2023 Ford Maverick Shelby GT300 imagined as a muscle ute

Australia may have missed out on the 2022 Ford Maverick, but this rendering of a muscle ute by legendary tuner Shelby American has us wondering what could have been.

The 2023 Ford Maverick Shelby GT300 you see in front of you was created by Brazilian artist Kleber Silva, who also turned it into an SUV recently – which we named the Ford Raider.

Taking some inspiration from the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, the Maverick is adorned in black GT stripes with a white border, seven-spoke alloy wheels from the Mustang, dual centre exhaust tips, clear tail-lights, and a body kit with wheel arches and a rear wing.

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Following Carroll Shelby’s penchant for stuffing big engines into little cars, this example borrows the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Ford Explorer ST – widely rumoured to be destined for the next-generation Ford Ranger Raptor – delivering a healthy 300kW and 560Nm to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

It’s unlikely Shelby American does offer a Ford Maverick-based model, but we do know the company is planning to unveil something special on December 15 – with the accompanying photo to the announcement showing a Ford Mustang draped in a sheet.

Let us know what you think about the Ford Maverick Shelby rendering in the comments section below.