2013 Shelby GT500 Test Mule To Sell At Barrett Jackson

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This topic is for discussion of the following:
http://www.muscularmustangs.com/2012/ne ... t_mule.php

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First pics of the Shelby GT500 test mule leaked!
http://www.muscularmustangs.com/2012/ne ... ctures.php

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Ford just sent us more info on the 2013 Shelby GT500 Mustang Test Mule, read the full press release below.

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Ford is giving muscle car enthusiasts a rare opportunity to bid on the racetrack durability car used to develop the 2013 Shelby GT500 production Mustang. The car will be auctioned at the 41st Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The sale will raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). On the auction stage will be Ford’s President of The Americas, Mark Fields, and members of SVT. The event will be televised live on SPEED Channel.

“This GT500 durability car represents the most recent collaboration between Ford SVT and Carroll Shelby,” said Fields. “Working alongside Carroll, our SVT team put this durability car through some of the most demanding driving conditions at Sebring International Raceway as well as others across the country. The result of those tests is the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, the most powerful production V8 in the world.”

The durability car was built in 2007 – one of the first vehicles with the new 2010 body. Then, for the 2013 model, the prototype was run for 24 hours at top speeds of 150 mph at Sebring to ensure all systems function properly for customers who will replicate such grueling conditions.

The car includes a full roll cage, six-point harness seatbelts and new Recaro racing seats that were donated by Recaro North America, identical to those used in development. The production 2013 Shelby GT500 will be available with optional SVT-designed Recaro seats. Evidence of instrumentation from development also can be found inside the vehicle. Each member of SVT engineering who worked on the 2013 Shelby GT500 has signed the underside of the trunk lid.

“I raced on the Sebring International racetrack for many years, but my ambition was always to build my own car,” said Carroll Shelby. “It was exciting to be back to collaborate on this GT500 durability car with the SVT guys. I’m really proud to have my name on this car. They took my dreams of what a car should be and made it a reality.”

All proceeds from the auction of the car will benefit JDRF, a leader in research leading to a cure for Type 1 diabetes. During the past five years, Ford has raised more than $3 million for charity through sales of vehicles at Barrett-Jackson auctions.

“When the Ford SVT team and Carroll Shelby collaborate on a car, you know it’s going to be firing on all cylinders,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “We have a long history of working with Ford and Carroll and are excited to have this one-of-one durability car cross our auction block in Scottsdale to benefit a very worthy charity.”