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To KR or not to KR

2007 - 2014 
9K views 61 replies 18 participants last post by  Robert M 
#1 ·
I'm approaching 50k miles on mine, so I was thinking about trading down mileage since I don't drive it as much anymore. Then I got thinking if I'm going to do that, why not a KR? I probably only put 2-3k on per year nowadays, so help talk me in or out of a KR. I will mod it and enjoy it, but make sure it can go back to stock. I feel like KRs are kinda at their bottom right now too, so it might not be a bad move money wise. It would also be a cool start to the collection as I'm hoping to have a garage soon for lots of toys. Thoughts from you collectors out there?
 
#3 ·
KRs are nice examples of the latemodel GT500, but they have not reached their low-point on prices yet. All 2007-14 GT500s will continue to depreciate for a long, long time. There were simply too many made for too many years. Also, it was nice that Ford improved upon the GT500 as the model years went on, but this actually hurts values of the KRs. If Ford stopped making GT500s when the KRs were produced, they definitely would be the one to park as a collectible. However, the follow-on years only got better (performance and features wise).

So, to answer your question: “Should you KR?” I say go for it if you like the looks of the KR. They are a nice smaller subset within the large grouping of latemodel GT500s, but if you plan to mod and drive the snot out of it, I personally would go for a non-KR. Why pay the KR price premium only to change it up and rack up the miles.

If I were in the market for a 2007-2014 GT500, what I bought would depend on my financial resources and what I intended to do with it. If I had the money and planned to keep it stock, I’d most likely spring for a 13/14. If I want to do performance mods, I’d target an 11/12 (best bang for the buck in my opinion).

Others will have different thoughts since some prefer the body lines of the 07-09 cars and others yet don’t like the spray plasma aluminum engine witchcraft.
 
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#4 ·
I totally agree on the 13/14. I feel like they watched the forums and addressed most of our complaints in those cars. My only complaint is that Shelby didn't sign the dash in those (I'd kinda miss that). I dunno, I think I'm having a mini mid-life crisis and can't decide what I want to do. There's still a bunch of stuff I want to do to my car, but figure I'd be better off doing it on a lower mileage car.
 
#5 ·
Unless your car has been in some kind of accident, 50k isn’t really that many miles to be worried about.

That motor, iron block, has tons of life left. You could just spend the money and build a Bullitt proof car with what you’v got.
 
#6 ·
I would keep your current car and modify it to your hearts desire. With a 'KR', you are paying mainly for appearance modifications, the performance and suspension mods can easily be duplicated and even surpassed with your own aftermarket choices. The 'KR' vehicles should probably be left in stock condition and low miles for any kind of future "collectability". With your current car, you can do pretty much anything you want without much detriment.
 
#10 ·
I'm shocked how well the Super Snakes are holding value. At first I thought that was going to be a bust, but seems like it was a pretty good idea after all. Not so much worried about my mileage as seeing an opportunity to start over with a low mileage car. Maybe I'll just trade down mileage to another regular 500 (assuming I can do it as cheap as I think)...possibly convertible, move over the parts I love and go from there.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
I'm shocked how well the Super Snakes are holding value. At first I thought that was going to be a bust, but seems like it was a pretty good idea after all. Not so much worried about my mileage as seeing an opportunity to start over with a low mileage car. Maybe I'll just trade down mileage to another regular 500 (assuming I can do it as cheap as I think)...possibly convertible, move over the parts I love and go from there.
I agree, for being a "post title" GT500 that the KR guys said would never retain value back in the day, I have not seen that to be the case.

Since I am a 2008 Super Snake owner and I bought into it in early to mid-2008 with a $10K deposit, I have steadily watched both the GT500KR and the GT500 Super Snake market for 10+ years to compare how pre-title and post-title Shelby's hold or loose their value, keeping in mind that both are newer/later model Mustangs and there is no magic, both will depreciate.

Both were $80K cars + or - when new and the Super Snake production has continued on past 2009. What I have found is the 540HP, while being a big deal in a 2008/09 GT500KR had it's wings clipped power wise with the regular production 2010 being 540HP, then the tech advances in 2011 and 550HP made 540HP and 2007-2010 seeming to become dated, then 2013/14 leaping well ahead with 662 factory HP and techno toys. It kind of left the GT500KR as a cool car (which it is), but the power and technology leaped ahead rather quickly after 2010.

The Super Snakes at the 6XX level (first 605, then 630, then 660) were also left in the dust in 2013 with 662 factory HP, the bigger 5.8, newer technology, and their current prices reflect that. The 7XXHP Super Snakes from the earlier time period seem to be holding their own because no street production Ford GT500's from 2007-2014 in the S197 platform got to 7XXHP from the assy. line, so if you want a 7XXHP+ 2007-2014 Shelby GT500 that has been built by either Ford or Shelby, the Super Snake is the only car that fits those specifications.

In the early days, the 605HP Super Snake option was $28K.............In most cases today, that $28K original investment has been cut in half, if not more. The 6XXHP Super Snakes kept their full Ford powertrain warranty and that was the reason why many chose to do 6XXHP. My thought on that was.........a few years from now the Ford warranty will be long gone and at that time, the car will still be only a 6XXHP Super Snake, the production 540HP was too close to 6XXHP. I decided I will not worry about the Ford powertrain warranty and instead gamble that Ford will never make a 7XXHP S197, and they did not. By the end of the S197 production, the 6XXHP Super Snake ended up not being so Super.

The early 725/750's seem to be holding their value in this way>.................The car itself, there is no magic, the GT500 (pretitle) it seems to be depreciating just as any GT500 of the same year, miles and condition. It is the post-title Super Snake upgrade that has been added to that GT500 with documentation and the assigned CSM number that seems to be holding most of its value. An early car 2007-2009 725HP was $32K for that upgrade............Most of that $32K can still be realized in the sale of an early 725/750 Super Snake. Of course the price of the Super Snake upgrade has climbed over the years and so has the HP, from the earlier 725/750 to 800/850.

^^^^That is what I have noticed when comparing these cars over 10+ years. In an early 7XXHP Super Snake you can get 2020 GT500 power and an early more muscle car feel. Back in 2008, I wondered how long it would take for a production/assy. line Mustang to get to 7xx+ Horsepower level? I wonder what horsepower level Shelby will build the 2020 GT500 Super Snake? They seem to stay 200+ HP ahead of Ford for the optional performance levels.

When people discuss the GT500KR and GT500 Super Snake side-by-side, my feeling is that they are both cool cars in different ways.

R
 
#13 ·
I think that the KR will indeed be a decent collectible in the future, and when you consider what a clean example can be obtained for now, I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea to "upgrade", given the low intended mileage.

And if your mods are 100% reversible, that's a no-big-deal issue as well..

I'd go for it.. I'd feel more confident investing in a KR quite honestly, than investing in a 13/14, regardless of the performance/feature gulf between the two. The KR's were done in Vegas, and have a cool-factor to them that's the type of thing that makes collectors get geeky..

13/14's are just 13/14's... They built a lot of them.

The one black/black KR I drove was SUCH a nice upgrade (gearing, exhaust, handling, feel, styling) from a standard issue 07-09 GT500, that I am certain that they will always fetch considerably more money in the future.

Continuing to mod and drive your existing GT500 will eventually render you a fairly-invaluable used car.
 
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#14 ·
As usual, the opinions run the full spectrum, from "Do It" to "Don't Do It", so I imagine the correct way to go is whatever YOU feel the best about doing … YOU know your budget and desires … it's not like you're destroying any one-of-a-kind vehicles, so go ahead, have fun, do whatever your situation allows you to do. We here on the Forum will be glad to "ride along" on your project, no matter what Shelby you are working on. Best of luck in your decision … keep us posted and have a blast !!! :)
 

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#15 ·
Torn between the KR and a glass roof 11-14...today. I think they'll both be desirable in the future and like everything else there's pluses and minuses to both. It's always interesting to hear other people's perspectives, but we all make our own choices in the end. I think it will just depend on when the right car shows up at the right time. For the immediate future, need to find my nephew a cheap car and make it reliable.
 
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#18 ·
Mostly agree, those colors are in my basement as well. When Ford first introduced the silver/blue, I was in love, but even that has faded. Normally I call black cars a career, not a color, but that's the combo that speaks to me with the KR.

Now Eleanor is where we'll disagree, that was a beautiful car in the newer movie. There are a lot of ugly clones out there though.

And no apologies necessary, this is a good thread for rambling, so I'll keep rambling. On the 2011-12 performance pack (skinny stripes), I'm really liking the grey/red stripes, probably delete the over the top stripes if I find a glass roof.
 
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#19 ·
As a 2014 Glass Roof owner in Grabber Blue, the roof is a really unique option that sets the car apart. Personally, the 11-12 PP skinny stripes are really growing on me. They offer a limited 2 year stripe package that is different than everything else. I think the KR is definitely unique and offer that extra nostalgia to the KR lineage and also went through Vegas. I could only do the 2008 since it is the 40th Anniversary. The 09s just continued the KR line to finish out the production numbers. If the mods aren't permanent, the KR offers a much more unique platform to play with and should do better than our GT500.

Tom
 
#21 ·
I agree on all points. I also have the glass roof, it was worth every penny of the option cost, and should pay dividends years down the road.

I also preferred the 11-12 SVTPP skinny stripes over all other stripe packages (except I do dig the stripe designs/proportions for the S550 GT350). So many folks dissed them for not being "iconic Shelby", without friggin' understanding that those skinny stripes are what adorned the top end of Shelby's GT-40's 1st and 2nd place winners at Le Mans. I'd have to imagine that Carroll Shelby held those skinny stripes in very high esteem, quite iconic. Of course, I deleted them on my GT500 LOL... With the glass roof, stripe delete seemed to be the logical way to go, and I've zero regrets on that decision.

The rest of your post, yep, I totally agree. I think the KR's will eventually bottom-out (as all GT500's will eventually), and then begin their appreciation curve, at a rake and rate somewhat stronger than ANY regular-production GT500, including 13/14.
 
#20 ·
Well if we're going to ramble...I didn't like that the production KR's didn't look like the prototype. The prototype had 20" Alcoa's and the OEM GT500 deck wing. It also didn't have any embroidery on the headrests or console. So...I did a clone. The one thing though that does make a kick in the pants that the KR does have over the standard GT500 is the 3.73's in the rear.
 

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#24 · (Edited)
Well if we're going to ramble...I didn't like that the production KR's didn't look like the prototype. The prototype had 20" Alcoa's and the OEM GT500 deck wing. It also didn't have any embroidery on the headrests or console. So...I did a clone. The one thing though that does make a kick in the pants that the KR does have over the standard GT500 is the 3.73's in the rear.
Yes, I have heard many over the years mention that same thing.

There sure has been a price difference in buying the original 18" KR Alcoa's and the 20" Super Snake Alcoa's. The most recent sale(s) of 18" KR wheels that I have seen (NOS set of four) was $1500-$2000. The ongoing price of Super Snake wheels (set of four used) is approx. $3500-$4500 for the original "SHELBY FORGED" (without "SUPER SNAKE" engraving) and about the same for the "50 YEARS" 20" Alcoa's. A used set of four 20" with "SUPER SNAKE" engraving run in the $5000-$5500 range and the last NOS set of correct 20" Super Snake Alcoa's that I remember seeing as sold was $7500 (with NOS center caps).

The 20" Alcoa's have definitely leaped well beyond the 18" KR Alcoa's when it comes down to dollars.

Just think, when the original "sold to the public" 20" Super Snake Alcoa's with "SHELBY FORGED" engraved on them were offered through Shelby Perf. Parts, they were $494ea. for the 9" Fronts and $499ea. for the 10" Rears.......or about $2000 for the set of four, now they are almost double that for used.

R
 
#28 ·
I think AlcanCobra was his handle, last I remember he sold his red KR and bought a 60s Impala to restore and haven’t heard anything since.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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#25 · (Edited)
Something I thought about but did not mention in my previous replies............Over the years I have seen GT500KR's and Super Snakes with mods added after the Shelby build...........One thing I have noticed, I see GT500KR's listed/advertised with "Super Snake" upgrades, but I have never seen a Super Snake listed/advertised with "GT500KR" upgrades. The GT500KR hood is cool and would be an upgrade imho, but unless a Super Snake owner is willing to cut/notch a valuable GT500KR carbon fiber hood, the bigger HP Super Snake Kenne Bell's from that era will not fit under that hood. I do have a GT500KR front splitter on my Super Snake..........not sure if that is an upgrade, but I like the look better than the o.e. Super Snake splitter that came on my car, plus I am able to store/protect my original splitter by not having it on my car.

I don't know that there is anything GT500KR that would be an upgrade to a Super Snake? Not in the HP world, not in the braking world, not in the handling world. Maybe that is why the Super Snake has such a large following beyond a niche of die-hards? IDK?

These are just observations of mine over 10+ years.

R
 
#26 ·
Interesting thoughts Robert, and I think you are correct that aside from the carbon fiber hood, not much from a KR would be an upgrade. I don't think Shelby will sell you the hood without sending the original back, so until someone parts out a KR, they will be pretty hard to come by. There was an upfitter package for the KR that basically Super Snaked it, but I haven't ever seen one for sale.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Interesting thoughts Robert, and I think you are correct that aside from the carbon fiber hood, not much from a KR would be an upgrade. I don't think Shelby will sell you the hood without sending the original back, so until someone parts out a KR, they will be pretty hard to come by. There was an upfitter package for the KR that basically Super Snaked it, but I haven't ever seen one for sale.
Yes, and I have never seen one for sale, but adding $17K on top of the already $80K would get a KR close to $100K and the upfitter package is "post-title"............






This package on a GT500KR would bring it to "entry level Super Snake". I don't think I have ever seen a KR that got upfitted, but I would think someone chose to do it?

It also appears that the 20" Alcoa's would have been the "SHELBY FORGED", not the 20" "SHELBY FORGED/GT500KR" engraved as were shown on the concept KR.

Sorry for the dusty looking pictures, I had this info. in a garage laptop that has not been turned on for a while, I just noticed the screen was dusty after I took the pictures for this discussion.


R
 
#27 ·
A Super Snake'd KR would be pretty damned killer.

Otherwise, I don't really think that future collectors will consider these issues...

A KR is a KR, a SS is an SS, two different animals, two different prices of entry.
 
#34 ·
...............also, adding a finned 8.8 KR cover (modified Ford Explorer) and an axle reservoir to a Super Snake would be an upgrade, so those items could be considered KR upgrades. <<However, the KR axle reservoirs looked like crap and there are other vendors with much nicer reserviors and the finned cover? Ford has offered a nicer piece since the 2008/2009 time period on the production GT500.

R
 
#36 ·
It's been a few years but I finally got around to creating a new account instead of just trolling.

I just went through this 2 months ago so I figured I would chime in but we are all different in what we are after so this was only my thought process. I am waiting for a 2020 GT500 which is going to be a VERY different experience based on the GT350 I bought last year so the time was right to get a primo example of an iconic live axle GT500 with a manual (I had sold my '13 GT500 back in '14 which I loved). I found a 600 mile GT500KR that happened to be local and a 400 mile 2014 across the country.

A GT500KR is indeed a very unique car and very tempting with its Vegas pedigree but at the end of the day it lost out to the 2014 for the following reasons. The 2014 was the last car the Carroll had any input on (for what that's worth), it is a 200MPH live axle flying brick (that's a feat in itself), it is considerably quicker, it is much more fun to drive stock, the interior is considerably improved, and the overall engineering is 6 years on down the road. Lastly, it is tough to get big power out of a GT500KR while a 13/14 GT500 makes big power for only $1,700.

If I had room for both, I would have also picked up the KR but out of the S197 GT500 lineup and picking one, the 13/14 won hands down. Price was not a consideration as neither example was cheap with the milage they had.

The Super Snake is something very different. People are asking big numbers but when I see them actually trading hands, it is at far more realistic prices. I would rather have a stock 13/14 than a pre '10 SS. I also see the advantages of the 13/14 making it the SS to spend the extra money on. I like the looks of the wide body SS but find it "clumsy" to drive compared to the standard body but those will be the rarest of the SS cars. While more money, I prefer to have my car converted to an SS as opposed to buying one completed. They can take plenty of abuse but I prefer it to not be from someone else!

Either way you aren't going to go wrong and I would get a low mile car now while they are easier to find. Many people are selling their cars in anticipation of the 2020 GT500. It hasn't really made the low mile cars cheaper, just more available!
 
#40 · (Edited)
The thing I have noticed about Super Snake pricing is that big HP optioned Super Snake owners ask big money for their Super Snakes............then I have also noticed that the smaller HP Super Snake owners "also" list their cars for that bigger HP money.

In the end, the price/selling dollars between an "optional HP" Super Snake and an entry level HP Super Snake has widened over time.

Unlike the GT500KR, where other than options and color, those cars were the same from a performance level, the Super Snake on the other hand is not cookie cutter and the higher HP optioned cars are not at the same price level as the entry level cars...........but many view all Super Snakes as being "a Super Snake" and group them all together for pricing and performance. The first thing I look at when I see a Super Snake for sale (before anything else), I look for the blower picture(s) or a HP mention, and sometimes the entry level cars have owners who inflate the original HP number, I have seen that multiple times, like 605 to 625, etc. <<At that point after I see the blower and/or power level, then I know what "Super Snake" I am looking at.

R
 
#42 ·
Unlike the GT500KR, where other than options and color, those cars were the same from a performance level, the Super Snake on the other hand is not cookie cutter and the higher HP optioned cars are not at the same price level as the entry level cars...........but many view all Super Snakes as being "a Super Snake" and group them all together for pricing and performance. The first thing I look at when I see a Super Snake for sale (before anything else), I look for the blower picture(s) or a HP mention, and sometimes the entry level cars have owners who inflate the original HP number, I have seen that multiple times, like 605 to 625, etc. <<At that point after I see the blower and/or power level, then I know what "Super Snake" I am looking at.

R
That is pretty true. A 2008 Super Snake is often the same asking as a 2014 Super Snake which is like comparing a .45 to a double barrel shotgun loaded with slugs. >:)
 
#41 · (Edited)
I always think back to the link below from Team Shelby, a heavy cast iron nosed 6XX Super Snake would never have been able to lead the field, it required big HP to "put away" the field.......Other's had to take their place behind......Even the ZR1....

https://www.teamshelby.com/topic/41...-at-buttomwillow/?tab=comments#comment-683247

^^^Note still on the 20" Alcoa's and street Pirelli P Zero's.........and also cast iron manifolds and 2.5" exhaust.

R
 
#44 ·
I always think back to the link below from Team Shelby, a heavy cast iron nosed 6XX Super Snake would never have been able to lead the field, it required big HP to "put away" the field.......Other's had to take their place behind......Even the ZR1....

https://www.teamshelby.com/topic/41...-at-buttomwillow/?tab=comments#comment-683247

^^^Note still on the 20" Alcoa's and street Pirelli P Zero's.........and also cast iron manifolds and 2.5" exhaust.

R
Comical wheel and tire combo for the Track, that must've been a very pedestrian Track Event.
 
#46 ·
I amend my Super Snake spec. quotes from above..............

I went over to Team Shelby to see what is offered for the Super Snake now, it has been a while since I have looked.

For 2007-2012 800HP is the standard install with no lower HP options, "starting at" $47K

For 2013/14 850HP is the standard with no more entry level 662HP and also starting in the same $47K-$48K range.

^^^Both are available with a 900HP option and also a 1000HP option. I believe the 1000HP option is race fuel only, just like the Shelby 1000 when the 1000HP tune is used. If I remember correctly, the 900HP upgrade is about $8K.........

R
 
#47 ·
Another thing I noticed when I was on Team Shelby earlier in the 2013/14 Super Snake brochure was the 1/4 mile time quoted/achieved by Evan from Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords back in 2013..........With a simple tire change a 2013 800HP Super Snake ran 10.66@137mph.

That same driver (Evan), probably at the same track for magazine testing ran a 10.87@134mph in a 2007 725HP Super Snake.

So for 75HP more and 20 cubic inches larger, 100lbs lighter on the nose (and technology changes between 2007 and 2013), there was a .2 faster e.t. and 3 mile per hour higher with the 2013.

R
 
#48 ·
Our cars are not efficient, just fun! :)

Funny thing, I'm working on picking the details of a 900HP Kenne Bell build and EVERYTHING required to get from the stock 662HP to 900HP on a 2014 is about $7,000. About $1,000 cheaper than just the 900HP option box. I'm fine with it but the Shelby tax makes me laugh. If memory serves, Shelby does change a couple of small things on the 900HP build outside of the Kenne Bell setup.
 
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