<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/convertibles/" rel="tag">Convertible</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Performance</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/reviews/" rel="tag">Reviews</a></p><em><big>A Motor City Summer Romance</big></em><br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="0" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/lead1-2011-shelby-gt500-review.jpg" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small>2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br />
When you grow up in Detroit, the <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/mustang">Ford Mustang</a> is so much more than just another performance car. It's arguably the most iconic automobile born within these city limits, and anyone who's called the area home can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride while driving the Blue Oval's pony through the Motor City. It's like eating a hot dog at the ballpark - you can't explain why, but it just tastes better.<br />
<br />
At the tippy top of the Mustang hierarchy sits the <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/shelby+gt500">Shelby GT500</a> with its supercharged 5.4-liter V8, 550 horsepower and an exhaust note that will wake the neighbors. Our love for the GT500 has run deep since its debut in 2006, though most of that affection was never given to the convertible. The droptop Ford suffers from substantially more handling and rigidity issues than the coupe, and when you consider the added price that Ford charges to lob off the roof ($5,000, in this case), it can seem like a puzzling proposition.<br />
<br />
For 2011, Ford has tweaked the GT500's core, not to mention stiffening individual components of both the front and rear suspension setups. That, combined with a new electric power assist steering system, means this should be the most driver-focused GT500 yet. Thus, we put the top back and basked in the warm Michigan sun to rekindle our love with Detroit's most powerful pony car. This, friends, is our kind of end-of-summer lovin'.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/#continued">Continue reading</a>...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/">2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible: Review</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557065"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/01-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557066"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/02-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557067"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/03-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557068"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/04-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557069"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/05-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a></div><br />
<strong><em><font size="1">Photos copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing </font></em></strong><strong><em><font size="1">/ AOL</font></em></strong><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Review: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/">Review: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19706607/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="0" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/lead1-2011-shelby-gt500-review.jpg" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small>2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br />
When you grow up in Detroit, the <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/mustang">Ford Mustang</a> is so much more than just another performance car. It's arguably the most iconic automobile born within these city limits, and anyone who's called the area home can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride while driving the Blue Oval's pony through the Motor City. It's like eating a hot dog at the ballpark - you can't explain why, but it just tastes better.<br />
<br />
At the tippy top of the Mustang hierarchy sits the <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/shelby+gt500">Shelby GT500</a> with its supercharged 5.4-liter V8, 550 horsepower and an exhaust note that will wake the neighbors. Our love for the GT500 has run deep since its debut in 2006, though most of that affection was never given to the convertible. The droptop Ford suffers from substantially more handling and rigidity issues than the coupe, and when you consider the added price that Ford charges to lob off the roof ($5,000, in this case), it can seem like a puzzling proposition.<br />
<br />
For 2011, Ford has tweaked the GT500's core, not to mention stiffening individual components of both the front and rear suspension setups. That, combined with a new electric power assist steering system, means this should be the most driver-focused GT500 yet. Thus, we put the top back and basked in the warm Michigan sun to rekindle our love with Detroit's most powerful pony car. This, friends, is our kind of end-of-summer lovin'.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/#continued">Continue reading</a>...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/">2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible: Review</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557065"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/01-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557066"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/02-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557067"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/03-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557068"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/04-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review/#3557069"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/05-2011-shelby-gt500-review_thumbnail.jpg" alt="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" title="2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible" /></a></div><br />
<strong><em><font size="1">Photos copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing </font></em></strong><strong><em><font size="1">/ AOL</font></em></strong><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Review: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/">Review: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19706607/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/10/2011-ford-shelby-gt500-convertible-review-road-test/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
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