2007 Shelby GT500 - Survival Of The Fastest - Hot Rod Drag Week

A Moser bolt-in, 9-inch rearend with 4.71 gears; complete TRZ rear suspension; BMR lightweight K-member; and core-support delete had Paul's Pony transferring weight and directing the Aluminator's 589 rwhp and 609 lb-ft of torque toward Mickey Thompson 28x10.5-15 slicks. On the 9-second pass, the 'Stang clicked off a 1.460 60-foot time, which is leaving hard for a heavyweight street machine.

The Shelby's trailer hitch started as a unit made for V-6 S197s. By the time the crew at Paul's High Performance finished with it, the hitch was a one-off exclusive for Shelby GT500s.

Riding for hours in Paul's hopped-up Shelby was not as uncomfortable as one would think, thanks to the Tokiko adjustable shocks and struts installed at each corner and Nitto 18-inch Extreme Drag Radials on the rear. The GT500 still has OEM 14-inch Brembo brakes and all the stock interior pieces, including Shelby's plush seats, were reinstalled around the Skinny Kid Race Cars, certified rollcage, including the factory seatbelts. Paul had the presence of mind to have Skinny make the door bars removable for easier entry and exit when the car is in street mode. Cabin noise is also minimal thanks to the Bassani Touring mufflers that Paul installed (with long-tube headers and 3-inch, X-shaped crossover) before leaving for Drag Week. Driving 300 or 400 miles per day (our biggest one-day run was almost 600 miles) in any car will make the body ache after a while, but the cockpit of Paul's Shelby certainly wasn't as bad as the tight confines of the drag-seated, drag-suspended, more-race-configured entries we saw on the tour.

Southern hospitality was high at each dragstrip on the Drag Week circuit.

Parts deliveries were made almost every day during Drag Week, as the miles of cruising, and dashes for low e.t.'s took their toll on several participants' cars.