The Shelby GT500 SC 1000 is a stunning work of muscle car art.
Not to be outdone by Chevy’s announced production of 69 COPO Camaros for 2013, Ford has decreed there will be 100 copies of the Shelby SC 1000 created.
Make no mistake; this is all-out war.
Chevy claims the 2013 COPO is the quickest Camaro ever introduced, and offers three naturally aspirated engines, including a 427 cubic inch V8 rated at 425 horsepower. The Shelby will blow that off the road with its power plant, a 5.8 liter supercharged V8 churning out 1183 horsepower, and featuring a completely new set of balanced internals, stouter valve springs and different cams. Other engine mods include ported heads and a much higher-flow tuned exhaust system.
While this is nearly three times the power on tap for the Chevy, the $200,000 GT500 SC 1000 will also cost $154,000 more than the standard GT500. The COPO Camaro’s projected retail is a little easier to digest at $86,000.
Sidebar: How crazy is it that you can take an older fox body Mustang 5.0, throw on some performance parts like new camshafts, a supercharger, replacement air intake, new engine computer, etc. and get 800-1000hp at a fraction of the cost of a new GT500 SC 1000?
This Shelby features a suspension that completely replaces original equipment with fully adjustable spring rates, big Brembo brakes and a 9-inch rear end to handle that extreme output. Both the Shelby and the COPO will have six-speed manual transmissions available, but in the Shelby, this is the only transmission, while in the Camaro the manual transmission is optional.
Both cars are designed for track-only use, and Chevy won’t even issue a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for the COPO, meaning these cars won’t be registered for use on the street. They’re intended strictly for NHRA Stock Eliminator or Super Stock classes. This is a collector car and a hobbyist’s plaything, as these classes don’t offer the prize payouts to justify the price.
The SC 1000 is targeted at a completely different kind of racing, intended for the Sport Coupe class in international road racing. That doesn’t mean you won’t see one at a local drag strip, but it’s a rare individual that is going to shell out 200K for a car and then risk it drag racing.
This Shelby is made for one of two reasons.
- First is the customer that will buy the car primarily for prestige, and collector investment value.
- Second, the truly intended market is those customers that will take this car to the GT tracks of the world and win using Ford’s big iron.
The likelihood is strong that with this work of automotive art, they will be doing just that: winning the war.
