Employees at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant stopped working for a minutes yesterday to gather together and celebrate a special moment. The moment in question was the when the first production Shelby GT350R Mustang rolled off the line opening a new chapter in the pony car’s glamorous history.

Shelby GT350R is the most athletic Mustang ever designed primarily to work on the race track. That is what make this model special. Prior to the GT350R, hot Mustangs were crude and unsophisticated muscle car with a big engine and not much finesse – kind of like a large drunk redneck with a big gun. They were bound to cause trouble at some point.

“This is a special day for all Mustang enthusiasts,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company.  “We have taken the GT350 formula to the next level of innovation, style and performance.  Today the legend continues.”

Ford went out their way to make sure the new Shelby GT350R is a proper sports car. Not only have they given it an all-new engine, a 5.2-liter dual-overhead-cam flat-plane crankshaft V8 with 525 horsepower, they have also worked for months on the car’s suspension, steering system and aerodynamics to make sure it handles as good as it looks. The R version comes with a number of special visual features, including red painted brake calipers, red pin striping at the edges of the optional over-the-top racing stripes and GT350R badging. Inside is high-contrast red stitching, Shelby GT350R badging and the D-shaped steering wheel fitted with a red center mark at the top.