All The Pretty Horses: Ford/Shelby To Market 600+ HP GT500 “Super Snakes”

STJ April 29th, 2007 3:03 PM Link

Ford pleas stop ading horsepower instead give it real suspension.

Steve April 29th, 2007 4:03 PM Link

I’ll add to that.

Ford, please stop adding horsepower. Instead, make it so it’s not such a huge fat pig.

jeffD April 29th, 2007 6:12 PM Link

Now if they just made a homologated version of this for the FIA with stipped out interior, sans aircond, etc., no carpet or any sound deadening etc, performance rear diff ratio and gearbox ratios, THAT would be true Shelby instead of these heavily panached and optioned street cars…

Will April 29th, 2007 7:10 PM Link

That is so fucking insane I don’t know what to think of it. Well done America, well done.

I wish to God it were stripped to hell with a two-speaker sound system, straight-cut gears & the whole bit; but honestly if it doesn’t have an LSD, they really shouldn’t bother.

homer April 29th, 2007 8:55 PM Link

how about ford starts focusing back on cars that more people will be able to buy. And how about cars that aren’t going to be put in museums, but actually driven.

horisly April 30th, 2007 12:17 AM Link

i don’t like it.

John W. April 30th, 2007 12:45 AM Link

i agree with a few of the people above. the fact is that beyond promotion Shelby i absorbing more expenses of these projects than ford, so they can build all the models they want, but they should build a purer car. they seem to have made about 5 different new versions of a gt500 (in name and spirit) now lets get a gt350, more stripped down and stuff. and lets get something REALLY road-racer, ala Cobra R (no back seat, no sound deadening, all that crap). you can strip 500+ pounds off these things in a weekend, why not charge 5,000 extra for them and have a viper-beater?

Drew April 30th, 2007 1:08 AM Link

I’m No. 45 in line: more power, less weight. No one besides the low-IQ Barrett-Jackson crowd cares about 4,000 lb. 500 hp Mustangs. Make the Shelby a lightweight 3,200 lb. sport coupe with an IRS, and you’ll have a car worth the hype.

Mark Arnold April 30th, 2007 1:45 AM Link

@John W.

well, thats why they didn’t name the customer version of the GT-H (the Shelby GT) the GT350. Its rumored that they’re saving that GT350 name for something really special. Lets hope so.
GM proved to us with the Z06 that the US can make a real competitor for the likes of the Porsche 911 GT2 or GT3, Ferrari 360CS or F430. Now its time for Ford/Shelby to make something that’ll beat a Mitsubishi Evo, or WRX STi not only on paper but in actual driving experience.

Lucas Krown April 30th, 2007 4:24 AM Link

Mark Arnold.. since when does the Z06 make a threat to either of those cars you just mentioned?! To the Carrera maybe…but nowere near GT2, GT3, 360CS or F430. Unless you´re talking straight forward..?

mo April 30th, 2007 11:06 AM Link

Lucas Krown, the Z06 IS able to go face to face against the above mentioned cars, this car can go to 60 mph in 3.8 sec. If you don’t believe the abilities of the Z06 go to this link where top gear have tested the Z06. on the track it was able to beat the time of many super cars such as the pagani zonda.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yfpJoP3×47w

the vette, in my opinion, is the best american sports car (although now it is becoming a super car). it has the power and the handling.

the mustang, on the other hand, is a cheaply done car. what is the point of adding more power if the car can’t handle that power. whoever gonna buy this thing is not going to drag race only. even for a drag race the car is so heavy. in addition, when are they gonna stop doing variables of the shelby GT500 …. man I am loosing count.

Business Unusual » Shelby GT500 Super Snakes April 30th, 2007 11:53 AM Link

[…] Winding Road » Archive » All The Pretty Horses: Ford/Shelby To Market 600+ HP GT500 “Super Snakes” The spotlights have barely cooled on the GT500KR’s show stand in New York, and already Ford and Shelby are trumpeting new additions to the Mustang stable. Ford Racing has apparently conjured up some Super Snake “performance packs” for the already formidable Shelby GT500 which will see the ponycar generate up to 600 horsepower (warranted), or 725 hp sans warrantee for the Devil May Care crowd. […]

john April 30th, 2007 12:20 PM Link

Yawn!!!The only thing that would make it more interesting is a couple more hood bulges and air vents. Maybe a barn door on the front end.

Drew April 30th, 2007 2:39 PM Link

I wouldn’t hold my breath on a future GT350 being anything special. I’ll bet a million dollars I don’t have on it being another overpriced 3,600 lb. V-8 coupe. If Ford wanted to make a great Mustang, it should have built one along the lines of the 2003 concept car.

john April 30th, 2007 3:15 PM Link

Oh, by the way. Super Snake = SS. How original.

Don April 30th, 2007 5:19 PM Link

Dear Ford,

Stop choking us with Mustang after Mustang, and make it a little lighter, please.

Okay, a LOT lighter.

Matt April 30th, 2007 7:27 PM Link

The mustang has come of age. It has had the loyal multi-generation fans. I think it is the true american muscle car, not because of what it is as much as what it stands for. The vette is a great car but they are not in the same class. The mustang is a gear head car. We can change what we dont like about it fairly easy with mods or weight reduction. The vette is a car you buy and dont have any desire to do much else but saying hey my car is fast, I have money and Im in a mid-life crisis. That is why I would not own a vette. So please give ford a break.

BigRed May 18th, 2007 1:09 AM Link

All these new Shelbys (all 5!) are cool, but they need to make a number 6… I agree with these guys, maybe not even call it a shelby, but they can make it.

It needs to be stripped, no radio/stuff like that, carbon fiber everything, 400-500hp, racing suspension, brakes, roll cage and rigidity, something that can wallop on the zo6 and the porsches.

Maybe the Shelby Cobra X ~ or Shelby CX

David Mathis May 25th, 2007 12:06 AM Link

Shave off a half ton, put a higher percentage of the weight on the rear and give it an IRS. Fantastic engine, now improve the car with a diet and some handling.

John Butera May 25th, 2007 3:42 AM Link

Hey, I’ve got to agree with the “less weight” guys !! I couldn’t wait to drive the Shelby GT-H when I got to Vegas, but it was a tank !! My next trip out, I rented a Nissan 350Z, which was MUCH more fun (especially on the canyon roads !!). BTW, my “other” car at home is a Manta repro of a McLaren M8B. 430 HP, 1800 lbs, 4.11 rear…… you do the math !! It’s a wonder I don’t have whiplash !! HaHa !!

verl freisen May 25th, 2007 7:24 AM Link

foreign car whiners…how many shelbys have you driven? mr shelby has figured it out…… too much horsepower is just about right!love it! you want less weight? get a cobra two seater. still impressive 0-100 and 100-0 in 10 seconds and that was 40 years ago!

Mike May 25th, 2007 10:16 AM Link

If the Ford Motor Company would stop actively promoting the homosexual agenda the maybe their sales would improve and more people would consider buying Mustangs, shelbys, saleens, etc. Let us pray to end abortion, same-sex marriage, etc. and bring back Christian morals to our country.

David Moseley May 25th, 2007 1:50 PM Link

As a Corvette owner, I understand why people keep trying to compare the two, but they are not in the same class. Vettes were made to compete with the European circle track guys, Mustangs are for the drag strip. I used to own a Mustang, always loved the style, but it always was too slow and fat, always needed a power adder. You just can’t compare the two, with the Z06 drag racing in full comfort-a/c, radio, power everything. I built a LS6/434ci and run in the mid 10’s on the motor and mid 9’s on the gas, you can’t do that with a Mustang, not without stripping it down, and even then the wheelbase is too short for the power. I’m still keeping hope up though, I wish everything wasn’t dependent on market share.

David

Eldrik May 26th, 2007 12:16 AM Link

I’m a big Ford fan, but them and Carrol Shelby have recently become very aggressive in their greedy ways and stabbing their own supporters in the back.
Ford started threatening to sue anybody using the “Mustang” name, including aftermarket parts disributers and Mustang enthusiast clubs.
Who do you think has kept the Mustang alive all these years?!
Dumbasses!
And Shelby is restricting anybody from buying or selling “Shelby” parts unless you can prove that you actually own a “genuine Shelby”.
First off, not everybody can afford a real Shelby.
And secondly, he just keeps slappin’ his name on more and more products.
Greedy sellout!

I’ll stick with the classics.
My ‘69 mach 1 looks better than those plastic, over priced and under produced Ford/Shelbys anyways.
At least MY money will be spent on parts I buy from Mustang enthusiasts, instead of lawyers and CEOs.

Ed May 27th, 2007 7:23 AM Link

My local Ford dealer graciously offered to sell me a GT-500 for “only $15,000 over MSRP”. Give me a fricken break! I told him to shove it. If I really want one (and now I’m not sure I really do) I’ll wait a little longer and the price will drop off just like the Ford GT did.
So what’s the price of the Super Snake anyway? Heck it doesn’t matter, some bozo in Arizona will pay some outrageous amount just to get No. 1 and set a standard that normal guy can’t touch.
Ford and Shelby should get back to their roots and start giving back to the loyal Mustang guys or ….does the name OLDSMOBILE ring a bell.

ZR-1 1993 May 27th, 2007 12:39 PM Link

I say great! Ford needs to answer the call of the supercars. As a vette driver myself, I do accept that they are in different classes entirely but the HP figure is one all can understand. No, it will not handle with some of the supercars but there needed to be a high hp. replacement if they were going to discontinue the GT(not the GT-40 but you know the one I mean). This serves well, an All American looking pony car. Just like in the ’70’s, the safety-nuts will kill the hp. war and I want as many out there as possisble before that happens
I say Kudos to Ford on this, as for the ads to specific lifestyle groups, I disagree with some of the lifestyles but I understand the marketing angle. In a way similar, is marketing ‘vert’s to the beach crowd. You don’t need a vert at the beach but it is not a bad group to target your marketing to. Some may not buy a Ford because some do not want to be associated with their targeted audience but not everyone believes as I do, the only vote that really counts is the vote you make when you spend $$ .
Last but not least, less weight is a good thing, Listen up Engineers.

67 GT Fastback May 27th, 2007 7:14 PM Link

You can’t have too much horsepower.
Mike…wrong forum.
My local Ford dealer wants a $30,000 mark-up on the GT 500 (Hansel Ford in Santa Rosa ,CA)
Let’s get real, guys. Real race cars don’t belong on the street (and those who drive them on the street have more money than brains), they belong on the track, driven hard, and in so doing, they break and need to be fixed. It’s fun but it’s an expensive merry-go-round. It’s in that elusive “most people can’t afford it” school.
A street car like this is just for ‘profiling’ and an occasional parking lot burnout. Don’t get me wrong, I like putting on a show. It’s fun too…but strip it down and you make it a different animal, one that belongs on the track.
Remember when Ford introduced the new 2005. I hoped they would do just what they’re doing. Let’s be thankful for small favors.
I was even thinking of offering them my 67 in trade…naw
I think the ‘Vette gives the most bang for the buck, tho.. it’s kind of a girl’s car, dont’cha think.

Robert May 28th, 2007 5:44 AM Link

It looks pretty, I’ll give it that, but it’s still, just, a mustang. Once again, I am not impressed.

john June 1st, 2007 3:21 PM Link

in 1969 & 1970 they had a mustsang that weighed 2700 lbs with 375 hp that was rated that way for insurance, price new was 5200,had one should of held onto it, what a ride, I think this new car will be a collector worth much more when your granchildren are old enough to drive.

Rich Sutorius June 1st, 2007 6:12 PM Link

John,
Where in the world did you get those numbers? My ‘69 Mach1 with a 351W/4 speed weighs 3200 pounds and that’s without AC or crash bumpers, airbags, power seats, a 500watt stereo or much in the way of comfort at all!

Give me a break! The new Mustang (I also have a 2006 GT) is a great car for the money. It’s faster than the ‘69 Mach, rides and handles better and gets better gas mileage to boot on regular gas! Could it be better, yes, but show me a better deal for the money!

As far as it having no IRS I remember when the introduced the first Mustang Cobra with IRS back in 1999 and everyone pissed and moaned about how poor it worked on the dragstrip. There is just no pleasing people. They give it a solid axle for cost and dragstrip performance and every complains “but there’s no IRS”. Give ‘em IRS and they complain about traction at the dragstrip.

Charlie June 4th, 2007 11:25 AM Link

Like the one guy said; Mike, Way wrong place to be talking about Gay people. Things are what they are. Deal with it.
As far as the new stang goes, i owned a lot of Mustangs over the years, I had a Boss 302, and a real cool 73 convetable. they all handled bad. but they were fun. and I aquired all of them real cheap. I’m sure the new one is way out of what I would ever spend on a car. I’ll just wait and do what I always do; I’ll wait untill some dude that was more money than driving skill plows up 800 feet of gardrail or drives off the road into a utility pole and i’ll buy it cheap fix it up, drive it for a year, and sell it to some other guy with too much money and laugh all the way to the bank! I love this country!

Travis July 15th, 2007 8:43 PM Link

Looks great and comes with alot of power. Its sad that most of you think it is just a fat pig. Beats any other modern day car.

J-Rex July 18th, 2007 11:41 PM Link

i’m a chevy man but that is a cool “supersnake” and to all those folks that are complainin bout them makin cars to expensive i think its great that they are actually puttin some damn muscle back in the muscle cars if a car has a shit load of horse power ill love it

mitch July 26th, 2007 9:09 PM Link

This is my favorit mustang yet,
except for the no warrenty on the 700+hp snake
If you are going to build a car that fast then why not put at least a one year warrenty on it.

Dassler Alexander August 3rd, 2007 6:11 AM Link

Ein super geiles Auto !!!!!
Einfach nur ein Traum !!!!!

Marc August 20th, 2007 9:38 AM Link

I have been a fan of all great cars and you all have named some great ones. The one thing that you all seem to forget is the mustang was built to be a car that the average man could buy and then sup-up to run on the track. Then Shellby came out with his cars that were alot more money. So the car has always been what it was built to be. The one thing that you all forget to say is that a mustang holds that record for fastest 1/4 mile time for a modified street stock on street tires. I will say though the corvette is a great car, but for the price of a Z06 I can build a mustang to out run it on any track and still spend less money.

brian August 27th, 2007 1:48 AM Link

you guys cant honestly say that the super snake is not better than a corvette, the onlt problem with shelby autos, is they cant build an engine, they need to use a aluminum block engine like the corvette or use same engine as 4.6L with dohc and 32 valves that would make the weight of the car basically the same as the gt, i have one 3256lbs, that car would push mid-high tens, with unwarranted 725+ hp if it weighed that much, and would destroy a ZO6 os porsche any day, the rear diff ratio needs to be like a 4:11, not 3:73.

Marc-Andre August 27th, 2007 10:21 PM Link

BullSHIT! it’s only a GT500 KR, normally a grey car with blue strips, instead, good photoshop’s job!

malcolm kennedy November 1st, 2007 9:24 PM Link

Ford…i love mustangs..best car ever in my mind….however….look at the 07 zo6..505 hp…o ta 60 in 3.5…3100 pounds…gt500 500hp just bout 4000 pounds…u dont even need the extra power..hahhaha…just bring it down ta weight..haha….keep it at 500 hp..its pretty bad how its got the same power as z06 and supercharged and it cant even roll wit a z06…ferget the power…500 is enough….bring it down in weight…god…even fords lovers like my self are gettin pissed off…500 hp cobra and its gettin 390 hp 03 cobra numbers?..thats sad..keep the 500 hp…bring it down in weight..thats it!!

ford till i die December 8th, 2007 5:40 PM Link

ha ha ha ha dream on corvette guys no competetion gt500 supersnake will eat the z06 alive any day of the week

Kandace February 12th, 2008 3:02 PM Link

I LOVE THAT CAR YOU SHOULD SELL IT 2 ME FOR $500…LOL