Here’s one automaker that doesn’t spend a lot of time contemplating a switchover to EVs, at least not yet. Shelby American, now the vehicle-production arm of Carroll Shelby International Inc., is all about eyeball-crossing performance accomplished by sizzling up hydrocarbons, producing lines of heritage continuation Cobras, component vehicles and notably here, production products that undergo some serious modification. A line of amped-up F-Series pickups from Ford is one of Shelby’s staples. To that end, Shelby American has done a hurry-up two-step and is just getting an ultra-performance variant of Ford’s new-generation F-150 – no, not the electric one – into the hands of its dealer body. Option the Shelby F-150 correctly, and you are guaranteed to humiliate everyone in sight when pure ponies are counted.
As standard equipment, the Shelby F-150 gets a naturally aspirated version of Ford’s Coyote V-8, displacing 5.0 liters, producing 395 horsepower. Look closely at the striping at the bottom of the doors and you’ll see what’s optional. Post-titling, buyers can specify installation of a Whipple-designed supercharger – if you follow drag racing, Whipple will be a familiar name to you – breathing through a bespoke Borla exhaust system, all good for a full 775 horsepower. Underneath, the rig gets a Shelby-specific tuned chassis based around FOX shock absorbers, a BDS lift system and rear traction bars. Based on the plethora of custom high-ride trucks that rip across central Florida, we can’t envision the Shelby F-150 being anything less than hugely successful – Roush-badged F-150s are popular here – even at a starting price set at $114,980, which includes the 2021 F-150 Lariat that’s the basis of the package. A 2021 production run of 600 units is forecast.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 