2009 SHELBY GT500KR
Mirroring the 2008 GT500KR in nearly every fashion, the 2009 Shelby GT500KR Mustang rounded out production for the very special GT500 “King of the Road” versions. Exactly 1,000 units were produced for '08, but with carryover consumer demand, Ford and Shelby green-lighted another year of KR production. An additional 712 cars were produced for 2009, which were identical to the 2008 models.
Like the previous year's version, the 2009 GT500KR was born as a Ford-produced Shelby GT500 in Flat Rock, Michigan, alongside its brothers built at the AutoAlliance International assembly plant. The chosen few were then shipped to Shelby's facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the combined efforts of Ford SVT engineering, Ford Racing and Shelby Automobiles collaborated to create the KR model.
Following the adage, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” the 2009 KR received the same 540-horsepower, supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 engine as the 08's, with a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Package supplying the extra 40 horses from the standard GT500. A Ford Racing Handling Package included revised springs, adjustable dampers, beefier stabilizer bars and a strut tower brace. The addition of 3:73 rear gears, short-throw shifter, plus KR-specific exterior treatments such as unique wheels and tires, a special composite hood with hood pins and unique Shelby stripes and badging further enhanced the SVT magic already present in the GT500.
The 2009 GT500KR didn’t receive the same "40th Anniversary" badges found on the 2008 model, but with a production run of just over 700 vehicles (of which 541 were slated for sale in the U.S.), the 2009 GT500KR is not only among the most powerful factory Mustangs ever built, but also one of the rarest.