Shelby GT500 428 Cobra Jet

Shelby GT500 428 Cobra Jet

When Carroll Shelby introduced the GT500 for 1967, it was a completely different animal from the GT350. Where the GT350 was a precision instrument — light, nimble, race-bred — the GT500 was a hammer. Its massive 428 cubic inch Police Interceptor V8 (428 PI, then 428 Cobra Jet from 1968) delivered devastating torque and straight-line performance that could humble anything on the street.

The 1967 GT500 used the 428 PI engine rated at 355 hp with dual Holley 600 CFM carburetors. It was a more refined car than the GT350 — softer suspension, power steering, air conditioning available — reflecting a shift from pure racing homologation to street-oriented grand touring.

The 1968 model brought the legendary 428 Cobra Jet engine (335 hp, massively underrated) and the KR designation — 'King of the Road.' The GT500KR was Ford's response to the Corvette 427 and Hemi cars, and it could run the quarter mile in the low 13-second range despite its conservative horsepower rating.

The 1969-70 GT500 received the SportsRoof body (also used on the Boss 302 and Boss 429 Mustangs), with three NACA-style hood scoops, sequential tail lights, and a more aggressive stance. These are the longest and widest Shelby Mustangs, and while purists sometimes prefer the lighter 1965-66 cars, the 1969 GT500 has become one of the most recognizable muscle cars in the world — largely thanks to the movie 'Gone in 60 Seconds' (2000), where a 1967 GT500 nicknamed 'Eleanor' became a star.

The Shelby GT500 represented the pinnacle of what the American muscle car could be in the late 1960s. It combined Carroll Shelby's racing credibility with Ford's big-block brutality and the Mustang's iconic styling into a package that remains one of the most desirable American cars ever produced.