Mention a 1967 Shelby GT500 and right away the first car that comes to everyone’s mind is the star of Gone in 60 Seconds. No, we are not talking about Nicholas Cage or Angelina Jolie, we are talking about the beautifully sleek and sexy Eleanor. This is a car that needs no introduction, so it’s no wonder that people are wanting to try and recreate the spirit of this very car.
One of those people is RK Motors, who, in collaboration with Pro Touring Super Cars, have developed a 1967 Shelby Supercharged GT500 that is beyond any imagination. For starters, they took the body of a 1967 GT500 and then added a modern engine to create a perfect combination. After that the tuner added the rear cap and integrated spoiler, C-pillar and quarter panel scoops, nose cone with center-mounted lights, and a vented Shelby hood. After adjusting every detail of the body, RK Motors applied a spectacular Acapulco Blue paint combined with Shelby stripes.
The body on this ‘67 was given a rotisserie restoration, which means that it was fixed and smoothed inside and out, top and bottom. Anything that needed attention, got it, and everything was put into better-than-new condition before any paint was sprayed. The idea was a showcase, remember? Gaps were adjusted until they were far better than the factory could ever manage, and the hood was finished to levels that nobody at the Shelby factory could have imagined was possible in 1967. Once everything was straight, that spectacular Acapulco Blue paint was applied using 2-stage urethane. Shelby stripes were sprayed, then buried under the clear, and Shelby GT500 callouts were applied to the rockers. Additional Shelby details include the rear cap and integrated spoiler, C-pillar and quarter panel scoops, nose cone with center-mounted lights, and that vented Shelby hood (and if you’ve seen originals, you know how wavy they really were).
Without looking under the hood, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a real Shelby.But the real treat is the supercharged 2004 Cobra motor under the hood. If you’ve been following Ford performance for the past 15 years or so, you know that these 4-cam motors can make BIG power from their relatively modest displacement. With forced induction, they breathe better than a big block and put down some astounding numbers while maintaining incredible civility. And if you’ve ever heard one at full song, you know what I’m talking about?they have just about the sweetest exhaust note this side of a Ferrari V8. The motor in this ‘67 is a built 2004 Cobra piece that features a custom induction system to fit it into the ’67’s engine bay. There’s a smaller pulley on the supercharger to up the boost (these engines with their forged bottom ends can easily handle a lot more boost than the factory permits), and a custom Aeromotive fuel system to ensure that it is adequately fed at all speeds.
A custom heat exchanger and reservoir were crafted to allow it all to fit under the Shelby hood, and up front, a massive aluminum radiator keeps it cool no matter how hard you run. A set of custom-built headers handle the exhaust and if anything, they magnify that sweet engine note. The engine was beautifully dressed with custom painted cam covers that look a lot like Boss 429 or SOHC 427 pieces?perfect for the 1967 body. It even features cool “Powered by Ford” logos for a distinctly Shelby touch. With a custom ECM programmed by the experts at Speed, Inc., it starts instantly, idles perfectly even when it’s cold, and pulls like a freight train. There are no flat spots in the power curve, and I know this because there’s a dyno sheet that comes with the car showing that it just keeps climbing and climbing to a peak of 444 horsepower and 495 pounds of torque at the wheels?impressive!
