shelby super snake 50th anniversary sports car

in celebration of fifty years since the first shelby ‘super snake’ rumbled out of the factory, the iconic ford ‘mustang’ modifier unveils the 50th anniversary model. shelby bases the 2017 ‘super snake’ on the ford ‘mustang GT‘, and its president, gary patterson, firmly believes that pure driving pleasure is at the heart of the vehicle:

‘in a world filled with sterile cars, it’s a throwback to a time when people enjoyed driving,’ he comments.

all images © shelby america / ford performance

the shelby ‘super snake 50th anniversary’ showcases smooth and integrated styling typical of the american manufacturer. additional styling cues also include anniversary stripes and badges. inside, the anniversary theme continues across the seats, dash and floor. the exterior of the car began life as a scaled computer model in CAD. every part was then taken through an OEM process to develop the final product. almost all shelby-exclusive components were developed and tested with original equipment manufacturers. 

the ‘super snake 50th anniversary’ is an exercise in subtle details. working with ford performance, shelby american sharpened the handling of the independent suspension and upgraded the brakes with massive calipers and rotors. under the hood, the super snake combines ford’s 5.0 V8 engine with forced induction for 670 horsepower; optional superchargers can pump out over a frightening 750 horsepower. the result is a refined car with stunning capabilities. on michelin street legal tires, a properly optioned ‘super snake’ accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and tear through a quarter mile in only 10.9 seconds.

‘the 2017 super snake represents american muscle in the truest sense,’ says vince laviolette, shelby american vice president of operations. ‘it delivers full-throttle excitement at every turn, all wrapped in a chiseled, handsome body. we designed every aspect of the car to be leaner and more functional than previous models.’