Whether you want to believe it or not, we are living in the golden age of horsepower. Sure, the ‘60s muscle cars are legendary, but even the nastiest factory cars of the late-60s were not much faster than a Honda minivan. Technology is a wonderful thing and this 2008 Shelby GT500 fastback is a great example of just how far we’ve come. This is the kind of car that your mother could drive to church and rip off 12-second quarter mile times without any practice. It’s just incredibly refined! The car magazines talk about how crude and rude the Mustangs are, and after driving this car, it seems obvious that today’s cars are shockingly good, because I just don’t see much crude or rude anywhere in this car. It starts instantly, idles smoothly, doesn’t get cranky in traffic, there are zero squeaks and rattles, and the HVAC and stereo systems are powerful and effective. I don’t think there are many cars that do it all better than this Shelby.

With just 4177 miles on the clock, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this Shelby still feels like a new car. There’s something intangible about a fresh car, something about how the doors close, the way the suspension feels supple, the hushed sounds of all the mechanical bits going about their business. And nothing looks more like a Shelby than a white fastback with blue stripes. For some of us, that’s a big plus, adding to the legend in a way that’s directly connected to its origins in the 1960s.

It’s not Wimbledon White—in 2008, Ford called it “Performance White” and with Guardsman Blue stripes, it is far from subtle. The Mustang’s retro-cool shape lends itself especially well to high-visibility colors and the Shelby’s muscular touches only enhance what is already a great-looking car. As a car with so few miles, you know it’s in close to showroom condition, and while no car is perfect, this one has a great shine and factory-quality workmanship everywhere you look. The hood fits well, the doors close with a very substantial “THUNK” and for a mere Mustang, it sure looks like it would pass the Lexus ball bearing test with ease. We like the stripes—Shelbys without them always look unfinished—and I’d argue that it looks best head-on, where the gaping grille gives you a full dose of Shelby style. The history on this car shows that it started life in Georgia and has enjoyed only two owners, so it’s never been a daily driver. In fact, looking at the undercarriage, we are pretty sure this car has never even seen a rain shower. Someone protected this car and treated it like jewelry.

The highest compliment we can pay the black leather interior is that it looks like new. There might be a few gentle wear marks on the driver’s seat, but again, you’re really going to have to look for them. The rest, of course, is as it was on the showroom floor and everything is 100% functional. As the top-of-the-line Mustang, the GT500 got just about every feature Ford could think of, including the regular stuff like power windows, locks, seats, and mirrors, ice cold A/C, cruise control, and a tilt steering column with a Shelby-specific leather-wrapped steering wheel. Both the steering wheel and the shifter boot have red stitching that gives it a bit of a racy feel and there’s a whole array of analog gauges, including a boost gauge, directly ahead of the driver. This car also includes the Shaker 1000 stereo system, which includes AM/FM/CD/satellite capabilities plus speakers throughout the car and a pair of subwoofers in a neatly installed enclosure in the trunk. I guess if the thump of the supercharged V8 isn’t enough, this stereo should do the trick.

Now everything you’ve read up above will more or less apply to a garden-variety Mustang GT. No, what makes the GT500 special lives under the domed hood: a 5.4 liter DOHC V8 with a big, honkin’ supercharger on top. Descended from the engine in the all-conquering Ford GT supercar, it cranks out an astounding 500 horsepower and 480 pounds of torque, numbers that just a few years ago, were pretty much beyond reach for a street car. Now the really shocking thing is just how docile this thing is. It starts instantly, idles smoothly, and the factory exhaust is so smooth and mellow that you’d never know there’s Corvette-stomping horsepower on tap. I’d argue that it’s almost too sophisticated and refined to be a Shelby. Sure, the car magazines say it’s crude and rude, but for a kid who grew up riding around in a 1967 Camaro called “The Clunker,” well, I have to say it’s nothing short of magic.

There’s a long list of upgrades available for these cars, but the one you want to own is like this: completely stock. Heck, it’s still got its original belts and hoses! Nothing has been changed, altered, or removed, and as far as we can tell, the only changes have been fluids and the battery, so it’s in top condition and ready to enjoy. Out on the road, the 6-speed snaps through the gears, and thanks to a factory-recommended clutch upgrade (the original dual-disc clutches on these cars were prone to chatter) that cost more than $3000, clutch take-up is as light as a Honda. Just make sure you’ve got it pointed in the right direction before you plant your right foot, because that supercharger comes online like RIGHT NOW and suddenly you’re going 50 or 70 MPH faster than you were just a second earlier. This car is shockingly fast. The Shelby also got a fortified suspension to go with the added power, including bigger sway bars, firmer springs, and heavy-duty components to cope with the added power. With all that torque on tap, 3.31 gears are plenty adequate, and in sixth gear, this car just loafs along at 1100 RPM, pulling down relatively decent fuel economy. There are huge Brembo brakes to keep it under control and they seem impervious to abuse, shrugging off high-speed stops as easily as the daily grind. Special Shelby-spec 18-inch forged alloy wheels are perhaps the biggest indicator that this is a special Mustang, and they’re wrapped in brand new 255/45/18 front and 285/40/18 rear OEM-spec Goodyear Eagle radials.

Documentation includes a full package of factory manuals that have never been unwrapped, the original window sticker, and receipts for recent work including the new clutch, refinishing the wheels, and fresh tires. It also comes with the original front license plate bracket that was never installed, plus the original mini mud flaps that were replaced with slightly larger ones to protect the rockers.

This is a very impressive machine. Is it a future collectable? Hard to say. It has the right ingredients of rarity, performance, style, and condition, but seeing as we’ve already fallen in love with it, perhaps its best use is as intended: one of the nastiest Mustangs on the road.