Ford's own 2011 Mustang GT is no slouch, rated at 412 horsepower and delivering every bit of it. Then there's the Mustang Shelby GT500, with a massive supercharged 550 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. But if simply ripping the rear tires' tread from their carcasses isn't enough for you, the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake is the answer, with up to 800 horsepower of face-stretching force on tap.
The Super Snake isn't just about brute force, however. Like the rest of the 2011 Mustang lineup, handling is improved as well. A Ford Racing kit adds dynamic adjustable dampers, lowering springs, tuned anti-roll bars, and a front strut tower brace, while 20-inch Alcoa wheels pair with grippy (and surely expensive) rubber to help hold the road. An optional Shelby/Eibach handling upgrade pack is also available for even more performance.
Power is available in three tunes: a 660-horsepower/590 pound-foot Shelby/Ford Racing supercharger kit, a Shelby/Ford Racing or Shelby/Kenne Bell 750-horsepower supercharger kit, and an optional tune for the Shelby/Kenne Bell supercharger that delivers 800 horsepower on pump gas. The 750 and 800 horsepower kits include an upgraded drive shaft with a billet twin 75 mm throttle body and unique badging. However much power you spec, it's sent to the rear wheels (natch) via a six-speed manual tranny and 3.73 rear-end ratio.
Borla exhaust, a short throw shifter, front brake cooling ducts for the six-piston Shelby/Baer forged calipers and vented/cross-drilled rotors, a unique fiberglass hood, Shelby and Super Snake badging, and an optional two-tone leather interior round out the highlight list of modifications.
As you might expect, pricing for these kits is fairly steep: the 750 horsepower package adds $30,425 to the price of the base 2011 Ford Shelby GT500, which stickers around $50,000 depending on the options chosen.
Check out our first drive of the 2011 Shelby GT500 at Virginia International Raceway for more on base car, and decide for yourself if you really need that much more power.
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