’68 GT500 KR or ’08 GT500 KR What would you rather Daily Drive??
Let’s say that you won a contest, and you would be trading
in the car that you currently drive daily to work, or whatever it is that you
go each day. You would be saying goodbye
to your current DD and you had a choice of two cars.
- 1968
- 2008
Now, before thinking about this, keep in mind that this will
be a daily driven model with a fully
stock interior, exterior, and drivetrain.
Any option from the two years is available, but that’s all. One of the rules is that you will be not free
to sell the car, so no consideration is to be made as to the value of the car
for resale.
For those who aren’t familiar with the two, following is a brief
rundown of each.
1968 G.T. 500 KR
Wearing the KR title, the King of the Road trimline of the
Shelby G.T. 500 was one of the most powerful cars on the street at the time,
with some modifications made for racing purposes, but in fully street legal
form. The key feature of the KR was the
428 Cobra Jet engine, which made an advertised 335 horsepower, although many
suspect that to be fairly understated.
The G.T. 500 KR offered a handful of exterior upgrades, including a
molder rear spoiler wrapping around the sequential tail lights, hood, side, and
roof scoops, and unique badging. Inside,
the King of the Road had a padded roll cage, more gauges, and race harnesses.
The suspension and gearing of the G.T. 500 KR were tuned for optimal handling
performance, but it was not the best car for drag racing in stock form. However, the King of the Road defended its
title through the turns, and the looks of the model were very popular. The mileage isn’t great, it wont be the most
comfortable, and it wont be the fastest DD on the street, but it will turn
heads, even to the most traveled gearhead, like few other cars.
2008 G.T. 500 KR
Like its ancestor, the 2008 King of the Road is a street car
with the heart of a road racer. It
begins with the 5.4 liter, supercharged V-8, similar to the one found in the
Ford GT Supercar, and in the G.T. 500 KR it makes a whopping 540
horsepower. Although distinctly modern,
the 2008 model features styling cues obviously from the vintage Shelbys, such
as the hood, the molder rear spoiler, and the badging. Inside, the 2008 KR boasts of all of the
modern interior technology the Mustang has to offer, from the state of the art
sound system to the plush leather seats.
While this is also not the most fuel efficient model in the world, the
2008 G.T. 500 KR is among the most powerful production models available, and is
one of the meanest muscle cars on the street.
So, what would you take, brute vintage performance in the
form of one of the most sought after of the Shelby Mustangs, or modern comfort
and style combined with performance?