Shelby Super Snake Overview, Specs, & Info

Shelby Super Snake — three words that'll make any muscle car enthusiast tremble in their boots. The story begins in the '60s with a competition-spec Shelby Cobra 427. Parading his masterpiece monsters around Europe, Caroll Shelby transformed that track-use Cobra into the meanest, most powerful street-legal machine imaginable on its stateside return. Named the Cobra 427 Super Snake, this beast unleashed 800 horsepower from a modified, twin-supercharged Ford V-8 engine — in 1966!

The name returned several times, and now you have a chance to own a piece of V-8 muscle history. Welcome to the 2021 Mustang Super Snake, your ticket to the top of muscle car performance. So buckle up, shred some tires, and read on; here's what you'll want to know about the latest Super Snake.

Monstrous Modifications

A "regular" Mustang GT is no slouch. Legendary in nature, the 5.0-liter displacement goes hand in hand with Ford V-8 power. With 460 horsepower from the factory, it easily lives up to the legend. So does everyday usability thanks to the Coyote 5.0-liter V-8's reliability and inherent strength — it's got more to give, though, and that full potential gets thoroughly rung out in the Shelby Super Snake. The unrelenting quest for more power begins with a Shelby performance tune and parts from a similarly iconic all-American brand — Whipple Superchargers.

Finished with thorough, downright gorgeous polishing, the boost provided by the Super Snake's Whipple supercharger brings power to an immense 825 horsepower.¹ But that alone is not enough. Added power means added heat; added heat means added wear. Keeping things cool, a Shelby Extreme cooling system adds a new radiator, aluminum coolant overflow tank, and beefy heat exchanger. A variable Borla performance exhaust lets the Shelby Super Snake sing a truly wicked song to top off the thrills.

Thought that was all? Far from it. Choose from a 10-speed auto or six-speed manual transmission. Go with the auto and you'll get performance transmission coolers, or choose the manual and get a beefy one-piece driveshaft and ultra-crisp short-throw shifter. As well, handling the power let loose through the rear wheels, upgraded performance half-shafts ensure it's unleashed reliably. This is still just the beginning.

You'll need some serious grip to let her rip, and sticky, ultra-wide performance tires give exactly that. Wrapped around 20-inch forged aluminum monoblock wheels, the setup, to be frank, looks awesome. So do iconic red Brembo brakes, with six pistons up front and four in the rear for stopping power as immense as the horsepower. Naturally, those brakes will get hot, and functional brake and bearing cooling ducts help negate that. Handling-focused upgrades you may not expect, but with stabilizer bars, bushings, and revised suspension (including exclusive Shelby springs) from the Ford Performance track handling pack, that's what you get.

The overhaul caps off with exterior tweaks like Shelby louvered windows, wider aluminum front fenders, rocker wings, a carbon-fiber ram-air hood, a rear spoiler, rear diffuser, revised front fascia with a splitter, and air-managed grille and ducts, along with many more additions like Super Snake badges and striping. Did you think we were done? We aren't. Options come in hot, letting you add a widebody package that includes new two-piece forged aluminum wheels, a Penske-designed track suspension system, and even a rear seat delete with racing harness bar added in.

Concluding it all, two forms of the 2021 Shelby Super Snake are yours to discover. Naturally, a hardtop coupe is the first body style, building on the iconic fastback lines of a Mustang with the exterior enhancements listed above. But, if you want something truly unique, a "Speedster" is on offer. Essentially a roadster with a hard top tonneau behind the seats, the Shelby Super Snake Speedster is like no muscle car you've seen before.

Leave the Competition Behind

Speaking of which, while you can (and should) show supercar drivers who the real boss of your local racetrack is, this is a high-power muscle car first-and-foremost — how do the closest competitors stack up? Let's start with the first challenger — the 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. You've heard the story before; 717 horsepower is let loose from a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, allowing a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. How about the bow-tied long-time Mustang rival? The 2021 Chevy Camaro ZL1 produces 650 horsepower from a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, with a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds.

While you overpower, out-maneuver, and outshine them, you'll also get the historical significance that comes with being the owner of a special edition Shelby vehicle. You'll seal that significance in stone, as each Shelby Super Snake comes with a unique CSM number and entry in the Official Shelby Registry.

Color Choices

Built on the Mustang GT, your color choices should remain the same. Deck out the interior with color options like black on black, dark or light grey, and red or blue trim inserts. Choose paint tones like Grabber Yellow, Velocity Blue, Race Red, or Twister Orange for exterior pizzazz. For the meanest look on the block, Shadow Black will make a stealthy statement. More colors await, and so do unique Shelby Super Snake stripes and accents atop any you choose.

The Practical Side

Interestingly enough, you don't have to make a huge daily-practicality sacrifice to drive a Shelby Super Snake. That much can't be said about the crowd of performance machines you'll outrun. Fit groceries, a carry-on suitcase, or many more things with a 14 cubic-foot trunk and seat four in coupe models. That said, those two rear seats are best left for younger, smaller passengers or used as additional cargo space — or go full-on race mode and remove them entirely. Either way, you'll find a spacious 85 cubic feet of passenger volume in coupe models.

When it comes to measurements, you'll find pretty much the same ones as a "regular" 2021 Mustang GT. This involves 37.6 inches of front headroom, 44.5 inches of front legroom, 56.3 inches of front shoulder room, and 54.9 inches of front hip room. In the back (should you keep the seats), 34.8 inches of headroom, 29 inches of legroom, 52.2 inches of shoulder room, and 47 inches of hip room greet any passengers you may bring along for the ride.

Said seats are all trimmed in leather, offer six-way power adjustment for the driver along with front seat heating and cooling. Who said the ultimate in muscle had to be uncomfortable?

Safety Features

As you cruise along, attracting longing glances near and far, you'll be pleased to know advanced driver assists have got your back. Firstly, a backup camera and reverse sensing system make city parking an easier task. On top of that, the tech offered with Ford Co-Pilot360™, like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and more, make for an advanced safety experience on any road.

Warranty

How do you make the experience even better? With a comprehensive factory-backed warranty. Kicking things off, you'll get full confidence in the wicked overhaul thanks to a three-year/36,000-mile³ bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile³ warranty covering the powertrain. As well, you'll get five-years/60,000-miles³ of roadside assistance to boot.

Pricing

You'll start with a Mustang GT titled after 2018 — most can be accepted. Send it off to Shelby American, and all of the goodies we've run you through will be added. The MSRP for this package comes in at $79,995. That said, you can find examples that have already gone through the process for sale, like the one we have right here at Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs. Ours is the 45th produced out of the 98 coupes, finished in the epic Shadow Black paint.

The Jim Ellis price lets it be yours for $133,785.²

While we don't currently have one in stock, the Super Snake Speedster will raise the package price accordingly. Specifically, you'll pay an extra $4,995 to get it. Worth it in our eyes — how many other convertible muscle cars look and perform like this? Next to none.

Frequently Asked Questions:

¹Horsepower ratings based on use of 93-octane fuel.