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www.stangsunleashed.comShelby Name In, Cobra Out
By Robert Lane
Published: December 8, 2005
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Originally published: 05 November 05
Dearborn, Michigan (StangsUnleashed.com) - After years of speculation, it is now official - a Ford spokesman told TheGT500Source.com that they will drop the Cobra name from the next generation SVT Mustang. SVT's upcoming Mustang will now appear as the Mustang Shelby GT500. Up until now, Ford has referred to the next genertion SVT Mustang as the "Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500."
The discontinuation of the Cobra nameplate, which had been used consistently since 1993 was first reported by BlueOvalNews.com in 2000.
While many SVT Cobra faithful may be disappointed by the decision to drop the Cobra name, even temporarily, they can take solace in the fact that the replacement nameplate was the one that made the Cobra name what it is today anyway - SHELBY. Moreover, since the Cobra emblem will remain on the car, it's really just a matter of semantics.
What's a Shelby without saying, well, "Shelby?"
Since numerous GT500 prototypes have been photographed without the SHELBY lettering on the decklid, GT500 enthusiasts have been debating on TheGT500SourceForums as to whether Ford will use the SHELBY lettering on the rear decklid of the production model.
Ford told TheGT500Source that the SHELBY name will appear on the production model of the decklid, just as it has with every Shelby Mustang made from 1967-1970.
The disappearance of the Cobra name from the GT500 doesn't mean the Cobra name will not appear on another SVT Mustang, nor does it mean that it won't appear on some other Ford model.
