This year’s annual SEMA show in the States saw a whole bunch of highly tuned metal both American and from abroad. But one of the show’s real gems came from iconic muscle car maker Shelby in the form of its latest prototype beast. What makes it so special? Well, it’s simple really, it’s a 1,000 rwhp twin-turbo Shelby GT500.

Built as a collaboration between Shelby American and Nelson Racing Engines he high-power Mustang is nicknamed “Code Red.” The heavily modified 5.4-litre V8 engine features twin 61mm Turbonetics turbochargers and also a clever dual fuel system that includes cells for both race and street gas. To keep optimum control over the twin turbos there is also an electronic boost controller that can vary boost for each gear.

If Shelby actually builds the insane “Code Red” GT500, expect plenty of extra equipment like Baer 14-inch brakes, a Shelby/Eibach adjustable suspension system, 9-inch Currie rear end, 10-point roll cage, and lots of other kit. How much will metal like this cost? Once you’ve bought the donor Mustang, Shelby will hit you up a further $100,000 USD to create the car you view in the photo gallery below and watch and hear tearing up the streets in the video. (more…)

Over at the Essen Motor Show in Germany this week, spring specialist and muscle car tuner Eibach has gone all nostalgic with its Dodge Challenger Project Car. Returning to a time when American cars were undisputed kings of the quarter mile, the Challenger project car is designed to be reminiscent of the original R/T of 1969.

With its muscular shape, its orange paintwork with two black racing stripes, the set-back radiator grill and the light-band going around the rear, the new Challenger of the SRT8 range certainly looks the part. Eibach also reminds us of the memorable debut with its choice of number plates. With 425 HP the nominal performance of the 6.1 litre V8 engine also corresponds to that of the legendary 426-cid Hemi engine, the most powerful standard motor of the first series.

But sheer power itself is not enough on European roads. So, Eibach has equipped the Dodge with the Coil-Over Suspension System Multi-Pro-R2 from its US product portfolio, to give the challenger crisp handling. With integrated independently adjustable rebound and compression damping with a remote reservoir, the set up is fully adjustable for different driving styles and appearances. Even in the choice of tyres nothing is left to chance with the driving dynamics: in order to make sure that the horses under the boot come to heel properly, wide tyres with extra grip are used to make contact with the road surface. Toyo Proxies are used with the massive dimensions of 265/30 R22.

The Eibach Challenger has also been given a custom-look. The outer rims of the three-piece multi-spoke wheels have been painted to suit the colour of the Dodge, the legendary Hemi-orange. Another special design is the dark powder-coating of the forged star, while the carbon hub cap, on the other hand, is also available in standard production.