Driving Across America in a 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: 500 HP, 3500 Miles, and a Legend Reborn
What happens when you drive an American pony car straight into its own history?
[This story originally appeared in the July 2006 issue of MotorTrend.]
Crisp blue skies, palm trees, and snow-capped mountains sparkling in the distance: L.A. in its spring glory. And we’re rumbling east along I-10 in 500 horsepower of supercharged Shelby GT500 Mustang, all red-with-white-stripes and Schwarzenegger swagger. Yeah, some days are definitely better than others.
We’re on a journey, heading back to where it all began. In six days and almost 3500 miles, we’ll have crossed a continent, having taken the GT500 from the Pacific Ocean through the heartland of America to the place where, in 1964, the original Mustang stole America’s heart: the site of the New York World’s Fair. Before we get there, though, we’ll have pushed the GT500 to the very edge of its performance envelope on the track, run it hard wheel to wheel against rivals from GM and Chrysler on the road, and lived through days at the wheel on everything from wide-open Interstates to rolling two-lane blacktop to the chaos of Manhattan …
(photo credit: MotorTrend)
