For the last several years, Ford has been teaming up with Barrett-Jackson to auction off some specially developed vehicles for charity. Those past vehicles have included the first production examples of the Shelby GT500KR and Shelby GT as well as special one-offs like last year’s Grabber Blue Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca. The charity for which all of these cars have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
Once again, Ford will be auctioning off one of its special vehicles for charity but this time, it will be different from the others. Up for auction in 2012 will be a 2013 Shelby GT500 development car used by SVT to hone the production ‘Stang. This prototype was run extensively at Sebring and the high speed oval at Ford’s Arizona proving grounds. It was even driven by Carroll Shelby himself during the development process.
Carroll Shelby commented that ”I raced on the Sebring International racetrack for many years, but my ambition was always to build my own car. So it was exciting to be back to collaborate on this GT500 durability car with the SVT guys. I’m really proud to have my name on this car. They took my dreams of what a car should be and made it a reality.”
The 2013 Shelby GT500 delivers 650 horsepower and a test track top speed of more than 200 mph. The 5.8-litre V8 aluminum-block engine produces 650 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, making it the most powerful production V8 in the world.
Although the car has some unique features including a full roll cage, six point harness seatbelts and Recaro racing seats it will likely remain a show piece as it can’t be registered for road use.
