Mod-shop Classic Recreations is again tuning its vintage expertise to an icon of American motoring and this time with a decidedly high-performance twist. The company’s technicians are preparing to go to work on a new line of Shelby GT500CR models, which will feature carbon fiber bodies for the first time.
Classic Recreations has spent 15 years building and restoring classic muscle cars with traces of modern engineering, recently gracing our pages with a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 featuring a John Wick-inspired paint job.
The forthcoming line of carbon fiber Shelby GT500CRs also begin with an original Mustang body of the 1967 and 1968 model year, restored to original condition. Classic Recreations is collaborating with carbon fiber manufacturer SpeedKore Performance for the project, with the Wisconsin-based company building a 3D digital model of the entire car body through a blue light scan.
SpeedKore Performance will then cut the panels and plugs out of aerospace-grade carbon fiber, giving this steel classic a lighter and stronger body. Classic Recreations bills this as the world’s first officially-licensed Shelby Mustang made with a carbon fiber body, and plans to offer a number of powertrain options beneath the shiny new exterior.
These vary from a 490-horsepower Ford Performance Gen 3 5.0L Coyote to a 900-horsepower, hand-built 427-cubic-inch engine packing an intercooled supercharger. All models will come with a five-speed manual transmission and stainless steel exhaust, while other features include coilover suspension, Wilwood brakes, American Racing Forged wheels and Michelin high-performance Z-rated tires.
On the optional side of things, customers can fit out their carbon fiber Shelby GT500CR with a six-speed manual or auto transmission, six-piston brake calipers with larger rotors and wider rear wheels and tires. A full range of color options is also available.
Classic Recreations plans to follow the initial line of carbon fiber GT500CRs with a carbon-fiber-bodied version of the Shelby Cobra.
“Since 1998, Mr. Shelby believed that carbon fiber would be the future of American sports car manufacturing,” says Neil Cummings, Co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International. “We believe the introduction of a carbon-fiber GT500 Mustang and Cobra is a natural next step in the evolution of these iconic vehicles and builds on the legacy of the same innovation that Carroll Shelby was known for.”
Source: Classic Recreations
