2005 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 Concept

"Carroll Shelby is truly a living automotive legend, a Ford performance legend," added Martens. "It's a dream come true to

"It's a dream come true to be able to put the Shelby name on a Mustang again." (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

be able to put the Shelby name on a Mustang again."

And Shelby is happy with the arrangement, and the final product, stating, "I've worked with the SVT guys for several years now, and I know they have the guts, the talent and the passion to deliver the best performance Mustangs ever."

So who am I, or a two to one ratio of recently polled Mustang fans, to say that the new Shelby Cobra GT500 needs an independent rear suspension? After all, the king of the road himself has stamped his name on it.

Will it be a big seller? As far as specialty Mustangs go, its projected 7,500 units will make it a major force on the street and

As far as specialty Mustangs go, the GT500 will be a big seller. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

strip. As far as regular V6 and GT Mustangs go, however, with sales having eclipsed last year's 144,000 units and Ford having just announced that it is to raise 2005 output to 192,000 cars, nearly doubling last year's production run, 7,500 seems like a drop in the bucket. Amazingly, almost fifty percent of all sports cars sold in the U.S. this year wear the Mustang badge in the centre grille, an amazing accomplishment.

But then again, as successful as the car has been and continues to be, Mustangs merely account for five percent of Ford's three-million-plus new vehicle sales, one third of which are F-150 pickup trucks. Yes, Shelby Cobra GT500 sales will only be an insignificant amount.