Ford Discontinued Using The Shelby Name Because Bean Counters Didn't Want To Pay Royalties

Look at the current Ford Mustang lineup, and you might notice something missing: the Shelby name. The last factory Mustang to wear the moniker was the Mustang Shelby GT500, which ended production just before the seventh-generation model debuted.

 

That leaves a lot of fans wondering—where did Shelby go? Instead of a new GT500, Ford introduced the Ford Mustang Dark Horse and the even more extreme Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC, the latter essentially filling the role of a modern GT500. So why did Ford ditch the Shelby name on the S650 Mustang? Short answer: money.