When Shelby American announced its 1000-horsepower Shelby 1000 Mustang, it was clear that the car would be the very definition of excessive. Now it seems that the photos of the car in action were a bit excessive, too.

As USA Today found out, the images of the Shelby 1000 lifting it’s front end skyward are fakes, created entirely in Photoshop. The newspaper questioned the authenticity of the photos, since the Mustang carries a significant amount of weight over its front wheels and is shod with street tires, not sticky drag radials.

Need more proof? The rear tires in the image aren’t deforming, as would likely be the case during a launch. Even the front wheels appear to be under load, since it’s unlikely they’d still show that much negative camber in the air.

When confronted by the publication, a Shelby American spokesman initially said that the images were manipulated to correct shadows only. After checking with the agency that shot the footage and edited the images, Shelby admitted they were less than genuine.

Said Shelby American’s Scott Black, “That is a fake shot. That shot is not real. I am beyond embarrassed.”

Look for the limited-production Shelby 1000 to debut at next week's New York Auto Show. We’ll bring you live photos of the car as part of our comprehensive NYAS coverage, and we promise our images will be edited for lighting only.