super Cobra package, it's over $26-grand. At least, that's what's reported on the Shelby website.

So okay, you take a $55k GT500, add $26k for the KR, and now you have a $81,000 620hp Mustang.

As wonderful as that is and all, at $81 Grand...? You could buy a Viper for under $85 grand, or a Vette....and both of those could probably out perform a KR. Maybe not HP wise, but handling wise.

I'm sure some research on my part into the current release of performance and track stats will prove me wrong...

 

 

Tuners are at a disavantage. If the KR would have been a Ford upgraded model not only would it be cheaper but would be in more demand. The prime example is Shelby Autos' GT500 40th Anniversary version, lots of bells and whitles but little substance.

It will be interesting to see the quality of the mods by Shelby Autos. If history is an indication, it will be a challange.

 

Agreed.

I'm more interested in performance than clout or signatures. I'd rather not pay the premium for all the marketing hoopla and just get the bodykit and mechanical upgrades.

I like a lot of the stuff Shelby puts out, don't get me wrong, but it's WAY jacked up in price and status. I've heard more about how the KR looks, than how it performs. Anyone can drop a SC in a base GT and make 600+ hp, add a good suspension, powertrain, and exhaust package, and get all the bang for half the buck.

Shelby's riding on the legend of his racing career, but what he's been giving us lately seems to be showroom peices rather than muscle-car killers.

Not two years from now we're gonna be in the thick of a whole slew of high performing, high-output muscle-car retros, and the only things we'll have to compete seem to be $80k unreachables. How 'bout Mr. Shelby put his head to the grease and build us normal folks an inexpensive 'cuda killer?! No bells or whistles, just blood-thinning power wrapped around a definition cockpit.

</rant>

 

I think you're talking about the Super Snake. Shelby will be changing GT500's to the Super Snake model for $28k. The only way to get a KR is to fight the stealerships. Not only will there be a 600hp version of the SS but you can also get a 700hp version for the same price. Not only will this kit add performance features to the car it will also add upgraded handling. Now I'm not advocating the SS as the thing to do because I believe you could get everything the SS has to offer for cheaper and the power you could get with a KB 2.8. Yes the SS will be a somewhat limited model, just like the KR. And prices are falling on the GT500's so if you get one at say $47k (two over sticker) and put the $28k for the SS package into it you're at $75k which is close to the price of a Viper or a Z06 and this car should run with those cars. Hell they are estimating that the new Corvette is going to be in excess of $100k. There are definite pros and cons to it, but there's no doubt it's going to be a cool car.

 

Huh, I thought the KR was a limited version of the SS. Guess I got some bad mumbo from the auto-conspiracy sites.

Although I will say that even though you could get a Viper for the same price as an SS...an SS has more going for it car-wise. So if you want something moderately practical, the SS wins hands down. If you want a pure track machine, well, you could strip the heck out of the SS, right down to the bare bones, and it'd kill.

 

This SS and KR talk is all fine and dandy, but I'll take my 2006 GT, improve the handling and drop a Kenne Bell SC in it. That's a much more financially sound idea.

 

Arrow the KR and SS are two completely different animals. The Silver car is the KR and ther Red car is the SS. Different setups.

jpro I've decided to do the same. I'm just going to make mine look like the SS....kinda, and of course use my D1SC instead of a Kenne Bell.

 

this thread needs pictures

 

Happy now?

 

I was under the impressions that the GT500KR was going to sold as a production Ford product alongside the GT500 even if the approach to building it is a bit different. That said I think that offering the KR and the SS in the manner which they are going about it just serves to confuse the issue. Different hoods which are kind of the same but different, differeing approaches to what amkes the car officially a Ford, Shelby or both.

Without doubt the idea behind offering both was and is to allow GT500 owners to move into something even more special and powerful with the SS upgrade package and to do so without requiring them to trade in their ride for a KR and without stepping on the toes of GT500KR owners who will have a paid a stiff premium for the tidbits that make a GT500KR different from the GT500 and might become unhappy at the idea that a standard GT500 can be adorned with the same hood as theirs simply by flipping through a catalog.

But as I stated before the problem here is that Shelby and Ford are both trying to make promises that they cannot possibly keep. If Ford or Shelby doesn't make their KR style hood available to the public somebody else will eventually build one exactly like it anyway, and neither Ford or Shelby will really be able to do anything about it. Such a hood might not be an 'authentic' KR piece, but I seriously doubt this is going to make any difference to those who will chafe at such an afront to their KR anyway anyway.

If the KR is well sorted and reasonably priced realistic owners will understand that a clone or GT500 upgrade with KR parts is just that, and that their KR will remain what it is whatever other folks may or may not do to their cars. Anybody else is going to be impossible to please anyway so why bother trying.

Personally, if finances go right for me I am considering the purchase of a GT500 within the next year, and I will probably add a KR hood to the mix because I personally feel that it improves the look of the car. But, if I had a KR I could care less is somebody else dropped a KR style hood on their GT500...and after some consideration perhaps that is why I would rather buy a GT500 and add the hood myself rather than drop the large amount of extra cash a real KR model will no doubt demand.

Frankly, and I am going to venture that George will agree with this part of my post even if he agrees with nothing else, the whole notion of pushing the collectibility angle of new cars is just getting silly. If you truly buy a new car as a long term investment right now you need your head examined. These cars are about going fast and looking good, and I would be much happier if Ford, SVT, SVE, Shelby and anybody else involved would start focusing on those things again and let the collectibility factor sort itself out, because in truth that is how it is going to happen anyway.

 

Time will tell with regards to demand, price, quality of mods, and projected collectability, which might be important for those who think they are on the verge of finding the fountain of youth or that cemeteries offer complementary weekend passes to its guests.

I got the GT500 because it is special with excellent quality and matched every category on my wish list. Surely, I would not allow Shelby Autos to even glance at my car let alone do any mods to it.

The issue with Shelby with respect to quality is they are bad news now as they were back in the 60s although some will disagree because either they have short memories, they weren't around back then, or the aura of the Shelby name and having his company's fingerprints on their car is the main emphasis rather than having the perfect car out of the box.

I liked the '68 hood design. It was original and aggressive, I thought it compensated the car's design and was an offset to its high roof and low body profile, its main nemesis was the fit. I don't feel the new version fulfills or compensates the present car since the roof is lower and its body profile higher, making the front end too high. The main issue I see is Shelby rides on the 60s' coat tails and keeps going back to the past with no new design innovations or progression while I see Ford has moved on in evolving and refining the Mustang design and characteristics, similar to what Chevrolet has done with the Corvette and upcoming Camaro.

 

This is one of those classic internet forum responses. I'm saving this one for future use!

 

Your impression is correct. The KR is a Ford factory produced car and is not touched by Shelby.

On the other hand, the SS is a conversion done at Shelby's shop.

Similar hoods are being produced and installed already. In fact, I'm having a similar hood installed on my coupe within the next two weeks. Below is a photo of the new hood that I'm getting along with a car with the stock hood.

 

I was ignorant to that fact therefore its quality should not be an issue.