Remember the Shelby GT500CR 900S? Silly question, of course you do. The 770-horsepower (also supercharged) muscle car concocted by Classic Recreations is not the kind of car that leaves your retina that easily and to further reinforce that statement, it just got a new all-carbon-fiber-everything attire.

SpeedKore helped build the carbon-fiber body for the Shelby GT500CR

SpeedKore, another name that gets a lot of recognition in the U.S. thanks to the projects it displayed at SEMA over the years (think the GT350 Carbon Series, 1970 Dodge Charger Evolution, and Chris Evans' 1967 Captain America Chevy Camaro), has been helping out with the actual build of the carbon-fiber body for the GT500CR.

Here's a brief rundown of the whole process:

"The carbon fiber GT500CR begins with a restored donor steel tub that is then fitted with all-new carbon fiber body panels. Starting with a 3D digital model produced from SpeedKore’s blue light scan of an entire GT500CR body, a five-axis CNC machine cuts the molds, and then plugs and panels are pulled using aerospace-grade prepreg carbon fiber. The molded carbon fiber body panels are cured using a massive in-house autoclave. The result is the world’s first officially-licensed Shelby Mustang that is lighter and stronger than an all-steel body and has perfect carbon fiber weave alignment."

If the process looks complicated, that's because it is. That's what you'll have to pay on top of the $284,900 starting sticker Classic Recreations is asking for the Shelby GT500CR 900S, which brings your bill to $344,900.

Carbon fiber on the outside, hip-shattering performance on the inside

As you can imagine, more goodies await under the hood of the GT500CR. Classic Recreations tells us that customers can pick their favorite engine from a list that includes the likes of a Gen 3 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 crate engine with 490 horsepower and a hand-built, 7.0-liter mill cranked up all the way to 900 horsepower.

Regardless of what your pick is, engines are twinned to a Tremec five-speed manual and splash their roar through a stainless-steel MagnaFlow performance exhaust.

Naturally, you need a lot of hardware to contain and control that sort of oomph, and this is where a plethora of race-grade bits and bobs do their part:

-* coilover suspension or Detroit Speed Engineering suspension

-* rack-and-pinion steering conversion

-* larger sway bars

-* Wilwood brakes or six-piston brake calipers with larger rotors

-* American Racing forged wheels or wide-spec rear wheels

-* Michelin high-performance tires

Cabin-wise, the list of goodies goes on with the likes of:

-* Carroll Shelby signature seats and gauges

-* 5-point seatbelts

-* a 200-mph speedometer

-* woodgrain aluminum steering wheel

-* Deluxe 1967 door panels, dashboard, and trim

-* Pioneer CD player

-* 4 Digital Designs speakers, 1000-watt amplifier, and subwoofer

Final Word

It's definitely exciting to own the first-ever carbon-fiber-bodied Shelby Mustang, one that's tailored to your exact specifications inside and out, but ultimately, the hefty price tag might discourage the better part of the clientele. Still, this sort of build it bound to transcend time and become a highly-valued collectible in, let's say, a decade's time.