Fast and furious: muscle car Shelby targets tuners

Shelby American, the classic builder of hyper-powered muscle cars with the bulked-up Mustang styling, took aim at the tuner generation Tuesday with a new compact based on Ford’s Focus.

The this year Shelby Focus ST is the company’s first push back to the four-cylinder “pocket rocket” sector since founder Carroll Shelby turbocharged four-cylinder sedans in the 1980s.

“It’s something small with big power,” said Shelby American president John Luft as he unveiled the new car at the Detroit auto show.

“You can certainly embarrass a lot of guys at the track” with the souped up Focus, he said.

It was Shelby’s first aim at the tuner culture, where drivers modify the looks and power of what have been mostly unambitious small Asian imports, as featured in the hit Fast and Furious movies.

That youth culture came along long after Shelby had established its muscle car name with the 1960s generation of drivers.

“There’s a generation that did not grow up with Shelby,” said John Luft, president of the Las Vegas-based firm.