1968 Shelby GT500 KR

Paul Katsus once owned a legendary 1968 Shelby GT500 KR mustang. The 1968 Shelby GT 500 KR was a Mustang produced by Shelby that featured the new 1968 Ford produced 428 Police Interceptor engine fitted with improved heads, medium rise manifold,  and a larger exhaust manifold. The finned die cast aluminum valve covers with “Cobra Lemans” on them was new to this model year. This was to note the Fords FE engine family victory over Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966 and 1967. The engine was underrated for insurance purpose at 335 horsepower (most experts estimated the true horsepower of over 400 horsepower). The 440 foot-pounds of torque at 3400 RPM was quite impressive.

The “KR” designation stood for “King of the Road”. Legend has it that, Carroll Shelby had heard that Chevy was about to use the “King Of The Road” name for one its upcoming cars, so he beat them to it. Like all Shelby based Mustangs, the GT500 KR came with weight reducing fiberglass components that included hood, front end, trunk and rear spoiler. Fog lights (Lucas Brand fog lights)  were standard as well as, a padded roll bar, and special seat belts, The glove box had a label attached to the inside of the door that stated “For sustained speeds of 100 MPH or more for a hour – check owners manual”. Many of these standard features were not even available as options on other  cars of the day.

The Shelby GT500 KR cars came out in April of 1968 and were made to the end of the model year. There were not any 1969 or 1970 (1970 Shelby’s were left over 1969 models that were reassigned as 1970 models) GT500 KR models. Today the 1968 GT500 KR is one of the most sought after of all Shelby Mustangs. The GT500 convertible is even more rare than its fastback version. The were 318 (according to one source) GT500 KR convertibles made.

Top Sites to See in Texas

A graduate of Houston Baptist University, Paul Katsus most recently oversaw client relations as a service consultant with a prominent Texas energy distribution firm. In his free time, Paul Katsus enjoys traveling throughout Texas.

Also known as the Lone Star State, Texas is home to hundreds of national parks and historic sites, offering a wide variety of attractions to its visitors. When traveling in Texas, visitors should consider making their way to the following sites:

Big Bend National Park
Located in southwestern Texas, Big Bend National Park features several different terrains and climates. With altitudes ranging from just over 1,800 feet to nearly 8,000 feet, the park offers 240 miles of hiking trails. In the park, visitors can view hundreds of species of wildlife, including golden eagles and mountain lions.

The Alamo
Built in 1744 as part of a Franciscan mission and converted into a fort by 1836, the Alamo is one of the country’s most iconic sites. It gained notoriety during the Texan War of Independence, when a small band of men died defending the fort against an army of 3,000 Mexican soldiers. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Alamo attracts over 2.5 million visitors each year.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park
A popular hiking destination, the Guadalupe Mountains National Park has trails spanning 80-plus miles throughout the northeastern region of Texas. Moreover, the park is home to ancient coral reefs that have been fossilized among the Guadalupe Mountains over millions of years.

British Car Maker Of TVR Cars Is Back In Business

America’s introduction to TVR cars was the Griffith, a lightweight, hand built, high performance rocket. Powered by a high output Ford 289 cubic inch engine. With a power to weight ratio that was equal or superior to the high priced exotics, at a fraction of the cost. The Griffith may be a thing of the past, but it’s successor should not disappoint it’s fans. The engine for this new TVR will be developed by Cosworth Engineering, a well known British maker of racing engines.

Les Edgar, Chairman of TVR, said this is a heart-warming situation we find ourselves in. We are mindful that we have taken deposits from customers who have not even seen official pictures of the car. We look forward to revealing more details soon, and to all our customers who have shown their faith, I can promise the new car will exceed expectations in every way”.

The reborn TVR has already sold out it 2017 allocation of cars, with the new car announcing that it has taken 250 deposits in just six weeks. Orders are still being taken but John Casey, TVR’s operations director, says any orders now placed will not be delivered until 2018.

Volumes in year one are said to be limited as the company ramps up production, so the intention will be to take more than 250 orders for 2018. However, there are no plans to sell this limited production car in the U.S for the next few years.