Ford spent millions developing the GT supercar, which will be discontinued at the end of its short two-year production cycle. Rather than toss the engineering that forms the foundation of that spectacular performance machine, Ford is trying to find a way to create a new sports car that can be sold at a lower price and for a longer period of time. The voluptuous Shelby GR-1 Concept strongly points in the direction that Ford plans to go, replacing the homely Ford Shelby Cobra roadster that the company originally explored.
When the Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept first debuted to the public last summer at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California, J Mays, Ford Motor Company group vice president of Global Design, admitted that "the Ford Shelby Cobra concept was a small step in our plans for the Ford GT architecture and our relationship with Carroll Shelby, and the Ford Shelby GR-1 is a giant leap toward the future."
A sleek and muscular fastback design, the Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept rolled onto the stage at the 2005 North American International Auto Show wearing a new suit of polished aluminum on the outside and a cabin constructed of leather, Alcantara and gunmetal finishes.
