Ford and Fortnite Team Up to Bring Gamers a Shelby GT500

Cool cars in video games ain’t nothing new. From the early days of Pole Position and Outrun (which is now set for a silver screen reboot) to the expansive vehicle rosters of Gran Turismo and Forza, cars have played an important role in video game culture.

The latest addition to pixel-powered vehicles comes in the form of America’s most popular pony car, the Ford Mustang. Ford and online battle royale game Fortnite have joined forces to bring users a vintage Shelby GT500.

Since its release in 2017, Fortnite has become one of the most popular games in the world and expanded to a series of games, including Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing. The expansive video game series has woven itself into the fabric of society with goofy, viral dance animations and celebrity cameos. Cut to Snoop Dogg singing “Fortnite Gangsta Party” in New York City’s Times Square last November.

In fact, Ford isn’t even the first manufacturer to get in on the licensed in-game cars. Of the more than 50 Fortnite vehicles, over 20 are modeled after real-life vehicles. Nissans of old and new, a Jeep, a Ram, BMW, Lamborghini, and, of course, Snoop Dogg’s gold 1966 Cadillac DeVille.

The Mustang joining this motley crew is a slick-looking render with proper proportions (albeit done in the cartoonish style of Fortnite). While Ford didn’t divulge the year of the car in the press release, it appears to be a 1967 Shelby GT500. Both wheels and side skirts look incredibly similar to Eleanor from Gone In 60 Seconds (2000). The only thing that’s really missing is a pair of fog lamps in the front valence.

Sadly, no engine shots were supplied with the release, so we can only assume an FE 428 cubic-inch V-8 engine sits between the fenders, just like the actual 1967 GT500.

This is also not the first time that Ford has worked together with Fortnite’s developer Epic Games. In 2021, the Blue Oval approved the addition of an F-150 in Epic Games’ other popular franchise, Rocket League. Since then, they added a Bronco Raptor, Mach-E, and a Mustang Shelby GT350R to the game.

Whether you’re a dedicated Fortnite fan or just looking to connect with your child at the dinner table, this is a neat little addition to a massive video game franchise.