Stop the servers! Batten down the hatches! Cover grandma’s ears—we’ve got breaking news so big, we wouldn’t be surprised if this event is the fulcrum on which the apocalypse will finally turn!

To be honest, we’re as shocked as you are. In the wake of the several thousand new and unique Mustang trims Ford has released in the past few weeks, who would have expected another? Yet here it is: the 2008 Ford Shelby GT convertible. That’s right, the Shelby GT coupe—which is based on the Shelby GT-H Hertz rental car, which is based on the regular Mustang GT, which is based on the regular Mustang—is losing its lid.

Ford says it will aim to limit production of the new droptop to just 2300 units, although that number surely can be revised upward if demand warrants. Like the coupe on which it’s based, the Shelby GT convertible is hopped up from a more pedestrian Mustang GT convertible through the use of a number of Ford Racing bolt-ons.

Under the hood, the 4.6-liter V-8 is pumped up to 319 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque; a freer-flowing exhaust and new engine-management calibration are responsible for the increases 19 hp and 10 lb-ft. A Hurst short-throw shifter tightens up the standard five-speed manual, and a five-speed automatic transmission will be optional.

Unique shocks, anti-roll bars, and a strut-tower brace are aimed at improving handling, and each car—like every other Shelby special edition—gets a numbered plaque on the dash.

The cars will go on sale in August, and pricing has yet to be announced, but we’d bet $43,000 won’t be too far off the mark. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s about $1500 more than a 500-hp 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 coupe, and something like an extra 10 grand over buying a Mustang GT convertible, plus all the upgrades direct from Ford Racing, and building a Shelby GT droptop clone in your garage.

So we have another Mustang. At this rate, the only thing left to do is take all the special editions and combine them into one über-ultra-mega-super-special edition. Are you ready for the Ford Shelby GT California 500 Yee-Haw Pony Breast Cancer Super Horsy King of the Snakes Palomino Edition? You'd better be: It’s coming this fall. (The convertible will drop a couple months later.)