Shelby unleashes 750-horsepower GT500 Super Snake Prudhomme Edition
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Shelby GT500 Super Snake Prudhomme Edition
Tonight at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, Carroll Shelby and Co. unveiled what is by far the most radical Mustang ever built for the street. Named after Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, who drove a top fuel car for Shelby in the 1968 season, the new Shelby features a 750 horsepower (over 800 on race fuel) version of the GT500's 5.4-liter V8 thanks to an upgraded Kenne Bell supercharger.
Other modifications include a custom fiberglass full tilt front end, a Shelby rear drag wing, eight-point roll cage, six-piston front brakes, rear seat delete, coilover springs, custom Bogart wheels, and much more. Did we mention it's STREET LEGAL? Pricing comes in at a stout $99,995 to upgrade a currently titled car or $149,995 for a complete car. Production will be limited to just 100 examples. More details on the car and the history between Shelby and Prudhomme can be found in the press release after the jump.
UPDATE: Video of unveiling added after the jump.
Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
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PRESS RELEASE:
Shelby Automobiles, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI.PK) has returned to drag racing with a limited edition Prudhomme Edition Super Snake package for the Shelby GT500 Mustang. Carroll Shelby and Don "The Snake" Prudhomme unveiled the program during a private reception at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, Calif. The drag racing inspired 800 horsepower post title package was a collaboration between Shelby Autos and Don Prudhomme, who successfully drove a top fuel car for Carroll Shelby in the 1968 NHRA season.
Each year, the Automobile Club of Southern California holds a dinner to support the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum on the first night of the Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals. In honor of the fortieth anniversary of the first race that Mr. Prudhomme drove for Carroll Shelby, the Shelby Autos team unveiled the new drag racing package that they developed together over the past year.
"Don is an exceptional drag racer and I'm proud that he drove my first Top Fuel car in 1968," noted Carroll Shelby. "By leveraging Don's experience, we turned a really good car into a great drag racer that will beat up on the MOPAR and bow tie brigade right out of the box."
The program is a post-title package for 2007-2010 Ford Shelby GT500 cars already in the hands of owners. To create the Prudhomme Edition Super Snake, Shelby Autos pumps up the 5.4L supercharged engine to produce 800 hp on race fuel or 750 hp on 93 octane pump gas. The Shelby includes a Kenne Belle modified air intake sticking out of the hood in the tilt front end, a five-point Impact safety harness and a Borla side exhaust system. A front and rear adjustable BMR racing suspension and drag tires are included to improve traction during launches; optional street tires are available. For a more aggressive stance and improved aerodynamics, side lower rockers are incorporated. Only 100 total packages at $100,000 (not including car) will be offered.
"Working with Don on this project was a great experience for our design team," noted Amy Boylan, president of Shelby Automobiles. "Carroll and Don earned their stripes in competition over the years, so we had to build a car that would continue their racing domination. Our Prudhomme Edition GT500 Super Snake builds on that legacy and gives Shelby enthusiasts today a way to rule the quarter mile in their town."
By the mid-1960s, Carroll Shelby and Don Prudhomme were both at the top of their respective games. Prudhomme was one of the winningest Top Fuel drag racers in the country. Shelby was a racer-turned-builder of Cobras, GT40s and Mustangs who won endurance and road racing championships worldwide. His company even offered drag racing packages for privateers to compete in their Cobra or Shelby Mustang on the strip.
"The Snake" and the Cobra's creator teamed in 1968 for an NHRA ride. Prudhomme's Ford Cammer-powered rail made its debut as "Shelby's Super Snake at the 1968 Winternationals. He won the race and drove the rest of the season under the Shelby banner.
Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's successful racing career included winning the NHRA funny car championship four times. He was the first funny car driver to exceed 250 mph. In 1994, he began managing his own racing team, which won the Top Fuel championship in 2002 and 2003. Prudhomme was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000.
"It's been a great opportunity to work with Carroll and the Shelby Autos team on this amazing program," added Prudhomme. "I'm honored that Carroll gave me this honor to build a car that's true to his legacy and my efforts to move them across the finish line first. The car can be tuned to deliver over 800 horsepower on race gas, which should pretty fast. It's a well sorted out package that is capable of dusting the competition in the Shelby way."
The Prudhomme Edition Shelby GT500 Super Snake is intended to be truly a road and track car.
"The thing I really think is cool about this car is that you can drive it both on the track and on the street," added Prudhomme. "It reminds me of how drag racing used to be back in the day when we would drive our cars to the drag strip, race them, and drive them home at the end of the day. That's maybe the neatest thing about this car."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
SPF 12:45AM (2/06/2009)
"Attack" mode?
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geo.stewart 8:27AM (2/06/2009)
my very first thought also.
Franz 12:50AM (2/06/2009)
Damn... $100k worth of mods on a Mustang? I'm not even debating whether or not it's actually worth it, I just know that there's no way in hell I'd spend $150k on a Mustang.
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Josh 1:51AM (2/06/2009)
What does an R8 cost these days - somewhere around 120,000$ I think. ZR1 is right near 100,000 and the GT-R isn't too far behind that. But if you are thinking about spending 150,000$ on a car, you might as well just make it a DB9 or a F430 and snuggle up a bit closer to $200,000.
My point being, that is pretty much super car territory, and there is nothing really super about a mustang. Ever.
JF 8:07AM (2/06/2009)
Josh and Franz,
You miss the point. This isn't supposed to be a corner carver. It's built with the quarter mile in mind, and will outrun an Aston and Ferrari in this respect.
Mr.Oak 8:11AM (2/06/2009)
Franz, it bet its not as fragile as that POS in your avatar. A couple of things to note. I doubt that they'll make more than 50 of these, if that many. Which makes it a pretty rare bird, errr horse. There are collectors out there that will snap these up. Not my kind of car, but no reason to disrespect.
Back to the car in your avatar, its not a "super" car if you have to apologize for it. (Yes I heard about the Band-Aid fix that they applied to the transmission).
Ferrari never had to apologize for the F40 or the Enzo. Porsche didn't have to apologize for the Carrera. Get the picture?
I like the GT-R, but the while the ZR-1 will do what it was designed to do, all day long. GT-R = balls out fun then it needs a nap. I've yet to hear about a driver that has exceeded the capabilities of the ZR-1.
My final analysis: GT-R = super car. ZR-1 = SUPER car.
xpolarx 9:02AM (2/06/2009)
Holy thread drift. Where the hell did that come from? I could have sworn this post mentioned something about a 750hp Mustang...I didn't catch the part about the GTR, the ZR1, the F40, the Enzo and the Carrera.
Chad 9:16AM (2/06/2009)
People that bitch about Mustangs generally have never driven them. I passionately hated them until I drove one......and then bought it. They are a great bang for the buck and a classic American car that has stood the test of time. And I always have to wonder why people not interested in Mustangs always take time to write a comment telling everyone.
Franz 1:39PM (2/06/2009)
I'm pretty sure I never mentioned any other car, and certain I said I'm not debating whether it's worth it or not. Let me repeat: There's no way in hell I'd spend $150k for a Mustang! I never mentioned anything about drag racing, cornering prowess or lack thereof. Mustang lovers rejoice, and go buy it if your pockets are that deep.
tanooki2003 3:02PM (2/06/2009)
Well Mr Oak I will be frank with you.
I have driven a Mustang on many occasions, even was stuck renting one. The car had never really appealed to me at all. The reason why will never like the mustang is because I prefer a true aerodynamic coupe. The Mustang back before this retro remake had what you would call "edge" design, or way too many sharp edges to look sporty to me. The interior is at the most average to much of the rest of Ford's automobile line, nothing special or outstanding. The current design of the Mustang, well if you haven't notice, I really don't like retro style or designs, no matter how much it is an American tradition as most would like to make it. Also taking this car, that I am really not moved by, and adding whatever monster sized hyper-horsepower engine still will not make me like it any better. It is still a Mustang which has always been another ordinary car that Ford offers to me. As much as it may be hard for you to accept this, not everybody likes the Mustang, even if they have driven or owned one.
Now without getting into a domestic vs import war or attacking me about my feelings of the Mustang, let's just keep this one on the Ford level. The one Ford car I was always greatly fond of, and owned 3 generations of, was the Thunderbird coupes from 1983-1997. The design of that car perfectly suited my tastes and IMO was much more fun to drive, especially the V8 based ones and Turbo or Super Coupes. The Thunderbirds, weather the Fox Platform or the MN12 Platform had the perfect and more modern aerodynamic style that made it so very eye catching and a head turner. The Thunderbird was one car that even if it had a very underpowered puny weak engine, I would still love it because of it's more sexy aerodynamic design. For quite awhile the MN12 Thunderbirds stole a majority of the sales from people who were in the market for a Pontiac Grand Prix 2 door and the Dodge 1st gen Avenger, not that ugly pile of soiled diapers that is available now. The Thunderbird was a much better car and RWD, not to mention more fun to drive.
I know some really hardcore Mustang nuts will start throwing out specs and compare the two, boasting that the Mustang is a supreme god over the Thunderbird. All I can say is save that for another forum and time. I have heard it all before. I will be honest, most people know that Ford purposely made the Mustang better than the Thunderbird because it would greatly effect future outlook of the Mustang. Ford did not want to also risk losing potential Mustang sales to the more appealing MN12 Thunderbirds. Also with the Mustang being a stronger American Ford icon, they kept that and let the Thunderbird die after making the absolutely horrible mistake of bringing it back as an ugly retro remake, on top of that adding a totaly ridiculous $20,000 surcharge. It's enough to make you wonder what kind of fat Bob Marley sized joint was the management seriously smoking. Bad Mistake on their part because now the Hyundai Genesis Coupe will perfectly fill that MN12 void nicely.
Clay Garland 11:02AM (2/07/2009)
50 Grand north of, and probably still not as fast in a 1/4 as a ZR1. Seriously though, give me five grand and I'll build you a car that runs 10 flat.
Farris 1:04AM (2/06/2009)
KITT? Is that you?
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Zeus.:God 1:05AM (2/06/2009)
No. KITT is a Pontiac Trans Am. This is just an imposter.
Berto 2:36AM (2/06/2009)
Do not insult KITT please.
abbas350 1:11AM (2/06/2009)
this just makes me wonder if they could have spent any of that 100K on styling, i mean this is ugly, even for a modern mustang
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npChaos 1:25AM (2/06/2009)
$150,000 for a street drag car? I'd rather take my share of blown heads, fouled plugs, broken transmissions, blood, sweat, and tears, than to buy this cold piece of work. You don't truly love a car until you're standing over an engine bay covered in motor oil, bearing grease and radiator fluid.
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RamblinReck89 1:52AM (2/06/2009)
I wonder how many sets of golf clubs I could fit in the trunk?
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Torrent 2:01AM (2/06/2009)
Looks like Shelby got the Aztek and squeezed out every inch of ugly, and slathered it over this Stang like wild on rice.
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brad 2:13AM (2/06/2009)
Hey npCaos; for the people who don't have the time to give their blood sweat and tears, this is the car for them.
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npChaos 2:19PM (2/06/2009)
Those people don't loves cars as much as I do then. There's a difference between a car that you own and a car that is an extension of yourself.
On that note I have my grim doubts about where the future is taking us. Alternative energy cars don't appeal to me because they seem cold and uninviting to the crowd that would rather work on cars than to just use them as tools of transport.