Which Ford Mustangs Are Called 'King Of The Road' & What Makes Them So Special?
The original Mustang to wear the "King of the Road" name was the 1968 Shelby GT500KR, which is what those final two letters in its name stood for. What set it apart from other Mustangs was the engine that resided under the GT500KR's air-scooped and louvered hood — the Ford 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8. The GT500KR was made for one year only, and just 1,571 were built: 1,053 fastbacks, and 518 convertibles. Its aggressive styling has also aged well enough to make it one of the
muscle cars from the '60s that look even cooler today.
The 428 Cobra Jet in the Shelby GT500KR was based on the V8 engine used in Ford Police Interceptors at the time, but it received additional upgrades. Better breathing was the key, courtesy of bigger, freer flowing exhaust manifolds and improved cylinder heads. On paper, it made 355 horsepower, though the Cobra Jet's real output was well over 400 hp with 440 lb-ft on tap. Other distinctive touches on the Shelby GT500KR were its unique fiberglass hood, rectangular driving lights set into the grille, rear spoiler, and sequential taillights.
The Mustang range later revived the KR name twice, first for the 2008-2009 GT500KR and again for a 2020-2022 version that ranks among the Shelby vehicles with the most horsepower. Each started life as a regular GT500 before Shelby added a carbon fiber hood, forged wheels, and suspension upgrades, along with extra power; 40 hp more for the 2008-09 car and over 900 hp in total for the newer one.
How the GT500KR earned its crown
The "King of the Road" name came out of a 1968 meeting between Carroll Shelby and Lee Iacocca, the father of the Mustang, and then head of the Ford Division. Iacocca had heard Chevrolet planned to use the name on a new Corvette. Shelby had his lawyer find out whether anyone owned the name, and when nobody did, he put it on the new Cobra Jet-powered GT500 and filed to protect it.
The performance of an original 1968 GT500KR was the subject of a Car and Driver comparison test against a 1969 Corvette 427 for its July 2006 issue. The Shelby wasn't completely stock, a performance camshaft, a freer-flowing exhaust, and wearing modern radial tires. It did very well in terms of straight-line acceleration, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds with the automatic transmission, while the quarter-mile run went by in 13.9 seconds at 103 mph. Cornering was not its strong suit, though, with the GT500KR achieving roadholding on the skidpad of just 0.68g.
The prices of the original Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR have held up, especially since these cars are pretty rare. Values for GT500KRs sold since 2025 on Bring a Trailer have ranged from a low of $180,000 to a high of $275,000. With that much money on the line, it pays to know how to tell if a Ford Mustang is a genuine Shelby or just a clone before bidding on a GT500KR.