This year marks the 20th anniversary of Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT), and in honor of the occasion, they showed up at the Chicago Auto Show with the 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible. The 650-horsepower Shelby GT500 is powered by a 5.8-liter supercharged V8 - and that's only the beginning.

 

Before we get into the details of the new GT500, let's take a look back at SVT in 1992. The Special Vehicle Team at Ford arrived at the Chicago Auto Show with the 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra and SVT F-150 Lightning.  Back then, the Mustang Cobra offered up 235-horsepower from its 5.0-liter V8 engine. Each year since then, the Ford SVT team has worked with four goals in mind: Performance, Substance, Exclusivity and Value.

 

Needless to say, it's those core values that define the 650-hp Shelby GT500 in 2012. Boasting a top speed of 200 mph, it's the most powerful production model V8 in the world.

 

We don't know why you need better performance than that, but just in case you do - drivers can add the Performance Package with an electronically adjustable suspension to choose between Normal driving and Sport driving. Normal is for your daily routine, while Sport...well, let's just say it's a lot more fun. Or, how about the Track Package, available in the Coupe model? It adds an external engine cooler, rear differential cooler and transmission cooler that together, help prevent overheating during long-duration driving.

 

Are you ready to try one? Well, it'll roll into the Don Bohn Ford showroom this spring. Be sure to check back with us to learn more about it. When it's time, we invite you to contact us via our website to arrange a test drive. Or, stop by and see us at 3737 Lapalco Boulevard Harvey, LA 70085.