Slithering…stomping….well, whatever way the 2008 Shelby GT500 Super Snake comes into view, one is not likely to forget one of the most impressive modern day muscle cars on the scene.  This S197 Shelby GT500 carries a tad extra—not just in brand, name, or price, but also under the hood: another 50hp more than the upcoming GT500 KR (King of the Road).  605hp isn’t much to sneeze at, whether you’re a straight-line OR a twisty racer.

Another $28,000 over the base Shelby GT500 price gets an owner access to a Ford Mustang with a plethora of aftermarket parts made by Ford Racing Technologies as well as Shelby Automobiles.  All of the applications to the car are covered by a standard warranty; that is unless the option for a non-Ford supercharger is chosen to sit atop the engine.  This upgrade moves the horsepower rating up to a sensational 725 pounding ponies under the hood.

Other touches to the Super Snake, setting it aside and above the standard GT500, are a new fiberglass hood with a functioning scoop, a revamped front fascia with functional brake cooling ducts, a carbon-fiber front splitter and rocker panels, the choice of black-riveted C-pillar window closeouts or body-colored side scoops, matte-black striping and upgraded brakes with front 6-piston calipers developed in partnership with Baer.  Rounding out the laundry list are adjustable shocks, stiffer springs, larger-diameter anti-roll bars and a Borla exhaust system.  Shoes by aluminum master Alcoa, are 20-in. forged alloys that are fitted with Pirelli P Zero tires with dimensions of P275/35ZR-20 out back and P255/35ZR-20 in front.

When the door is cracked and the sweet smell of raw power emanates from within, a driver (drooler) can see that there are some nice touches on the interior.  Auxiliary pressure gauges are in place to measure supercharger boost, while fuel and oil gauges are mounted on top of the instrument panel.  The signature Shelby dash placard displays the unique serial number and provides the capstone for loads of extra Shelby-esque decorations.

Under some sample performance testing, the Shelby GT500 Super Snake put down some decent numbers.  A 0–60-mph time of 4.4 seconds was achieved, but suffered some delay due to excessive wheel spin during bottom-end acceleration.  After the pony takes stride, you’d better hold on for an exciting ride.  The venomous Super Snake traps at 119.9 and finishes the quarter mile strip in 12.5 seconds.  Just for reference, the stock Shelby GT500 runs a 0–60 mph of 4.6 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12.8 seconds.

When tossed out on the slalom and into the cone zone, the Super Snake achieved some pretty surprising statistics versus what many have expected from a car with its weight distribution.  The care zipped through a 700ft slalom at 68.4mph and measured 0.93g on the skidpad.  Testing has shown that the steering and response is much crispier versus a stock GT500, as the best pair of numbers the stock GT500 could post were 0.87 and 66.2mph on the skidpad and through the slalom.

Sound good?  If so, get your checkbook or loan officer ready to pony up some serious cash.  With Ford only offering up 1,000 GT500 KR models, the Super Snake is likely to be a smaller production batch yet.  We bet the Barrett-Jackson guys just might have one of the early ones and that we’ll surely see a celeb toting one.  I wonder if Leno’s on the waiting list...