This is the unthinkably rare 2005 Ford Shelby GR-1, a one-off high-performance concept cars that has made appearances both in scale model form, and in the virtual world in a number of racing video games. The GR-1 was inspired by and resembles the legendary Shelby Daytona Coupe, which was a sports coupe that was purpose built for racing back in the 1960s. The GR-1 was designed by Greek industrial designer, George Saridakis, under the supervision and guidance of American industrial designer, J Mays. After being first shown as a clay model during the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the following year, in 2005, the team presented a fully-functional prototype at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The project was headed by Manfred Rumpel from Ford's Advanced Product Creation group. This unbelievable looking polished aluminum prototype was built using a similar chassis and running gear from the 2004 Ford Shelby Cobra Concept car, and features a number of notable design elements and ideas such as butterfly doors, and a heavily race-inspired interior. The car sits on a pair of 19-inch, one-piece 12-spoke BBS aluminum wheels, which are wrapped with Goodyear Z-rated racing slicks, and overall, is one of Ford’s most interesting concept cars to ever come to life. In 2019, Superformance LLC (Superformance Replicars), which is an American automobile company, announced that they would be building a limited production run of GR-1’s in kit/replica form, however, this project to this day has not yet been confirmed/completed, however, there may some day be a chance to own your very own GR-1! What do you think of this interesting project? Do you think more than just a singular functional example should have been produced?
How many made? 1 clay model, 1 prototype
Engine: 6.4 L Modular Prototype V10 - 605hp
Debut: 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Top Speed: 190mph (projected)
0-60mph: 3.9 seconds (projected)
Photo Credit: @kirin_cars
Research: @rarecarsonly