Cars
The Mustang Shelby GT350 & GT350R Are Back.. But Not From Ford
Feast your eyes on the 2025 Shelby GT350, the most powerful Shelby GT350 in history, with a whopping 810-horsepower on tap. This bad boy was introduced almost 60 years to the day that Carroll Shelby revealed the first one in 1965, and we think that he would definitely approve.
Shelby-branded Mustangs have returned a few times since, both as Ford Performance models and as custom builds by Shelby American — but the historic GT350 and GT500 nameplates were typically reserved for the finished Ford products over the past two decades. That changes with the latest GT350, which is a Shelby American build, rather than a Ford one.
The Shelby GT350 will be available as a street car, while the street legal GT350R is track-ready with components from Shelby’s future Trans Am spec race car.
“Sixty years ago, the Shelby GT350 marked a new chapter in performance and motorsports history,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American. “It was Shelby’s first model based on the Ford Mustang, the perfect follow-up to the ground-breaking Shelby Cobra. Shelby American poured its performance expertise into the 1965 Mustang, turning it into an iconic international sports car. We followed the same strategy for 2025 and collaborated with industry leaders to create this very special Shelby car.”
For the GT350 street version, Shelby American tuned and upgraded the Mustang’s suspension, exhaust, styling and other elements for enhanced street driving experience. Instead of a high-revving flat-plane crank V8, the Shelby GT350 is powered by the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine and is offered in both 480 and 810 (supercharged) horsepower versions, and with a choice of manual or automatic transmission.
The Shelby GT350 has a starting price of $109,999 for the supercharged version, including the car. That’s big money for basically a Mustang GT with a Whipple supercharger and a few mods.
“The Shelby GT350 and the Shelby GT350R are back for 2025,” said Gary Patterson, President of Shelby American. “Just as Carroll Shelby envisioned in 1965, this sports car is designed to be exhilarating and competitive on both the street and track. The Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R each have unique personalities that are very different from our halo Shelby Super Snake. The 2025 Shelby GT350 models are pure sports car, while the Shelby Super Snake is the highest performance super car in our lineup.”
“We increased horsepower by almost 70%, tuned the suspension, opened up the exhaust, smoothed the aerodynamics and gave it more sex appeal,” said Vince LaViolette, Vice President of Operations and Senior Designer at Shelby American. “The styling is based on functionality, giving the Shelby GT350 a purposeful look. However, the suspension is still supple enough to drive every day without sacrificing comfort.”
The street legal 2025 Shelby GT350R has 830+ horsepower and will only be available with a six-speed manual transmission. As in 1965, the 36 Shelby GT350R model cars will be white with two optional painted stripes and graphics packages available; gold/silver/black representing the historic race package and blue/white Shelby heritage package.
The street-legal, track-ready Shelby GT350R features a carbon fiber interior ‘tub’, optional carbon fiber racing seats and harnesses, carbon fiber trim, integrated roll cage, Turn Key Automotive/Motorsports, Trans AM spec high speed carbon fiber Aero package, fully-adjustable, JRI race struts and shocks with remote reservoir, ProSystems Alcon racing brakes, numerous chassis upgrades and more. Pricing will be announced shortly.
“While the Shelby GT350 street car is civilized enough for a daily commute, the Shelby GT350R was built for the serious weekend track warrior,” said La Violette. “Embracing the character of the 1965 competition model Shelby, our focus was on lightening the car, sharpening the performance and keeping it cool on the road course.”
The Shelby GT350R will be built in collaboration with Turn Key Automotive/Motorsports in Michigan, which has a deep history in American performance and racing. The company has deep experience in performance parts, racing and low volume niche programs, and provides the expertise, parts, services and support to take a project from rendering to reality.
“We’re honored to help Shelby American return one of the most iconic names to the track,” said Turn Key owner Rich Rinke. “We are excited to assist Shelby by bridging the connection between consumer and racing. For those who have track experience, the Shelby GT350R offers a high level of performance in a street-legal package.
In addition to collaborating with Shelby American on the street legal Shelby GT350R, Turn Key is helping develop a future track only version of the sports car intended for competition in Trans Am. Turn Key is an approved Trans Am vehicle builder of SGT and GT vehicles with a stellar reputation for success.
Shelby American built 562 Shelby GT350s in 1965, which is why production is limited to the same number for 2025. Production of street cars will begin in the second quarter of the year to be sold in the US through Shelby selected Ford dealers. A limited number of street cars will be built by Shelby mod shops and distributors internationally. And 36 Shelby GT350R models, again matching the number built in 1965, will be available directly through Shelby American.
“From the 60th anniversary badges to the aero package and Shelby spec wheels, the sports car visually reflects the modern spirit of the first Shelby GT350,” said Patterson. “Behind the wheel, it’s very apparent that this car is worthy of the iconic Shelby GT350 name.”
Each vehicle from Shelby American is documented in the official Shelby Registry. The Shelby GT350 comes with a 3 year/36,000-mile warranty; the powertrain warranty from Ford remains intact. For more information or to place an order, visit Shelby.com.
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