Mike Pakoskey of central Pennsylvania is no different. His love affair with the Blue Oval has spanned more than 40 years, starting with a '64½ Mustang with a 289 HiPo and a fours-speed manual transmission. He's also an SVTOA Charter Member who has owned numerous SVT Mustang Cobras, including a '95 Hardtop Convertible (#367 of 499 total units) which Mike refers to as "the one that got away."

As an SVT and overall Ford performance fanatic, the debut of the new Shelby GT500 offered him a chance to realize a dream that he'd had for many years: to own a Shelby Mustang.

"As a child of the Sixties, anything 'Shelby' was revered and held in high esteem," Pakoskey said. During the 1960's, however, Mike was busy building his own Ford high-performance cars, most notably a '67 Mustang fastback with a cross-rammed 427, so the opportunity to own a Shelby just wasn't in the cards. But he said when the announcement was made that Ford was going to offer another Shelby Mustang after 36 years, "the chance to redo my earlier mistake was too good to pass up."

Pakoskey recalled a trip to Dearborn with the late Tom Shreiner, author of The SVT Cobra Recognition Guide: "We were on an SVT research trip to Dearborn and during our stay we saw a prototype 2005 Mustang with a hole in the hood and a supercharger sticking out of it, sitting in a parking lot up there," he said. "We assumed it was a prototype of the new SVT Cobra, but when the Shelby rumors started flying around, we put two-and-two together."

As soon as the order banks opened, allowing dealers to place their orders for the 2007 Shelby GT500, Mike was at Sunbury Motors in Sunbury, PA, with his deposit in hand.

"I've purchased many SVT vehicles from Sunbury Motors, and Bob and Tom Mertz have always treated me with kindness," Pakoskey noted. "They have a great shop and the best parts department in Pennsylvania, and they will always have my business." Tom Mertz gave Pakoskey the opportunity to order their first allocated vehicle as MSRP, and the rest is history.

Pakoskey took delivery of his GT500 coupe in July of 2006. Outfitted in Performance White with Vista Blue stripes, it was "the obvious choice of color combination," Pakoskey insisted. When new vehicles arrive at the dealership, they go through a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) process, which includes the vehicle being checked over for any damage and the plastic protection removed from the front and rear fascia, as well as the interior. Pakoskey wanted to take his vehicle home in the same condition that it arrived from the factory, so the good folks at Sunbury Motors called Pakoskey the morning of its scheduled arrival so he could document the entire delivery process and save every bit of the protective material that came from the factory. It's this sort of painstaking detail that Pakoskey documents on his new vehicles that has enabled him to become a walking encyclopedia of SVT and Ford performance vehicles. He stores away every bit of paperwork throughout the entire ordering and delivery process for safekeeping.

So far, he's managed to rack up about 400 miles on the car over the summer and through the fall - with his new Shelby GT500 making its car show debut at the MCA National event in Erie, PA, back in August. The car received a lot of attention at that show, where Pakoskey was more than happy to talk about the new Shelby GT500 and Fords in general to anyone who wanted to take a closer look at his modern-day legend.

Mike said the GT500 looks good just sitting still, but on the open road is where the vehicle really shines. "When you consider 500 horsepower, with 480 foot-pounds of torque, and the Brembo brakes ... what a car, and what a deal!" he gushed. "It compares very well to my 2003 SVT "Terminator" Cobra (which now shares garage space with the Shelby). I love both cars in their own way and I'm proud to cruise in either one."

Pakoskey doesn't plan to let his new Shelby GT500 ever get away from his careful ownership, but vows to keep the driving limited to dry days. "I'm a little picky about a clean car," he admitted, "but this car is such a blast to drive, I'll have to make compromises as best I can."

The 2007 Shelby GT500 bridges the gap between the Shelby and SVT performance eras, and having experienced first-hand the Boss and Mach I Mustangs as well as the Shelbys during the muscle cars years, Pakoskey views SVT as the modern-day successor to that heritage.

"The SVT vehicles offer a tasteful package that combines value and power," he said. "They're the collector vehicles of the future - the best of the best from Ford."

There's no doubt that the tens of thousands of people who have purchased and enjoyed SVT vehicles since 1993 would tend to agree.