Saving weight is very hard to do. Yet, Classic Recreations has managed to save a whole wack of it thanks to a full carbon fiber body.
The company is the only one licensed to make Shelby continuation cars and it partnered with SpeedKore for its carbon-fiber know-how. Together, they’ve made a Shelby GT500 CR that weighs 600 lbs less than steel-bodied cars.
In order to make it, the company first scanned a real Classic Recreations 1967 GT500CR and designed a carbon fiber body in CAD. Once molded, the carbon body panels were autoclave-cured. That means that they can be exposed (they’ll also paint them if you want), so the company was sure to make the weaves match from panel to panel.
SpeedKore
Like the SpeedKore s Evolution model, the Hellraiser Charger comes with an exposed carbon fiber body created using scans of the original 1970s Charger s body parts. They aren t exact replicas, however. SpeedKore has given the Hellcharger some subtle custom styling by the rain gutters for a cleaner look, fitted a custom taillight panel, and integrated the twin exhaust tips. The tips are at the end of a custom exhaust system, and there s more performance spec equipment under the bodywork. The bodywork is fixed to a custom frame, and power is spread to the wheels by a Ground Effects prepped Ford 9-inch rear axle. The chassis rides on Detroit Speed prepped C6 Corvette suspension at the front and custom a custom SpeedKore setup at the back. Stopping power is delivered by Brembo six-pot brakes at the front and four-pots at the rear.
World’s First Carbon Fiber 1967 Shelby GT500CR Mustang
DALLAS-February 5, 2021; Classic Recreations, the iconic custom vehicle builder of officially-licensed Shelby continuation cars and restorations, has unveiled the world’s first production heritage carbon-fiber bodied Shelby GT500CR™. The carbon fiber program, which is the biggest undertaking the company has tackled to-date after a long lineage of producing unique one-of-a-kind vehicles, is the embodiment of Carroll Shelby’s® legacy. The 810-horsepower vehicle marries the best of performance and innovation, utilizing cutting-edge carbon fiber technology from Speedkore Performance Group.
“Our Carbon Fiber Shelby moved from concept to completion in an unbelievable nine months, all during a global pandemic,” said Jason Engel, founder and co-owner at Classic Recreations. “This first car in the production series demonstrates our ability to engineer and handcraft amazing cars by collaborating with key partners like Spee
Classic Recreations
The carbon fiber panels are created in collaboration with SpeedKore, known for its own crazy carbon-fiber builds. Blue light scans of the original pieces are used to create an exact match for each body part, then the new panels are autoclave-cured to create a blemish-free exposed carbon weave. The new panels are gorgeous to look at, but also weigh around 600 lbs less than the original parts. With less weight and a 5.2-liter Ford Aluminator Gen 3 Coyote engine with a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger attached providing 810 hp and an accompanying 600 lb-ft of torque, Classic Recreation claims the Shelby GT500CR has the same power-to-weight ratio as most modern exotic cars. Aiding slick performance s a 10-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.