Shelby GT500 KR Stolen In Australia
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A 2021 Shelby GT500 KR has been stolen from a dealership in Melbourne, Australia and it’s understandably causing quite the stir. While it would be a valuable car here in the US, over in Australia it’s valued at a whopping $400,000 AUD making the heist quite a large one.
Watch a Shelby’s engine blow up here.
The car was swiped on October 11 from Mustang Motorsport at Ferntree Gully in the southeast portion of Melbourne. Security footage captured two men loitering around the front of the retail location earlier in the day. One of them returned, walked inside the showroom, climbed inside the GT500 KR, then drove off as if everything were normal.
Also, as pointed out by the Australian Associated Press in its report on the theft, there’s only one of these pony cars in the entire island nation. Even outside of Down Under they’re incredibly rare with a mere 24 were made for the 2021 model year.
Generally, when you steal something that’s exceptionally unique, like this very special Shelby, it’s not so easy to get rid of later. Even if you try chopping the car up, many of the parts don’t match what you find on other Mustangs, even GT500s from the same model year. And since no other KRs are in Australia, it’s going to stick out like a sore thumb.
Because of the above-mentioned factors, police believe the Shelby will be kept whole. It hasn’t been seen since the day of the heist.
Even worse, the thieves were able to take advantage of a huge opportunity. Someone left the keys in the powerful pony car while moving cars around in the showroom at the end of the business day. That allowed the thief to just get in and drive away.
At least in US-spec, which we’re unsure if that’s allowed into Australia as an import, the Shelby GT500 KR produces a whopping 900+-horsepower at the flywheel. That’s done in part through the magic of a 3.8-liter Whipple supercharger. In other words, it’s quite the performance beast.
Image via Victoria Police
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