New Shelby Mustang GTE Looks Awesome, but it's Expensive

The folks at Shelby American have rolled out the information on their new Ford Mustang GTE package and while I love the look of the appearance-heavy package, I don’t like the price – as for $17,999 for the components alone, the new Mustang GTE is a pricey option for someone who wants a unique pony car.

Shelby American has a long and storied history of producing unique upgrade packages for the Ford Mustang, both through your local Ford dealership and via post-title packages that you get directly from Shelby (or a licensed retailer). The newest special Shelby Mustang is the GTE package, which adds a unique look on the outside, some handling goodies and a little extra power, but it does so with a price of $17,999.

That price obviously doesn’t include the price of the Mustang needed to build the GTE, so when you factor in the $26,545 base price of the Mustang EcoBoost or the $33,545 base price of the Mustang GT, the Shelby GTE has a base price of $44,544 or $51,544. The 2016 Shelby GT350 Mustang has a starting MSRP of $56,495, for the sake of comparison.

The Shelby Mustang GTE
The Shelby Mustang GTE is available for the 2015-2017 Ford Mustang in either EcoBoost or GT trim and the modifications for each begins with a Ford Performance cat-back exhaust system and a Shelby Power Pack (throttle body, cold air intake, ECU tune), which lifts the EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine to 340 horsepower and 390lb-ft of torque while the 5.0L V8 jumps from 435hp and 400tq to 456hp and 424lb-ft of torque. To further improve the performance of the Mustang GTE, the Shelby package adds a Ford Performance handling package and Ford Performance wheels measuring 19x9 in and front and 19x9.5 out back – all of which are wrapped in “Shelby spec performance tires”.

The longest list of modifications for the Shelby Mustang GTE come in the way of appearance upgrades and I really like the end result. The GTE package adds a bulging hood with GT vents, unique Shelby upper and lower grille designs, a Ford Performance front splitter, aggressive Shelby lower rocker panels, a duckbill style rear spoiler and unique Shelby GTE badges and stripes.

Finally, the new Shelby Mustang GTE will sport a serialized dash plaque, backlit Shelby door sill plates, Shelby embroidered headrests and Shelby floor mats.

I think that the exterior design of the new Shelby Mustang GTE is great and I really like the muscular look with the bulging hood, the flared side skirts and the low profile rear spoiler. I also imagine that the GTE with the extra power and improved handling bits is a noticeably better performer than your “normal” EcoBoost or GT models, but $17,999 seems like a big chunk of change for the components.

At the same time, it has to be noted that in 15 years, a 2016 Shelby Mustang GTE will have more collectable value than a 2016 Ford Mustang GT or EcoBoost. The collectable factor that comes with the Shelby post-title cars is why they cost more than a piece together build with similar performance capabilities and that collectable factor comes with a price.

The Shelby Mustang GTE is pricey – but there is no denying that it is a great looking package.