Carroll Shelby and the Ford Special Vehicle Team are now in their second model year of building a modern successor to the famous 1967-70 Shelby GT500 and this time round, the GT500 gets a supercharged 500-horsepower 5.4-litre V8, 6-speed manual transmission, race-tuned suspension and four-piston Brembo brakes.

A modern interpretation of the big-block Shelby Mustang of the late 1960s, the 2008 Shelby GT500 uses advanced engineering to attain the kind of performance that made it the original the “King of the Road.” True to its heritage, today’s GT500 is available both as a coupe and as a convertible. Serving as touchstone and inspirational leader for both the concept and the production versions of the modern GT500, Carroll Shelby was impressed by what SVT engineers had accomplished.

“It’s one thing to put 450 horsepower in an exotic supercar,” said Shelby. “It’s another to put that much power in something as affordable as a Mustang. The fact that they not only met their goal but pushed on to 500 horsepower is a remarkable achievement.” Shelby knows something about creating modern supercars. He served as a senior advisor on the SVT Engineering team that developed and built the 550-horsepower Ford GT.

As expected of anything with Shelby’s name on it, the heart of the car is what’s under the bonnet. The Shelby GT500’s V8 evolves from Ford’s experience with expanding its modular engine family. The engine is force-fed an air-and-fuel mixture via a Roots-type supercharger providing 8.5 psi of boost. The cast-iron engine block is topped by an aluminium 4-valve cylinder head. “Powered by SVT” camshaft covers add the finishing touch to the engine bay.

Delivering the power to the pavement is a 6-speed manual gearbox with evenly spaced gearing for a smooth transition through the ratios along the broad torque curve. The heavy-duty transmission has proven itself a perfect match to Mustangs in both road and track environments, including the race-winning Mustang FR500C.

The Shelby GT500 continues a legacy of all-around performance that made the original Shelby Mustang a world-class racer on tracks and road courses around the world. It starts with the solid underpinnings of the Mustang GT which was designed from the beginning with performance derivatives in mind, providing an exceptionally rigid, well-engineered platform for GT500 chassis engineers. SVT engineers then retuned and upgraded key chassis components for the GT500. Improvements such as revised shocks, spring rates and upgraded stabilizer bars help the Shelby GT500 stop and turn with the same authority as it goes.

The Shelby GT500 features a MacPherson strut independent front suspension with Reverse-L lower control arms, and a solid-axle, 3-link rear suspension with coil springs and a Panhard rod for precise control of the rear axle.

The SVT Engineers employed some of the biggest brakes in the business for the GT500. Four-piston Brembo calipers are fitted to 14-inch Brembo vented rotors up front, and 11.8-inch vented discs in the rear continue SVT’s tradition of great-braking Mustangs. 255/45ZR in front and 285/40ZR tyres in the back wrap around 18 x 9.5are 18 by 9.5 wheels. The Mustang design team drew inspiration from classic 1967-68 Mustangs, the models that transformed the mild-mannered pony car into a true muscle car with attitude. But one glance at the Shelby GT500 shows this is not a typical Mustang. A sinister-looking front-end design includes wide upper and lower fascia openings with a functional lower air-splitter. The upper grille opening sports the famous Cobra logo, floating off-centre in place of a centred galloping pony found on other Mustangs. On either side, slanting HID headlamp openings add to the dramatic front appearance.

The bulging bonnet has a set of matching heat extractors protruding near the leading edge, combining to provide improved airflow and aerodynamics. As air passes over the top surface, hot air from the engine compartment is drawn out through venting attached to the extractors.

The production Shelby GT500 Coupe is punctuated by the classic Le Mans-style white overbody stripes that race along the top from nose to tail. The stripes recall the Shelby Mustangs that marked another important 1960s Mustang transition, when Ford put it on track to becoming a racing legend. The GT500 nomenclature is prominent in the lower bodyside racing stripe, another cue from the classic Shelby Mustangs of yesteryear.

The unique rear fascia features lower strakes inspired by the Ford GT’s integrated rear airflow diffuser, and a rear spoiler reminiscent of a classic GT500. To mark the collaboration of two Mustang performance icons, the GT500 features both Shelby and SVT badging.

The fenders each sport an updated design of the famed Cobra emblem. The front grille houses an off-centre snake in place of the standard running horse. “GT500” is emblazoned inside the side rocker stripes, and the name SHELBY is prominently written across the rear deck. The SVT logo can be seen on the wheel centre caps, a signature SVT location, as well as on the doorsill plates. To top it off, the medallion between the taillights reads, “Shelby GT500” centred on the Cobra image.

Inside the car, the locations of the speedometer and the tachometer are swapped from the Mustang GT to provide performance-oriented drivers with a better view of shift points while changing gears. The front seats have received additional lateral support to help keep the driver optimally positioned during cornering.

The interior is offered in a choice of two colours, Charcoal Black or Charcoal Black and Crimson Red. The charcoal/red offering features Crimson Red seating surfaces and door panel inserts. Seating surfaces are leather with both interior treatments. Snake logos embossed in the seatbacks finish the package.

The Shelby GT500 script and Cobra image are repeated on the steering wheel cap. Behind the wheel, the gauges wear light faces in keeping with SVT tradition. The chromed accessories inside the cabin have been replaced with a satin aluminium finish, including the aluminium shift lever knob that is nicely positioned for quick, positive shifts.

New for 2008 is the availability of a 7-color programmable ambient lighting feature. This new Ford option allows owners to choose colourful interior lighting to fit their mood. A dashboard switch controls the selection of ambient light via LEDs mounted in the front console, two in the footwells and two around the cupholders.

The Shelby GT500 is intended only for sale in North America so don’t expect to see it in Ford showrooms in Malaysia anytime soon.

WHEN Fiat first launched the coupé, there was only one word to describe it: wow! Designed by Chris Bangle before he parked himself at BMW, this was one very sexy coupé that looked not only great on the outside but also on the inside with its painted dash and racing seats. Local importer Torino Motors had a surefire hit on its hands and it managed to sell quite a few units despite the rather high selling price of RM$168,000 for the range topping 20 Valve Turbo.

For the asking price you got thoroughbred looks, a brawny 220bhp – good for 250km/h and 0-96km/h in 6.5 seconds. Every single one of those 220 kicking horses is harnessed to a nimble chassis via a six-speed gearbox. Although its assertive looks cry out for the open road, good steering feedback, light clutch, smooth gearchange, and abundance of torque makes town driving a breeze and single lane overtaking great fun as you run up the rev range almost instantly!

To stop in time ABS-assisted Brembo brakes (painted bright red and showing off through the five angular shaped spokes 16-inch alloy wheels) are powerfully reassuring. Despite the immense amount of power the engine generates from this small cubic capacity, the fuel consumption, at 8.8km/l overall, is outstandingly good.

The comfortable interior is strikingly set off by the startling, body-coloured, painted metal dash and white background instrumentation. Inside, it’s much bigger than you would imagine: a real four-seater. Recaro seats are supportive, and a steering wheel that adjusts for height and depth: a real boon. And that red push-button ignition on the fascia never fails to generate a frisson of excitement every time the coupé is fired up.

Fiat gives you a lot for your money: starting with ABS, remote central locking, twin airbags, power steering, tinted glass, power windows/mirrors, leather upholstery, leather covered steering wheel, automatic air conditioning, smart alloys wearing 225/45 Pirelli P-Zeros, and Viscodrive traction control. There’s even an easily accessible large sized boot that will swallows a couple of golf bags if placed well.

Built by Pininfarina, this bargain-basement priced Ferrari alternative is as good to look at as it is to look out of. Problems with a used Coupé Turbo start with hefty prices for certain replacement parts like the sensors on the brakes, replacement body panels and blown turbos. Bear in mind that this is a car sitting in the supercar league so prices should reflect that. Interior plastic trim does not hold up well in our climate. Cracks and ‘soft’ plastic are common and replacement expensive.

Leather seats need occasional treatment or they will start cracking and stitch seams will come apart. Front tyres get worn fast with a heavy right foot. Servicing is simple enough and a Fiat specialist is available to ensure all problems are rectified fast. Torino Motors itself has facilities to cater to that and it still has spares stocked up.

Prices on the other hand will lead you to ignore all that was said in the preceding para and run out and buy one. A 10-year-old 1995 NON turbo will sell for as low as RM$50,000 but this gives you only the ‘go fast looks’ and only 150 horses. A well-maintained year 2000 20V turbo with full service history will sell from RM$90,000 and somewhere in between, you might get a decent unit.

Rumour has it that Torino Motors still has unregistered units for sale sitting in its warehouse. So, maybe with some negotiations you could get an ultra low mileage newly registered Fiat Coupé Turbo for slightly more that a used registered one. Worth a look!

* Source of information: www.autospeed.com
* http://www.motortrader.com.my/NUS/articles/0/article_192/page_m.asp

"Not so much for the car but for the possibilities of screwing with the timeline."

The De Lorean DMC-12 is a sports car that was manufactured by the De Lorean Motor Company for the American market from 1981 to 1983 in Northern Ireland. It is most commonly known simply as the De Lorean, as it was the only model ever produced by the company. The DMC-12 featured gull-wing doors with a fiberglass "underbody", to which non-structural brushed stainless steel panels are affixed. A De Lorean was featured as a home-made time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy.

The first prototype appeared in March 1976, and production officially began in 1981 (with the first DMC-12 rolling off the production line on January 21) at the DMC factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. During its production, several aspects of the car were changed, such as the hood (bonnet) style, wheels and interior. About nine thousand DMC-12s were made before production stopped in late 1982. Today, about 6,500 De Lorean Motor Cars are believed to still exist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Lorean_DMC-12

The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of popular coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica (IPA [selika]) meaning "heavenly" or "celestial".[citation needed]

Thoughout its life span the Celica has been powered by variety four cylinder engines. The most significant change occurred in 1986, when the car's drive layout was changed from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. During the first three generations, American market Celicas were powered by various versions of Toyota's R series engines. A four-wheel drive turbocharged model (designated All-trac in the US or GT-Four in Japan and Europe) was produced from 1986 to 1999. Variable Valve Timing came in late 1997 Japanese models, and became standard in all models from 2000 on. Through seven generations, the model has gone through many revisions and design forks, including the Toyota Celica Supra (later known as the Toyota Supra). The Celica was available as notchback and liftback coupes, as well as a convertible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Celica

The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports coupé in the Nissan Skyline range. Dubbed "Godzilla" by Wheels magazine in Australia when released there in 1989, it was rated by many motoring magazines, as providing performance and handling equal or superior to that of European icons like the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari Testarossa, at a considerably lower price. Since the Skyline GT-R became a popular car for street racing in Japan, it has led to countless appearance in video games, beginning with its debut in 1994 for the SNES game Zero 4 Champ R and most notably the Gran Turismo series, as well as the occasional appearances in feature films, anime, and manga.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Skyline_GT-R

The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and like its predecessors in the RX range it is powered by a Renesis rotary engine. The RX-8 began North American sales as 2004 model year car.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_RX-8