Ford Shelby GT500 Races Into Boston Area July 14 & 15

WHAT: The boldest, most powerful factory-built Ford Mustang ever -- the eagerly awaited 2007 Shelby GT500 -- is taking to the streets of America this summer, making stops in 16 different cities, including the Boston area this week.

The cross-country tour of the Shelby GT500 is a giant step toward winning the hearts and minds of American drivers. Shelby-inspired vehicles have a long history with Ford and the new Shelby GT500 is hitting the streets to showcase this ultimate expression of a Bold Move.

Featuring a 500-horsepower, 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine, the Shelby GT500 is the most powerful factory-built Mustang ever. A modern interpretation of the Shelby Mustang of the 1960s, the new GT500 uses advanced engineering to attain the performance that made the original GT500 the king of the road. True to the original GT500, it will be available both as a coupe and as a convertible when it starts reaching dealer showrooms in July.

WHERE & WHEN: The Shelby GT500 will be available for media drives throughout the day July 14 and will be on display at the New England Mustang Nationals II in Sturbridge, Mass. July 15.

ALSO: Named after racing legend Carroll Shelby who collaborated with Ford on this and other storied Mustang models dating back to 1965, the 2007 version is by far the most attainable vehicle in the elite and exclusive 500- horsepower club -- the world's most powerful production cars.

The GT500 was ranked as the most buzz-worthy new-vehicle nameplate among sporty car considerers in a Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research survey taken a full year before this summer's introduction.

The Shelby GT500 tour kicked off June 8-10 in Tulsa, Okla. In addition to the Boston area, the new Shelby Mustang is traveling to Charlotte, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Tampa, Fla.; Fort Worth, Tex.; and Birmingham, Ala., among other locations. The tour concludes at the end of September in Las Vegas. The schedule for the tour is subject to change and vehicle event availability.