Power plus: Shelby rolls out 1,200-hp Mustang

Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY | USATODAY

An aftermarket firm with a famous name is introducing today what it bills as the most powerful production muscle car on the planet.

The Shelby 1000 is a Ford Mustang that has the power of a Bugatti Veyron supercar, for a fraction of the price.

That's what Shelby American is promising with the latest version of its Shelby 1000, being unveiled next week at the New York Auto Show. It will have 1,200 horsepower in its track version, up about 250 galloping horses from the current version.

"We produced an American muscle car that rivals the biggest power from Europe," says Shelby American President John Luft in an interview. Only 100 will be built per year.

Shelby American, the Las Vegas-based performance outfit founded by the late Carroll Shelby, says it will take starting orders right away and can start delivering cars within a matter of weeks.

The Shelby 1000 is built off of a 662-horsepower 2013 Shelby GT500, a high-end Mustang with a howling 5.8-liter V-8. The aftermarket firm rebuilds the engine -- actually pretty much the whole innards of the car -- to add the astounding extra horsepower and suspension, steering and other components to support it.

At 1,200 horsepower, the new Shelby 1000 equals the sheer output of a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, a million-dollar-plus supercar.

Owners bring in their new car and Shelby rebuilds it for $154,995 for the track version, $149,995 for a the street version, according to Shelby American. Luft says total cost of the car and conversion will come to about $210,000 -- a fraction of the cost of the Veyron.

"You could buy a Shelby 1000 every day of the week and have money left over for what you'd pay for a Veyron," Luft boasts.

While can't wait to disclose the amazing performance times of its Veyron family of supercars, Shelby says it hasn't had time yet to put its 1,200-horsepower baby through its paces.

Luft doesn't have any doubts about what he'll find.

"It responds and acts like a normal car, but the minute you put your foot into (it) and the boost gauge goes up, all bets are off," he says.