I found this 540 HP snake charmer tucked away in front of a Chelsea office building one sunny afternoon. The black and red hot rod almost looked guilty, as if it had been out speeding and doing smokey burnouts all afternoon. Or maybe the owner simply needed a parking space so he could run inside to grab something. Either way, I think we can all agree, this drop top ain’t a half bad way to get around town.

Shot with my Leica M6

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We got plenty of attention in our Torch Red tester with Satin Silver Le Mans racing stripes. This Mustang of Mustangs looks quite different than its non-Shelby V6 and V8 stable mates thanks to, among other things, quite possibly the meanest face in the business. It’s positively menacing and struts angry black mesh from top to bottom.  A half coiled Cobra sits on the grille’s passenger side to let onlookers know about the 540 HP V8 that’s waiting to strike into action. Other Shelby-specific styling cues include 19-inch alloy wheels (18s on the convertible), high-performance Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires (255/45 front and 285/35 rear), Brembo brakes, an aluminum hood with mounted heat extractors to release trapped air from under the hood, a front air splitter, and, for added downforce, a ducktail-style rear spoiler with a “Gurney flap” built in to the top of the wing.

Strap yourself in, engage the clutch pedal, turn the key and listen intently as the 5.4L supercharged V8 mounted ahead of you grumbles to life in a quick roar. Then click the Hurst short throw shifter into gear, pop the new-for-2010 dual-disc clutch and hold on for dear life as you mash the gas pedal into the floor. Thanks to Ford’s AdvanceTrac stability and traction control systems, which default to the “on” position upon start-up, the fat 285/35 rear tires hook up quickly and easily (the electronic nannies can be turned off altogether for those who want to lay down fat piles of rubber). The grumble you heard at idle immediately morphs into a violent snorting that becomes more addictive each time you tear through a new gear (there are 6 of them in the GT500 as compared to 5 in the GT). About halfway to the 7,000 RPM redline, the roots-type supercharger starts feeding in boost and adds a pleasing whine to the soundtrack. Talk about fast, the nearly 2 ton Shelby will hit 60 in 4.3 seconds and, when piloted by someone more talented than me, can cover a quarter mile in the mid 12 second range.

Like the 2007-2009 model that preceded it, the 2010 GT500 represents an engineering collaboration with Carroll Shelby and Ford’s in-house performance division SVT. Starting at $46,325 (MSRP), the GT500 is hands down one of the best performance bargains in the industry with each of the 540 ponies (up 40 HP from the previous model) running you approximately $86. The uber Mustang is only bested by Camaro V8 (426 HP for $30,245), Camaro V6 (304 HP for $22,245) and Hyundai’s new V6-powered Genesis Coupe (306 HP for $25k). Just for shits, consider that the roughly $1.7 million Bugatti Veyron will cost you almost $1,700 for each of its 1,001 ponies. It looks like the GT500 truly is the muscle car hero for our trying times.

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There are few things in this world that would get a sane New Yorker to Times Square in the early hours of a Friday morning. One of those things is a chance to get up close and personal with a 1,001 HP marvel of technology whose quad turbo W16 engine will violently thrust 4,400 pounds of aluminum, magnesium and carbon fiber to 186 MPH before you can finish reading this sentence (about 16 seconds). Its maximum velocity, about 253 MPH, is equated to nearly one-third of the speed of sound at sea level.We are of course talking about the ultra rare and hyper exotic Bugatti Veyron. So heading to Times Square was a no brainer when we got word that a special edition of the Veyron, called Grand Sport, would be making an appearance at the Marriott. Bugatti tells us there are only two of these Grand Sports currently residing in the U.S.

As crazy as it sounds, this is not the first time we have snapped a Veyron in Manhattan. But the $2.1 million Grand Sport, which was in town for a Fox News segment, is unique mostly for its targa-style roof and is among the many special editions that have been sold since the original Veyron began production in 2005. All in, Bugatti will build roughly 300 Veyrons and word on the street is that owners and dealers will get to weigh in on concepts for future product behind closed doors in Frankfurt this fall. In the nearer term, expect to see a special edition of Grand Sport in Monterey next month.

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