---
title: "The Shelby GTE Is a Ford Mustang Wearing Shelby Clothes—and That’s Fine"
description: "A little more power, and a lot more decals."
date: "2016-09-07"
modified: "2016-09-07"
authors:
  - name: "Ben Keeshin"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/ben-keeshin"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/muscle-cars/5113/the-shelby-gte-is-a-ford-mustang-wearing-shelby-clothes-and-thats-fine"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Coupe"
  - "Ford"
  - "Mustang"
  - "Shelby"
  - "sports car"
---

# The Shelby GTE Is a Ford Mustang Wearing Shelby Clothes—and That’s Fine

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/gtert.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Tell your average human that you drive a 2017 Shelby GTE—while pointing at the bestripéd and bespoileréd Ford Mustang coupe behind you—and he or she will be mighty impressed. He’s heard things: [Le Mans-winning twin-turbo V6](<https://www.ford.com/performance/gt/>), [flat-crank plane V8s](<https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/mustang-shelby-gt350-gt350r>), [eight-figure auction prices](<https://autoweek.com/article/auctions/very-first-shelby-cobra-headed-auction>). And sure, those scoops, louvers, and spoilers all seem to imply extreme speed. *Shelby, wowee*, the bystander will think, imagining he’s in the presence of 600-700 hood-shaking horsepower. Not really. This Shelby is an appearance package plus 20 horsepower.

That “E” in “GTE” doesn’t stand for “EXTREME,” “EGOMANIACAL” or “EMOTIONAL.” It stands for a quiet “enhanced.” The Shelby GTE is no from-the-ground-up track monster, but rather a car designed to showcase a litany of other lowercase-”e” words: embellished, energized, engineered, and enjoyable. No need to break out the CAPS key.

![Shelby GTE](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/gteinline1.jpg>)

Available on both the Mustang Ecoboost and GT, the package adds a bevy of decorations—think: industrial strength stickers—and a little bit of power. The EcoBoost’s boosted four-cylinder gains 25 horses for a total of 335 and the GT’s V8 gains 21, for a total of 456. Both mighty numbers and very quick cars, mind you, but Shelby-worthy? Not quite, in our book. None of the GTE-treated Mustangs will have been shuttled through the Shelby factory—all performance upgrades come from the Ford Performance catalogue. There’s the Power Pack, the Ford Performance Handling Pack, a catback exhaust and some Ford Performance 19-inch wheels, all wrapped in a gooey fondant of Shelby stickering and badging.

It’s a showboat, not a race car. For $17,999 on top of the base 'Stang, it better draw looks like a barge on fire.

![Shelby GTE](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/gteinline2.jpg>)

## Author
Ben Keeshin is a former staff writer for Maxim, and before that, contributed writing to the digital sides of Road & Track and Vanity Fair.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/BnKshn>)