Shelby reveals 950bhp tuned Mustang

‘They' say absolute power corrupts absolutely. We say pish: more is definitively better than less. And with that, may we present to you the Shelby 1000.

It is the most powerful Shelby ever built, and arrives on a wave of history: exactly 50 years ago Carroll Shelby premiered the Cobra at the '62 New York motor show, announcing the arrival of a new tuning house.

So for this year's milestone show, he wanted to set another marker for the ages. Having already achieved Big Numbers with the 800bhp Super Snake, his team of mechanics took the GT500 Mustang, stripped its 5.4-litre Ford V8 down to the block and beefed it up.

Gallery: the Shelby 1000 Mustang

The head was flowed, the cooling was revamped and the exhaust was upgraded, and there's now a choice of either a Kenne Bell 3.6-litre or Whipple 4.0-litre supercharger on offer, that can, in Shelby's words, "crank out serious power all day long".

Ah yes, power. The street version produces around 950bhp, while a S/C 1000 track version offers up 1100bhp. The driveshaft is now stronger, mercifully, while the suspension includes new struts, sway bars and bushings, and Shelby tells us they worked closely with Ford Racing, Boria and Tremec to hone the wild ‘Stang.

They also held focus groups with Shelby customers too, who "overwhelmingly" asked for an understated exterior approach. "Everything was engineered and designed with a form follows function philosophy", Shelby VP Gary Davis says.

"For our return to the New York auto show," says Carroll, "I wanted something just as incredible that will show how far we've come and where we're headed for the next 50 years."

Just 50 will be built, and it'll cost you close to $200,000 - around £125k. Click through the gallery for more pics, and let us know below what you make of this, the most powerful Shelby to see the light of day.