Carroll Shelby was on hand for the unveiling of the 2013 Shelby GT500 on the eve of the LA Auto Show, calling it “the greatest Mustang ever built.” He’s got good reason to say so too, with Ford billing the car as having the most powerful production V8 engine in the world. Exactly how much is that? And what else doe the new Shelby GT500 deliver? Watch the video after the jump to find out.

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500

Watch the video below:

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Carroll Shelby (or rather, his well-lubricated PR machine) has responded to the charges of rape and employment hostility raised by former secretary Angelica Smith, labeling the lawsuit “frivolous.”

Shelby claims that Smith was fired not because she went to him with charges of rape (from another employee), but because The Shelbster simply didn’t need a secretary anymore. The company will fight the allegations to the end.

The full statement reads: “Carroll Shelby is disappointed that such wild and fantastical allegations have been made by a former employee.  The fact is that her position was no longer required due to Mr. Shelby’s age, health and work schedule.   But this apparently disgruntled former employee and her counsel have chosen to turn this into yet another prematurely publicized, frivolous lawsuit against a public figure.  Carroll Shelby has full confidence in the judicial system and believes that the truth will come out through the legal process.”

The legendary Carroll Shelby is being sued by a receptionist, who claims that she was sexually assaulted by Shelby as well as raped by another employee, then fired.

Angelica Smith was hired by Shelby as his secretary in 2005, but ended up becoming a personal servant—and claims that Shelby sent her out to buy liquor and pornography for him. Shelby “ran a pervasively hostile work environment” that involved groping Smith at his home, and another time when another Shelby employee drugged and raped her in December 2010.

Smith went to Shelby to report him, but ended up getting fired. Now she’s suing both Shelby, who certainly has plenty of lawsuit experience, the Shelby company, as well as the rapist in question for $5 million in damages.

Knowing Shelby, however, he’ll probably find a way to sue her instead.

[Source: TMZ]

Take your love of Shelby to the bike lanes. It’s recently been announced by Carroll Shelby Licensing that the company has paired with bike maker Felt Bicycles to offer the limited edition Shelby Cruiser.

A two-wheeled cycling machine, the Shelby Cruiser was designed to “exude the Shelby image and culture,” so it’s outfitted with a Wimbledon White and Guardsman Blue paint scheme – the trademark of many of Shelby’s vintage cars. In addition, the bike also showcases Felt’s hydro-formed aluminum tank frame, three-speed Shimano Nexus internal gearing and 36-spoke wheels.

“The team at Felt understands the passion that drives many Shelby enthusiasts, which is similar to the spirit of competition in many Felt bike owners,” said Tracey Smith, vice president of Carroll Shelby Licensing. “Now enthusiasts can take their love of Shelbys to the bike trails, streets and beach boardwalks.”

And Felt is pleased with the partnership as well. “Carroll is known for his determination to succeed and his passion for performance,” said Felt President Bill Duehring. “These attributes propelled Shelby to the pinnacle of auto racing and inspired a legion of fans. At Felt Bicycles, we share these same values and we are honored to be part of this project.”

Each individually badger, serial numbered Shelby Cruiser retails for $999 and will be available later this month.

[Source: Born Rich]

At its museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the Antique Auto Club of America has opened up a special exhibition, dedicated to that legend of American performance fokelore, Carroll Shelby.

The exhibit is the end result of a local Shelby club meeting last fall, where club member and racer Dan Reiter teamed up with the museum’s curator Jeff Bliemeister and local collector Earl Mowrey to put together a collection celebrating the legendary Texan’s achievements in the automotive world.

And it’s an impressive ensemble. Mowrey and a group of his friends designed the exhibit and what makes this one stand out is the fact that it covers each era and facet of Shelby’s auto career, right from the early days in racing, represented by a AC Bristol, through the Cobras and Mustangs he’s most famous for, his success in SCCA and at LeMans with the GT40 (shown above), to the Shelby Dodge vehicles of the 1980s and even the Olds Aurora powered Shelby Series 1.

However, like most good things in life, the exhibit won’t last, so if you’re interested in visiting, make sure you get yourself to the AACA museum before April 24. Click on the link below for more details.

Source: AACA Museum]

Carroll Shelby is arguably the greatest American motoring icon to have ever lived, and even at 88 years of age, he is showing no signs of slowing down.

At the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Shelby rolled out the 2012 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. Unlike the GT500, the GT350 is not finished at Ford, but rather at the Shelby American facility in Las Vegas, NV.

For 2012, Shelby is offering his performance package on the convertible model for the first time since 1970 (coupe also still available). The new GT350 gets new bumpers, hood, wheels and colors to differentiate it from other Mustangs. You also get to pick how much power you’d like to handle. The base model gets 430-hp, from the normally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8, or you can choose to throw in one of two supercharger kits which can take the power upto 525-hp or 624-hp. So the tradition of fast Shelby’s continue.

Only 350 units of the GT350 will be produced for 2012, so if you want one, act fast. Prices start at $26,995 on top of the price for the donor.

(Source: Shelby)

According to Shelby American, the 50th anniversary Shelby Cobra, which made its debut at the recent Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona has sold out,  just 48 hours after going on sale.

The entire allocation of 50 cars was snapped up by private customers and Shelby dealers, but given the legendary status of the Cobra, it probably wasn’t surprising.

It may be hard to imagine for some, but it’s been almost 50 years since the first of the original Anglo-American Cobras rolled off the transporter at Shelby’s workshops in Venice, California. From that moment on, this crude, humble sports car became a giant killer; blazing into the history books and becoming one of the most imitated cars on the road.

Because of the popularity of replicas, Carroll Shelby eventually decided to get in on the action and build continuation real Cobras, cars that embodied much of the tradition of the ‘60s originals, while offering improvements in safety and driveability.

Now, that’s culminated in the 50th anniversary small-block powered Cobra. All of the special edition cars feature a stronger frame, leaf sprung suspension (only fitted to the original small block cars) standard disc brakes, wire wheels and Wilton Carpeting. All will be painted Shelby black and will feature wine leather interiors.

Bodies on the anniversary cars (like all continuation Cobras) are available in either fiberglass or aluminum; the former car priced at $69,995, the latter at $134,995, though that doesn’t included the driveline.

It will be interesting to see how many of these cars will come up for sale via dealers or re-sellers and how much some of them will go for. To those who haven’t already got their orders in, we say good luck!

[Source: Shelby American]

In case the new 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 isn’t enough to satisfy your craving for speed, Carroll Shelby’s Shelby American tuning shop will now offer an aftermarket Super Snake tuning package that will deliver up to 800-hp. That’s right, because the 550-hp machine isn’t enough already.

The Super Snake kit will include a 6-speed manual transmission with 3.73:1 axle ratio, a Ford Racing handling pack, (or optional Shelby/Eibach package), Baer brakes, 20-inch wheels, a Borla exhaust and lots of unique badging etc. Under the hood, the standard package will include a 660-hp Shelby/Ford Racing supercharger. Customers can opt for a more powerful (750-hp) version of that blower or a Shelby/Kenne Bell supercharger kit, with the big dog 800-hp kit topping out the range.

Pricing starts at $30,245 (plus the price of your Mustang GT).

GALLERY: 2011 Shelby GT500 Super Snake

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Review by Clicking Here

Full details available after the jump:

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Carroll Shelby, meet Brett Favre. Brett Favre, meet Carroll Shelby. Something tells us that no matter how much Shelby wants to believe he’s going to retire and stop building complete cars, it’ll be a while until we see the last of him and his awesome creations.

The newest to hit the rumor mill is Shelby’s idea of a new generation GT500 sporting a twin-turbo setup and pushing out over 1000-hp. And it won’t come cheap, at a proposed price of $100,000. At the heart of it all will be Shelby’s in-house developed 5.4L V8 paired to a six-speed transmission.

Packing over 1,000-hp normally means this vehicle will be setup to be used on the track more so than the street. So beefy brakes from Shelby/Baer (sporting six-piston calipers) and a 10-point roll cage would just be the bare necessities. Ford Racing suspension and drag axles along with safety loops on the driveshaft setup the car to be a real track bruiser.

It’s also mentioned that the GT500 might sport a dual fuel system to accompany race fuel. And on the outside it’ll sport a custom widebody kit with 20-inch Alcoa wheels. There aren’t any plans of gutting the interior either, leather seats and a premium stereo system will still have a home.

We find it hard to believe with all the new toys at Shelby’s disposal now that he’d find a way to retire. And much like good ‘ol Favre we’ll expect a lot of back and forth indecisiveness and at the end of the day, great creations will still come.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Amidst the classic Ferraris and the typical antique pre-war models on display at “The Quail Motorsports Gathering,” this year’s event featured a wide selection of American muscle, all thanks to Carroll Shelby. The Quail has increasingly become a popular spot for high-end automakers to display their wares in the week-long run-up to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, however, it continues to stay true to its roots, focusing on motorsports.

“Carroll Shelby is one of America’s great success stories,” said Gordon McCall, co-founder of The Quail Motorsports Gathering in a statement.  “He has been a World War II aviator, a champion racecar driver winning the 24 Hours at Le Mans amongst other races and a legendary automobile designer. It is important to celebrate his passion and ingenuity that is an inspiration for Americans and motorsports enthusiasts alike.”

Of the several dozen Shelby models on display, some of the most notable include a one-of-four 1966 GT350 Convertible, a one-of-three remaining 1965 GT350 Drag Race, a 1967 GT500 Super Snake and the incredible 1968 GT500 Green Hornet – featuring both fuel injection and an independent rear suspension. And of course, numerous Shelby Cobras were also on display.

Take a look through our gallery below. We’re sure these pics will take you back a few years.

GALLERY: 45 Years of the Shelby Mustang at The Quail