
Click image for larger view

Click image for larger view

Click image for larger view

Click image for larger view The interior
door panels feature air-vent apertures and integrated "door close"
pockets. The door release employs a pull-ring themed design with
quick-release slide action and an illuminated door lock/unlock
indicator. The exposed rear bulkhead cross-car structure braces to the
roll hoop and features a snorkel air-register outlet that controls the
ambient cabin climate.
The heart of
any supercar is its engine, and the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept does not
disappoint.
Inspired by
the biggest, baddest engine of them all – the renowned 427 – Ford
engineers created a new aluminum-block V-10 to power last year's Ford
Shelby Cobra concept. This 390 cubic inch, 6.4-liter engine, reprised
for service in the Shelby GR-1 concept, is adapted from Ford's MOD
engine family. It delivers the rush of raw power – with 605 horsepower
and 501 foot-pounds of torque – associated with that big 1960s V-8
powerplant without the aid of supercharging or turbocharging.
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"Last year's
Ford Shelby Cobra roadster concept only hinted at the possibilities for
the Ford GT supercar architecture and our relationship with Carroll
Shelby. The Ford Shelby GR-1 concept provides another glimpse at what
the future could hold." J Mays, Group Vice President of Design and
Chief Creative Officer
The Ford
Shelby GR-1 concept springs from a long line of Ford performance project
cars and quickly establishes itself as one of the most contemporary and
dramatic front-engine, two-seat, fastback supercars. This running
prototype reaches closer to reality with a 605-horsepower,
390-cubic-inch all-aluminum V-10 engine, a road-tested version of the
Ford GT suspension and a stunning new polished-aluminum body.
Sensuous,
perfectly proportioned and wholly modern, this show car builds on the
success of the Ford Shelby Cobra concept – the 2004 North American
International Auto Show (NAIAS) "Best in Show" winner – and reinforces
Ford's continued commitment to performance.
The Shelby
GR-1 concept's name pays tribute to both a performance great and "Group
Racing." This uniquely emotional American sports car design represents
Ford's continued desire to include a high-end, limited-production
specialist supercar in its lineup. Initially unveiled as a design
exercise at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August, the Ford
Shelby GR-1 concept is a sports car salute to "performance art."
The Shelby
GR-1 concept combines modern sculptured surfaces and a sleek muscular
fastback design into a car that could succeed the Ford GT once its
production cycle concludes. All of the sophisticated mechanicals of this
extraordinary coupe are wrapped in a sleek, muscular aluminum skin left
bare and polished bright. The result is a forward-looking supercar with
attention-grabbing Ford presence and Carroll Shelby inspiration.
The center
portion of the spaceframe also borrows liberally from the Ford GT as
major aluminum extrusions are based heavily on existing pieces. At the
front of the coupe, the team incorporated extruded main rails, a
steering rack cross-member, crash-management sections and the bumper
beam from the Ford GT.
The Shelby
GR-1 concept sits on 19-inch, 12-spoke milled aluminum wheels and
features Goodyear 275/40R-19 tires in the front and 345/35R-19 tires in
the rear, mated with the unique Tire IQ™ system, which allows the driver
to monitor precise tire performance.
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