2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible: Track Focused?

by Jack Baruth

Published: February 8th, 2012

2013 ford shelby gt500 convertible track focused

We’ve already heard that the 2013 GT500 droptop will be limited to a relatively poky 155MPH. That’s probably for the best, really. It’s much safer to roll a convertible over at 155 than it would be at, say, a buck-ninety.

During the press conference, however, we heard an interesting factoid, one that got us interested enough to sucker-punch SVT’s Jamal Hameedi for a brief Q-and-A:

Hau Thai-Tang told the press that the 2013 convertible with the SVT Performance Pack, which includes driver-adjustable Bilstein shocks to help the pony posse get over their ZL1 Magnaride envy, is “three seconds faster than the outgoing coupe.” What does that mean?

Mr. Hameedi was happy to help: the 2013 Performance Package convertible is about three seconds a lap ahead of the 2011 Performance Package coupe around Sebring. “Which,” he chuckled, “should give you an idea of where we will be with the coupe.”

No doubt that the current SVT GT500 is one of the fastest American cars to ever hit a showroom floor, but sitting next to the new hotness, Ford had helpfully displayed a ’93 Fox-body Cobra. It did the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds with 230 horsepower. Not enough to hang with a Camry in 2012. Know what? We’d still like to have one.

Photography courtesy of Julie Hyde

#2012ChicagoAutoShow

Jack Baruth

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3 of 28 comments

Bimmer on Feb 08, 2012

Jack, I think it's a 1993 Cobra R. Only 107 were produced, all in Vibrant Red clear coat, with 5-lug wheels, no radio or A/C, 235HP and 125lbs lighter that regular Cobra GT.

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- Jack Baruth on Feb 08, 2012
  
  It was certainly equipped like an R but we were told it was a private owners car... could have been a '93 Cobra dressed up as an R. I don't know the Foxes enough to say for sure either way
  
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RRJ on Feb 08, 2012

Excellent, Jack; excellent!

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