DOUBLE-BARRELED SHELBY SERPENT SHOW
Super Snake Pickup and Mustang Widebody

By Doug Stokes Thursday, May 18 Shelby American, Carson, Calif: Leave it to the Shelby American people to just keep polishing the name and reputation of their vaunted brand …

And, even though no one actually said it, you could sense that the creators of these two stunning machines that wear the hooded snake logo so proudly all truly felt that they had done full justice to the Shelby name and reputation.

By my mark all of the media in attendance at Shelby American did as well… What we were all marveling at was a pair of blazing blue machines that are all set to carry the 50 year old Shelby American banner to further glory … One that you can order and buy right now, and the other one that was shown to us as a “prototype”, but, if the reaction that accompanied the unveiling was any indication (and I’m pretty sure it was), I think that the Shelby people should be gearing up to make a whole bunch of them. We’ll start with the one that you can buy now. How’s a bright blue 750 horsepower supercharged pick-em-up truck hit you?

This one is an ultra high performance Shelby American take on the stalwart Ford F150, and although that it’s just a “coincidence” that the Blue Oval people had stopped offering their own supercharged “Lightning” F150 model a few years ago, this one supplants that SVT offering very nicely, if being just “a bit” more of everything. They’ll only be making 150 of these for 2017 and (if you hurry) you’ll be able to get one for just under a hundred grand (the machine’s stated MSRP is: “available from $96,880”). Sadly (because it really is going to be such a stout ride) only a few of them will ever see much daylight (let alone any road miles) with a cadre of collectors who are already lining up to buy theirs and put it in deep cold storage with their Krugerands and the crusty bottles of that “Pope’s new house wine”. Too bad really that this sucker is so predestined to do hard time in investment jail, because it would be one hell of an attraction at Carcadia some Sunday.

The detail on this very special workhorse is full-on beginning with that 750 horsepower number and running on with an every Shelby (snake) indicia everywhere one cares to look, even under the hood. Every visual aspect is souped up here (check the gallery shots with this note). Again, this one is perfectly at home being over the top, and makes absolutely no attempt to be self-deprecating.

And the other blue bolide (the one that you can’t buy yet) if anything its even more juicy than the (almost) saliacious F150. They call the (deep breath) Shelby Wide Body Concept 50th Anniversary Super Snake … Let’s just call it what we saw: the most muscular, most striking specimen of a Shelby Snake in a very long time (that first GT350 was, in its day, every bit as stunning) but his one is special. Again, every aspect of the (already darn good car right out the door of your local Ford dealer) 2017 Mustang is upgraded, pumped-up and transformed into what this observer would move to say is the most formidable-looking Mustang ever. The Shelby people indicate that the extra width along with the totally upgraded brakes and suspension are aimed at making the car a capable track car, the idea of which everyone who saw the prototype had no question.

Fully 4 inches wider at the rear and 2 and half wider in front than 2- production Mustangs, the idea is to give the 12.5” x 20” 345 rear and 11” x 20” 305 tires some working space. Same thing goes for a set of massive Brembo brakes (as one might expect, tuned and calibrated specifically for this particular machine). We were told that, presently, this one is a “concept” … but, if there wasn’t a wink the presenter’s eye, I think that I heard one in his voice. This super Shelby Mustang is too much of both of those two names NOT to be built, even if it’s only in limited quantities and priced beyond most budgets. Virtually every design aspect has been enhanced making it seem (at least around here) the personification of the perfect Mustang. More (much more) about these two new Shelbys is on-line at www.shelby.com. And, one more thing, if you just happen to be one of the 150 folks who acquires one of these hot blue trucks (or somehow you snagged that one-off prototype Mustang) AND you’d like to see it reviewed right here on the pages of your favorite automotive website www.lacar.com, just: call, write, text, email, drop by, flag us down, tap our phone, or wire us here and we’ll MAKE THAT HAPPEN. All photos courtesy Shelby American