Rampant

I have to say, each year that passes, I am less and less impressed with Shelby stuff, so I was curious if Shelby is endanger of loosing its brand image of creative and effective performance, and having it be replaced with overpriced virtually-off-the-shelf crap.

- The Super Snake got beat by the cheaper and much less powerful GT-R
- The Terlingua was a waste of resources in my book (GT500 money for barely-over-GT performance)
- The new GT-350 is completely underwhelming in every way in my book -- regular Ford parts stuck on for $33k!!!

I mean, the guy sells livestock and chili for crying out loud, can his cars really be taken seriously anymore?

Now, of course, this is only about the new stuff. The old stuff will always be revered for what it was. But, as a modern aftermarket company, it just doesn't make sense that they charge soooo much for so little.

Red Jay

i agree with you but not on whats in the bold text. that was a BS comparo in my book. two completely different cars designed for two completely different purposes. the over priced points u brought i agree with though.

hi5.0

No. At least not among those who want and can afford to buy a car with the Shelby name on it.
Personally, I would rather have the "old stuff" or (gasp) clones/replicas of said classics. Practically done right the first time and those are the vehicles that built the Shelby legend with actual competition wins. That's why I like Cobras, Daytona coupes, and the '65-'66 GT 350s. The '67-'68 and S197 GT 500 (even though it is actually a re-badged SVT) get a pass too.

burningman

no he wont loose his image as long as there are shelby Cheerleaders

bpmurr

The Shelby name is starting to become a joke. Just look at the comments over at Autoblog.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/18/s...rrett-jackson/

fiveoh2go

Shelby is just in it for the money, bring back John Coletti...he's a real enthusiast.

burningman

wow they are harsh MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

hi5.0

I feel the aloha... or make that alo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

Rampant

How can you call that BS? The Mustang was practically made for drag racing (isn't that why everyone still likes having the SRA?), and if it can't win that, what is the point of having 625hp? What was it made for then? Boulevard cruising and ego stroking? The GT-R certainly wasn't made for drag racing.

GRAYPNY

IMO the GT500 is the best late model Shelby that has been made and it's basically an SVT car. All of the cars that come out of Vegas seem to nothing more than body kits and bolt-ons and haven't been very well put together.

Wolfsburg

I'm not a Shelby hater and while I understand why some people are, I'd hate to see such a storied name go down the drain. Shelby really needs increase the quality of their engineers or something because offerings like the Shelby GT and the new GT-350 (sadly) are very underwhelming.

Rampant

Mods - is there anyway I could turn this into a poll? Yes/no/not sure

burningman

I don't think so..you can just start a new thread

05GT-O.C.D.

I think there is that danger, just based off my personal opinions. A few years back when I saw "Shelby" I was awestruck. Now when I see "Shelby" I see over priced SEMA stuff and a greedy company, not much more.

1 COBRA

At least with the GT350 SAI created a distinctive design and identity as opposed to the GT500 where Shelby's contributions were limited and the Shelby GT was composed of GT/CS and other meaningless parts.

IMO this is a lift for Shelby and his fans.

karman

I think that after Shelby dies the company will slowly turn into just another aftermarket upfitter.
Well known and making money, but the new stuff they come out with will be less important than even Foose stuff.

mustangfan123

In my opinion, concerning the GT350, Shelby was going for a look that stands out from the regular GT, while mantaining some styling cues from the original GT350(white paint with blue stripes, brake duct hole things, hood scoop, and quarter window deletes). Too bad the outcome was a bit blurred compared to what everyone expected. I really wish Shelby would've created the GT350 out of the 2005-2009 S197, it would've looked a lot better, even though it did not have the much better performing 5.0 4V.

The almost 90 degree headlights, somewhat flat rear fascia, and rectangular tri-bar taillights of the 2005-2009 S197 really showed very similar cues to the original GT350, it was the perfect car to create a proper tribute.

Has anyone noticed that the lower front bumper and the rear bumper piece with the center exhaust cutouts look taped on?

cdynaco

I agree. It looks different than a GT and a GT500 and fills a niche in between.
I'm not sure why all the hate... I mean what did people expect, a slightly different GT500 style and only a 10k mark-up? Everybody knows Shelby was going to charge a ton for this rarely seen stallion.
And gawd... 500+HP that's lighter than a GT500... if they did the handling & braking right, this could be a real road course performer!
I really like it! (not that I'll ever be able to afford one)

1 COBRA

Shelby's emphasis on money rather than to appeal to the working class enthusiasts might have something to do with it. Not everyone can afford
Barrett-Jackson inflated sales.

Also the fact Amy came to TMS and other forums being condescending, clearly lacking knowledge, didn't help. Once the criticism of the Shelby GT quality issues and its foundation's fiasco came about and subsequent dismissals, it got even worst.

Rampant

How can you say it slots between the GT and GT500, when it is $25k more than the GT500?
We also were hoping that Shelby lived up to it's old name with this car (the point of bringing back an old nameplate), but it is nothing like the original. There are no Shelby performance parts (just off-the-shelf stuff), the performance is average at best with what most tuners will do to the GT (or what anyone can do in the aftermarket), and the aesthetics are just atrocious. They couldn't even put in some Recaros or Sparcos for $70k???

I have no problem with Shelby creating very expensive and rare cars, as long as they add something unique to them. A built EcoBoost, or an IRS, for example, would have clearly warranted such a lofty price tag. There are so many things they could have done (and still made a profit at $33k) that would have made for a "legitimate" GT350 (even if it does look awful) -- Recaros/Sparcos; Recoars/Sparcos; CF body components; forged wheels just to name a few.

I mean, CDC made a MUCH better GT350-esque car (save for the shaker) which I gotta believe could have been built for a lot less than $33k. (link)