If you want the ultimate version of the latest Shelby GT500, the path is clear. Simply select the Carbon Fiber Track Package on the option sheet. Of course, doing so is not for the faint of finance. This option is packed with performance goodness, but it will also set you back a whopping $18,000.
Doing so nets a host of upgrades, including 20-inch exposed carbon-fiber wheels, Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 tires, a rear-seat delete, adjustable strut-top mounts, splitter wickers, and an exposed carbon fiber GT4 track wing. You also score niceties like an exposed carbon fiber instrument panel, RECARO leather-trimmed seats, and a wheel locking kit. We can say from experience that this package takes an impressive machine and turns it into an on-track assassin ready to take on corners with ease and blast down the straight-aways in anger.
“The difference is really in the tires, the weight, and the aero that you are getting with the Carbon Fiber Track Package,” Ed Krenz, chief functional engineer at Ford Performance told your scribe. “You walk up to the Cup 2 tires. From an aero perspective, you walk to the more aggressive, race-inspired wing with the splitter wickers on the front to balance the aero of that wing. From a weight perspective, we go extensive on the carbon. The wheels are exposed carbon, the wing is carbon, there is exposed carbon on the interior, and a rear-seat delete, which offers a significant weight reduction.”
For 2021, however, you can get some of this goodness for a considerable savings by ordering the new 67B option, better known as the Carbon Fiber Handling Package. It includes 20-inch, black-painted carbon fiber wheels, adjustable strut-top mounts, catch can, Gurney flap, splitter wickers, and wheel locking kit. Most of the gear is factory installed, but the catch can, Gurney flap, and splitter wickers are delivered in the car for owner installation.
It is not yet known if this option carries its own calibrations for AdvanceTrac, electronic power assist steering and MagneRide, but if we had to guess we would say that’s likely. Either way this is an option worth considering if you are lucky enough to order a 2021 Shelby GT500.
