1964 - How it Began: It all began when automotive legend Carroll Shelby was approached by Ford more than 40 years ago and asked to make the 1965 Mustang a performance racer. Ford had seen the success Shelby had made of the Cobra, and hoped he could breath some performance into the new Mustang. If anyone could do it, Ford felt Shelby was the man. Shelby and his company, Shelby American, accepted the job and began work on the very first Shelby Mustang in August of 1964. On January 27th, 1965, the first Shelby Mustang, a 1965 Shelby GT350 in Wimbledon White, made its public debut. By February of that same year, the race version of the car, the Shelby GT350R, had already won its first SCCA race competing against the likes of Corvettes and such. It wasn't long before people began to associate the name Shelby with Mustang performance. In all, 562 GT350s were created by Shelby in 1965.
1966 - Rent a Racer: In 1966 Shelby took the Mustang to a new level. Due to its popularity as a race-day performer, Hertz rental car company purchased 1,001 of these “rent-a-racers”, named GT350H, which ended up at rental car locations all over the country. This was obviously big business for Shelby and company, and gave the Shelby Mustang much exposure across the country.
1967 - The "Eleanor" Mustang: 1967 is known as the year of Eleanor, in reference to Nicolas Cage's 1967 Shelby GT500 clone featured in the movie remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. (In the original movie, a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 played the part.) The original Shelby GT500 was the first American car to leave the factory with a roll bar. In addition it featured a big block V8 engine. This car is a favorite among collectors.
1968 - The Ultimate Shelby: Two years later, Shelby released what many consider the “Ultimate Shelby Mustang.” The original 1968 Shelby GT500-KR (King of the Road), produced 360 hp courtesy of a 428 cubic-inch Cobra-Jet V8 engine. The car was also available as a convertible.
1969 - Shelby Parts Ways: Shelby continued to produce Shelby Mustangs every model year until 1970. In the summer of 1969 Shelby terminated his partnership due to differences with Ford. A 1970 Shelby Mustang did make its way to buyers, although the car was actually a carry over from the previous model year, legally marked with 1970 VINs.
2006 - Shelby Returns: Many years passed by before Shelby made a new Mustang. When Ford completed the 5th Generation Mustang redesign, Shelby jumped on board to create the 2006 special-edition Shelby GT-H. The car, which made its debut at the 2006 New York International Auto Show, paid homage to the original 1966 Shelby GT-350H. Like the original, the car featured a black paint job with gold racing stripes. Approximately 500 were built for Hertz rental car locations across the country. Once again, renters looking for a true sports car had the option of renting a Shelby Mustang.
2007 & 2008 - The Modern Day Shelby: In 2007 Shelby put out two new mustangs, the 319 hp Shelby GT and the 500 hp Shelby GT500. Both cars were an immediate success.
For the 2008 model year, Shelby brought back the King of the Road Mustang. The 2008 Shelby GT500KR will produce 550 hp and is limited to 1,000 units. In collaboration with Shelby Automobiles, Ford bills it as the fastest production Mustang the company has ever made.
2009 -Unchanged for the Most Part: In 2009 the GT500KR and GT500 Mustangs returned, although the Shelby GT Mustang was removed from the lineup.
2010 - More Power and a New Look: In January of 2009, Shelby revealed the 2010 Shelby GT500 Mustang. This refined car, based on the 2010 Ford Mustang, features 40 more horses, offering up 540 hp and 510 lbs.-ft. of torque. That makes this GT500 one of the most powerful production Mustangs ever.
In November of that year, Shelby introduced two new Mustangs at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas: 2010 Shelby SuperCharged & SR Mustang Packages.
In December of 2009, Carroll Shelby announced he was changing the company name back to Shelby American.
2011 - A Classic Returns: In January of 2010, Shelby announced it is bringing back its classic Shelby GT350 Mustang for the 2011 model year. The car features 500+ horsepower along with many styling cues from the original Shelby Mustang.
