2007 Ford Shelby GT500 (Video Teaser)

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Ford's supreme

A tryout of 1,050 horsepower in a record time. The Ford Shelby GT500 is reborn and creates quite a stir in Shannonville. And for desert, a drive in a Ford GT. What more could we ask for?

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (Photo: Amyot Bachand, Auto123.com)

That's what Ford offered to a handful of Canadian journalists, last Tuesday afternoon. While it was raining buckets at our offices back in Montreal, we benefited from a cloudy sky for a track test of the new Shelby GT500: 500 horsepower, 480 pound-feet of torque, a new rear suspension to handle all that power, and an upgraded cabin to create a superb Mustang. You will have to wait until June 1st for my driving impressions, since Ford asked us to wait until then before sharing them with you. It will be worth the wait, because we will not only prepare a more elaborate article, but a great video that our cameraman shot for this car as well as Scott Maxwell's Mustang which lost a wheel in the middle of a demonic curve.

Let's get to the desert. The GT is everything a journalist could dream of driving. Beautiful, loyal to the GT40 of the '60s, it doesn't roar but pounces with grace and finesse. I found it easy adapting myself to this $200,000 rocket. We were doing laps around a short and sinuous track, actually a technical course. I could stay in 3rd gear all along, because there is so

Ford GT (Photo: Amyot Bachand, Auto123.com)

much available torque. Or, I could downshift to 2nd and take advantage of all the power. In a flash, the car gains speed, but too quickly to allow checking out the speedometer located on the right.

Braking is phenomenal. At the end of the afternoon, the rear tires lost their grip to the point where the rear of the GT kicked out at just about any solicitation of the engine. Exiting the corner right before the straight line where I was about to floor it, I felt the rear end slip. The GT is so well-balanced that, in a fraction of a second, it tells what it's about to do: by lightly lifting my foot off the gas pedal, I easily regained control of the car and gunned it. The cabin is tight, visibility is very limited, but who cares? I could've driven the GT all day.

I'll be back soon with a more elaborate review and a video highlighting some of the best moments. I'm off to Loudon, New Hampshire, for a Vintage race with my 1963 MG Midget. In other words, I'm going back in time again...