gt500

Ever since Ford introduced the modern Shelby GT500 four years ago, almost no one has complained about the prodigious power levels produced by its supercharged 5.4-liter V8. With as much as 540 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque in the 2010 model, there was no shortage of grunt. No, the issue was an excess of mass.

Take a look at the field of 2010 SuperGT competitors and something's amiss. Nissan's been campaigning its new GT-R in the series for two years and Honda recently revealed the HSV-010 before its inaugural run in the series this May. What's missing? A new competitor from Toyota.

Classic Recreations Shelby GT500CR - Click above for high-res image gallery

Earlier this month during SEMA, Oklahoma-based Classic Recreations announced that it had scored a licensing deal with Carroll Shelby to build a continuation version of the legendary Shelby Mustang GT500. At the time of the announcement, we didn't know much about the car, aptly named the GT500CR, except that each would come with an official Shelby serial number and be included in the Shelby Worldwide Registry.

With new sheetmetal, more power and an upgraded chassis, the new Ford Mustang GT500 was destined to be a hot for the 2010 model year. The pony king may have just just gotten a whole lot more exclusive, too, as production has reportedly been limited to only 2,000 units. Team Shelby forum member 06VistaBlueGT posted a PDF with important ordering information for dealers that explains the production cut.