Ford Mustang

You're reading 2008 Ford Mustang With Added Spice, posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 12:49 pm in Models, Reviews, on BrainBloggers at the Ford Mustang blog. More after the jump.

Ever since 2005 the Ford Mustang has been given a retro theme. And that theme is continued into the 2008 model year. We can expect to see this design until yet another makeover will be performed for the 2010 model year. Yet, even though they kept with the design they still had to spice things up a bit because they are finding themselves coming up a little short in sales. With the added spice maybe they can spark people’s interest again.

That, at least, is Ford’s hope for the 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR coupe and 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-H convertible. Like the new-for-2007 Shelby GT500 the 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR and 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-H convertible extend the long line of racy Mustangs that began with the 1965 GT-350 created by performance legend Carroll Shelby. Fittingly, Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas oversees modifications and final assembly for both 2008 newcomers.

The ragtop 2008 GT-H follows a like-named 2006 coupe and like the coupe is reserved for Hertz, which is getting about 500 to rent in Arizona, California, and Hawaii starting in late 2007. GT-Hs are based on regulation Mustang GTs, but boast a little more horsepower, a rumored 325 for the convertible, plus Shelby-influenced suspension upgrades and styling touches a la the classic 1966 GT-350H “rent-a-racer”. More exciting is the 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, unveiled in early April at the New York Auto Show as a 40th anniversary salute to the original 1968 “King of the Road” Mustang.

To be offered only as a coupe, it’s a joint effort of Shelby Automobiles and Ford’s Special Vehicle Team in-house performance operation. The KR is basically a wilder version of the already hairy Shelby GT500, which came out for 2007. The 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR changes start under the hood, where the supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 muscles up by some 40 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque for respective totals of 540 and 510.

A new cold-air intake system and recalibrated ignition and throttle electronics get the credit. A Tremec 6060 six-speed manual transmission remains mandatory, but gets a short-throw Ford Racing shifter and connects to a 3.73:1 rear axle instead of a 3.31:1 unit, also to amp-up acceleration.

The 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR hood itself is new too: made of carbon fiber, SVT’s first use of the material, and visibly domed to accommodate functional twin air scoops. Other unique KR visuals include a larger grille opening, deeper front spoiler, lower-riding side skirts, a big rear spoiler, and 40th anniversary Shelby Cobra emblems in strategic places.

Also per Shelby tradition, the 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR gets slightly stiffer springs and shock absorbers, a thicker antiroll bar, and a stouter brace linking the front strut towers, all to improve rigidity for sharper handling. The New York car wore 20-inch wheels, but Ford says production KRs will have 18-inch versions of the specific “split-spoke” design. As for the balance of the 2008 Ford Mustang line, the mainstays remain, in the form of V-6 and V-8 coupes and convertibles.

The V-6 models have a 4.0-liter engine rated at 210 horsepower. GTs use a 300-horsepower 4.6-liter V-8. The Shelby GT500 coupe and convertible have a 500-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V-8. The GT500 comes only with six-speed manual transmissions. The others offer a manual or automatic transmission.