Dom,
Using your logic, every dealer that wanted to order a GT500 should be able to do so, but that is not the case.
If the GT500 was the highest profit vehicle that Ford produced, don't you think that they would devote more time and money to the project? I think the GT500 is more about advertising Fords engineering and production abilities than it is about profit.
I think the F-150 is the bread winner for Ford and has been for a very long time.
I just don't believe what dealers are telling people. I think it's a ploy so they can get people to pay over msrp. They make it sound like there will only be 1,000 made. They said the same thing in 07 and the guys that paid over msrp took a huge hit. I thought I read somewhere that ford makes more money off of the Shelby than any of their cars but I could be mistaken.
It will be interesting to see what happens and it's fun to speculate. My logic is only based on production numbers from previous years Shelbys.