(AutoWeek)
By: Dale Jewett on 3/27/2012

Shelby American is celebrating its 50th anniversary by turning up the wick on the Ford Mustang--really turning up the wick.

Carroll Shelby's car-tuning firm is taking the Shelby 1000 to the New York auto show in April. Based on the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the street version of the Shelby 1000 will crank out 950 hp. By comparison, the production 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 is rated at 650 hp.

Want more? Shelby American says a non-street-legal version of the car, the Shelby 1000 S/C, will make more than 1,100 hp.

Both versions of the Shelby 1000 run a supercharged Ford 5.4-liter V8. The street version uses a Kenne Bell unit, while the track car is fitted with a Whipple blower.

Shelby American says it stripped the Ford engine to the bare block and beefed it up, then added a new crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons. It reworked the engine's cooling system and cylinder heads.

To handle all of that power, Shelby American adds a nine-inch rear end, a stronger driveshaft, larger brakes and beefier suspension pieces. The car also gets some aero pieces, including a hood with a functional air inlet.

Shelby American says it will build a limited number of the cars-and they won't be cheap. The street version will have a sticker price of $149,995 plus the cost of a Mustang GT500. The Shelby 1000 S/C package is expected to cost about $200,000, in addition to the cost of the car.

(Article from StangTV by Chris Demorro)

Ever since GM brought the Camaro back from the dead, Mustang sales have been sagging. That’s to be expected though, as muscle car enthusiasts now have a lot more in the way of choice than they did just a few years ago. Still, we can’t imagine Ford was happy about conceding such a large chunk of the market to the General and its friendship car (seriously, look up what Camaro means.)

Mustangs Daily reports that the sales drought is over for the Mustang though, as February 2012 sales are almost double that from the same month last year. Furthermore, for the first time since June of 2011, the Mustang has outsold the Camaro. That’s a big step on the way back to muscle car dominance.

2012 has gotten off to a good start for Mustang sales, with the month of January up 18% over last year to over 3,700 units sold. But February saw almost twice as many Mustangs sold, with 7,351 vehicles being moved from dealer lots in the shortest month of the year. That’s an incredible turnaround from February of 2011, when just 3,697 units were sold. That’s an over 98% sales increase year-to-year.

It also marks the first time since last June that Mustang sales have outpaced the fresher Chevy Camaro. GM moved 6,923 cars in February, over 400 short of Mustang sales. But the Camaro still has a slight edge in total 2012 sales, selling 12,632 units in the first two months of 2012, compared to Mustang’s 11,087. But while the Camaro still has the sales lead, the 2013 Mustang goes on sale in just a few weeks, which could help Mustang sales really take off and leave the Camaro behind.