Shelby->ke81 American announced that the 2013 model year will be the end of the line for the Mustang GT350. The company will continue to accept orders for new GT350 models through December 31st, 2013, so you had better get to ordering while you still can.

Shelby launched the GT350 program in 1965 and painted each and every one of the debut models Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue rocker-panel stripes, and just over a quarter of these models features Le Mans (racing) stripes. These models came with a 289-cubic-inch V-8 powerhouse that Shelby tuned to 306 horsepower -- stock output was 271 horsepower. Other updates included heavy-duty rear axles from the Ford Galaxy, larger rear drum brakes and upgraded Kelsey-Hayes front disc brakes. The engine hooked up to a T-10 four-speed manual gearbox and the car held the road via over-rider traction bars, revise A-arms and 130 mph-rated Goodyear rubber.

1966 brought about four new colors: blue, red, green and black. It also gained brake cooling ducts, an optional three-speed automatic transmission and an optional Paxton supercharger. The latter option ran $670 -- a relative bargain by today's standard -- and bumped the engine to 440 horsepower.

Also new for 1966 was the Hertz "Rent-a-Racer," which were later refurbished by Ford and sold to the public as the GT350-H. The "Rent-a-Racer" program netted plenty of issues, as many of these cars were rented for use in SCCA events, which ended up with customers temporarily welding in roll cages. Additionally, many of the performance parts were missing by time Hertz returned the models to Ford for refurbishing.

In 1968, Ford added in the GT350-KR model -- "KR" meaning "King of the Road" -- which included a 428-cubic-inch V-8 powerplant with 335 horses and 440 pound-feet of torque. Also changed up was the addition of the "Cobra" tag to the name in 1968, making it the "Shelby Cobra GT350."the Otherwise, the GT350 remained the same in 1967 and 1968.

In 1969, which was the GT 350's final year, the "Cobra" tag disappeared and a 351-cubic-inch V-8 found its way under its hood.

In 2011 Shelby reintroduced the GT350 and produced only coupe models painted in Competition white with Guardsmen blue stripes. In 2012, it also offered a convertible version, plus three more colors (red, blue and anniversary black/gold celebrating 50 years of Shelby American).

As of January 1st, 2014, Shelby will continue to offer models like Shelby GTS, GT500 Super Snake and Shelby 1000, Shelby Raptor muscle truck and hot hatch Shelby Focus ST.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350.

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

The 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is powered by a 5.0-liter V-8 engine offered in both natural and supercharged versions. The naturally aspirated model delivers a total of 430 horsepower, and Shelby's cold air package increases the car’s output to 450 horsepower.

With the supercharger in tow, the GT350 produces 525 horsepower or a 624 horsepower, depending on the version the buyer chooses.

The 2013 Shelby GT350 package is priced from $26,995.00 for the normally aspirated version and $33,995.00 for the supercharged version.