Facts & Rumors
Fact: Ford produced its 300 millionth vehicle (a red Mustang convertible) on November 20, 2003. That's 1.2 billion tires!
Rumor: At least one drag racing insider is spreading rumors that John Force is contemplating retirement after the 2004 season. However, Force's deal with Ford lasts through 2007 and none of his daughters is quite ready to step into a Funny Car.
Rumor: With Pontiac now out of NASCAR, there's a rumor that the company may go road racing with the GTO. The Holden Monaro, upon which the GTO is based, is already raced in Australia and many chassis components already exist.
Rumor: After a three-year limited-production run, the current Pontiac GTO will be retired. There's a rumor that a next-generation GTO, built in America, may come after that based on GM's Sigma platform. The Sigma is the basic structure of the Cadillac CTS, which is now available with V-8 power.
Fact: In mid-November of last year, Landon Sanderson, 19, of Peyton, Colorado, was killed in an apparent street racing accident according to a report in the Rocky Mountain News. Sanderson was ejected from his 2000 Oldsmobile after it hit a guardrail along Colorado route 94 northeast of Colorado Springs, apparently as he was racing an acquaintance from his days at Falcon High School. Sanderson wasn't wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene.
Fact: GM has announced it's postponing or canceling several hybrid technology vehicles. Some of the delay is due to development of a new system which would be easier to package and is more advanced.
Shelby (Re)Builds The G.T. 350SR
Carroll Shelby has no intention of slowing down. His whole life has been a race, and at a spry 80 years old, he's again involved with early Mustangs. The Ford faithful are already aware of the release of the Shelby G.T. 500E, a version of Eleanor that made waves in the movie remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. This was quickly followed by the launch at the '03 SEMA show of the "new" '65 G.T. 350SR. According to Shelby, "The G.T. 350SR has been in extensive development to ensure it meets my personal standard for performance and quality." It is called the SR because it was designed to be at home on the street and the racetrack. This is a modern continuation of the original 37 cars built in 1965.
Shelby has contracted with Unique Performance, and the cars will be available through Sanderson Sales & Marketing. Each car will start out as a basic fastback '65 Mustang; Unique will then strip the vehicle down to its bones so it can be rebuilt from the ground up with an entirely new Total Control rack-and-pinion front suspension, a 410hp 347ci small-block, a five-speed, and Currie 9-inch. In keeping with the appearance of the original Shelby Mustangs, the G.T. 350SR will romp with 15-inch wheels and Goodyear tires but will stop much better with Baer discs on all four corners. There will also be a four-point rollbar and Shelby identification throughout the interior that includes an Omega GPS tracking system just in case the euphoria of the moment replaces your sense of direction.
This latest version to carry the Shelby name is certainly impressive, and carries an equally noteworthy price tag with a base model G.T. 350SR going for $93,000. But hey, this also gets you a listing in the Shelby American Registry. For more information if you got 100 g's burning a hole in your IRA, contact Sanderson Sales and Marketing at 800/418-4546 or www.sandersonsales.com.