Superformance Gets Ford’s OK To Build The Ravishing Shelby GR-1

Californian tuning company and replica car builder Superformance has revealed that it will put the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept into production.

Superformance is best known for building accurate replicas of iconic Fords like the Shelby Cobra, Ford GT40 and Shelby Cobra Daytona, and has big plans with the production version of the GR-1.

Speaking at a Shelby tribute event at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Superformance chief executive Lance Stander revealed that the company has joined forces with Shelby American to bring the GR-1, which was originally at the 2005 NAIAS, to life. Additionally, Stander revealed plans to build the GR-1 in both electric and ICE-powered guises.

Superformance was pushing Ford to license it the rights to build the GR-1 for roughly six years, and finally, it has been given the go-ahead.

“We had to get licensed by the original manufacturer, and it had to have all credibility. So I just kept plodding along and eventually the stars aligned, the right people at Ford got to hear about it and… a couple of guys at who really wanted to see it happen at Ford Design in Europe, and the next thing I know is Ford Licensing is contacting me,” Stander revealed.

When Superformance begins production, it intends on offering 200 aluminum-clad versions as well as a few hundred additional models with carbon fiber exteriors. No specifics have been given about the aforementioned powertrains and it isn’t known if the vehicle will actually be sold as the ‘Ford Shelby GR-1’ or use a different nameplate.