Latest News
Cars in Taylor Swift Music VideosCheck Out This Turbocharged Shelby F-150
This 2023 F-150 gets the Shelby treatment, including a supercharged engine, Bola cat-back exhaust, and 35” tires to tackle the toughest roads.
The Legend of Carroll Shelby Lives On
Carroll Shelby is an automotive legend with a history in the industry that dates to the early 1950s. He passed away in 2012, but his legacy lives on with countless projects of epic proportion, including today’s cool car find, a 2023 Ford F-150 Shelby. Pickup trucks may not be the first thing that comes to mind from the man who brought us icons like the AC Cobra, Mustang GT350, and Ferrari-dusting GT40. But these are fairly radical vehicles that got their start in 2013.
With Ford at least. Shelby American, the company Carroll founded in 1962, was responsible for another, earlier, hot rod truck that you may not recall. Predecessor to the GMC Syclone and first-gen Ford Lightning, the 1989 Shelby Dakota was Shelby’s first truck. Swapping a V6 for a big V8 with an extra 50 horsepower, it was a cool little ride. But it pales against modern heavyweights like our 2023 Shelby F-150.
The Coyote Powered F-150 Gets Supercharged
Starting life as a run-of-the-mill Lariat model with the Coyote 5.0L V8, Shelby transforms this particular truck into a 775-horse firebreather. To get there, it straps on a Whipple supercharger, swaps the air intake, fuel injectors, and heat exchanger for high-performance pieces, and installs a Borla cat-back exhaust. Making that headlining power figure requires filling the Shelby with 93-octane gasoline. Fuel economy figures are not published, but for an extra 375 hp over the stock Coyote V8, it’s easy to imagine that buyers of such a truck would not be worried. Of course, Carroll Shelby was the original showman, and so, his vehicles have historically been known for an epic plastering of badging, striping, and graphics.
Back in the days of his original Mustang GT350, this effort was relatively subdued. But in the 60 years since, the approach could fairly be described as wild. Looking at today’s example, which shares an aesthetic with the Shelby F-150 Centennial Edition, but is down 25 ponies, you can’t miss the SHELBY lettering front and center in the grille. Then there are the full-length dual racing stripes, lower bodyside graphics noting the output, many Shelby emblems, and even a likeness of Carroll himself on the tailgate. The show continues inside with red embroidered Shelby logos and a serialized plate.
Tires That Handle Any Terrain
But wait, there’s more! That’s right. Not only can a Shelby F-150 roast rubber with abandon, said rubber is of the 35” BF Goodrich all-terrain variety. These monster meats wrap 22” Shelby rims and look to be right-sized, given the F-150 has been lifted 3 inches. It also features trick dampers from Fox plus factory four-wheel drive. It’s all part of a comprehensive Shelby formula that results in a truck that should be wickedly fast on-road and very happy off-road. In fact, it leans into Ford’s own Raptor R territory from a power perspective (Shelby’s of course has more).
And though the Raptor R is no wallflower, any vehicle from Shelby American has a certain swagger that is nearly unrivaled in the automotive industry. Which is only exaggerated when applied to a vehicle of this dimension. For the hardcore fan of American performance, it’s hard to beat a vehicle like this 2023 Shelby F-150. With a current sale price of $107,800, it’s also something of a bargain versus a brand-new example that stickers around $140,000. Showing just 12,000 miles and loaded to the gills with technology and creature comforts, today’s cool car find would be very happy strutting in a serious collection or collecting pink slips…anywhere.
