The original Shelby GT350 is a car that is reserved almost entirely for the collections of people who are fabulously, almost unfathomably wealthy. These cars regularly sell for $250,000 or more at auction, and rare is the collector who will risk driving such a car in traffic or on the track. It’s too much of an investment, and the cars are too rare to risk it. 

That is why Shelby American gave Classic Recreations permission to start remaking the 1966 Shelby GT350 as a fully-modernized restomod. While not cheap, they’re better suited to cruising and racing than original Shelby GT350Rs, and the first one will go up for auction at Mecum’s Monterey event in August.

It’s our first look at a production version of the Shelby GT350CR, which is powered by a 545 horsepower, fuel-injected 427 V8. Backing this big motor is a five-speed manual transmission, and wrapped around the drivetrain is a modern suspension, plush interior, and high-tech gadgets like a booming sound system and climate control system. It’s a modern muscle car in classic clothes, hooked to two nitrous tanks, because why not?

Best of all, the GT350CR comes with a real Shelby serial number, and will even be entered into the Shelby registry. Just ten of these modern classics will be built every year, and while official pricing hasn’t been announced, it certainly won’t be a cheap ride. The first production model/prototype is heading to auction, where it will almost certainly command a premium, and for good reason; it’s a modern interpretation of a valuable classic, and better in every way than the original.