Take Some Hot Laps in the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 CR

Ride along in Classic Recreation’s reimagined masterpiece and you’ll remember what it’s like to drive old school muscle.

By now, any good Mustang fan worth their salt knows who Classic Recreations is. The rebuilder (and builder) of classic pony cars produces some of the most drool-worthy creations on the planet. At the top of that food chain lies the Shelby Mustang GT500 CR, a resto-modded, reimagined version of one of the greatest Fords ever built. And our own Jake Stumph, editor of our brother site 6Speed Online, recently got the chance to get behind the wheel of one of these beasts at The Thermal Club circuit.

So what, exactly, does a new/old Shelby Mustang feel like? Well, judging by Stumph’s various, exuberant reactions driving it around the track, we’d say pretty darn awesome. And for good reason. Under the hood, you won’t find some stock motor, after all. In its place lies 427 cubic inches of Ford Racing goodness pumping out a healthy 545 hp. In typical muscle car fashion, there’s no power adder. And you row your own with a Tremec 5-speed gearbox.

Make no mistake – this may be a “new” Shelby Mustang GT500 CR, but the driving experience is decidedly old school. Stumph notes that the throttle requires some “leg-pressing muscle,” and that the “big, vintage wood grain steering wheel sawed away at my lap as I was steering it.” All part of the experience, right? Still, he found the upgraded rack and pinion steering “a big upgrade” and overall feel “fabulous.”

The combination of massive rubber and loads of weight undoubtedly makes the CR Shelby “push its nose out wide” around corners, but it’s nothing “a quick stomp on the loud pedal” won’t sort out. But while Stumph found the CR to be a “playful beast in the corners,” the real story here lies under the hood. The 427’s captivating song is a real throwback to the muscle car era. And in the age of forced-induction, downsized engines, the Shelby Mustang GT500 CR is keeping that old school feel alive.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.