America’s favorite truck has seen many iterations over the past few years. Back in the day, Ford offered the F-150 in souped-up versions dubbed the SVT Raptor and the SVT lightning. Both of them had an entirely different spectrum of uses; while the SVT Lightning was a hunkered-down pavement crawler, the SVT Raptor on the other hand was a jacked-up off-road beast.
Enter Shelby American, the tuner famed for its partnership with Ford in making the GT-40. Shelby has created masterpieces with the likes of the Shelby Raptor, Shelby GT 500, and insanely capable VelociRaptor. The F-150 Supersnake is Shelby’s way of turning the utilitarian F-150 into a tire-screeching track-ready super truck. A modern take on the SVT Lightning shall we say.
With major improvements to its powertrain, suspension, and aesthetics, is the 770 horsepower Shelby Ford F-150 Super Snake all show and no go? Let’s find out.
The Super Snake Is an F-150 On Steroids
Shelby has been known to be fairly outrageous when it comes to certain offerings. Most of these end up bearing the “Super Snake” badge and that’s exactly what’s happened to the F-150. All Shelby Super Snakes start off as regular F-150’s with the 5.0-liter Coyote V8. Customers have the choice of keeping it stock at 395 horsepower or have it boosted to 770 horsepower. The F-150 Super Snake is a joint venture between Tuscany Automotive, Ford, and Shelby.
If you opt for the 770 horsepower version (which you should, to be honest), there are a host of upgrades done to the V8. For instance, a Whipple supercharger is strapped on top of the 5.0-liter motor along with updated throttle bodies, performance air-intakes, different injectors, and fuel pumps. The engine is paired to a modified version of Ford's 10-speed automatic transmission that helps turn all of this power into pure speed. This four-wheel-drive super truck is capable of reaching 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
The noise from the V8 is absolutely phenomenal. Gasoline is converted to a symphony of explosions that are music to your ears. The intoxicating exhaust note paired with the supercharger whine is an experience previously limited to sports coupes like the Dodge Challenger Hellcat and Shelby GT 500. Although the weight of the truck is apparent, laws of physics cannot be overturned that easily. Handling as you might expect from a truck of these proportions is not the best but is certainly better than what you’d find across its adversaries.
Upgraded Exterior And Interior
Shelby has worked around the exteriors of the F-150 Super Snake to lend it an aerodynamic advantage over its standard variant. You get lowered ride height for a better center of gravity and streamlined front bumpers with functional vents. Also, the hood has two massive intakes that feed the performance induction system. The lowered stance is achieved through the use of new control arms and coilovers up front, and new shocks and lowering shackles at the rear. The bed has a body-colored tonneau cover, that improves airflow over the body. The bed is fully carpeted and comes with retractable steps for easier access, not that you need them considering how low the truck is. As standard, you get 305 section performance tires that wrap around Torq Thrust style wheels which is a throwback to the muscle car era.
Inside, the Super Snakes largely resembles a stock F-150 aside from a few “Super Snake” badging spread across. You’ll find one each on the dashboard and center armrest alongside a few stitched on the headrests. The gauge cluster has seen an upgrade which brings it in line with Shelby’s of the past. Sports seats are offered with an upholstery design that harks back to the GT-40. Carbon-fiber inserts can be found on the door handles along with billet aluminum brake and throttle pedals.
Limited To 250 Units
The 770 horsepower Shelby Ford F-150 Super Snake is limited to just 250 units with a price tag of $86,085 for the non-supercharged model and $93,385 for the supercharged variant. Since the Super Snake is about making an impression than practicality we’d recommend customers getting the top-spec model.
Of course, the Super Snake is not a direct competitor to the RAM TRX but we’re inclined to compare them both, as demonstrated by Throttle House. While the TRX is more of a proper off-roader, the Super Snake is an all-out super truck. The RAM has better interiors whereas the Super Snakes is a bit of a let down in terms of interior amenities. The infotainment inside the TRX is far better than the one you get in the Super Snake. Both of them offer impeccable road presence and can easily devour any sports coupe. While the Super Snake defeats the purpose of owning a truck, there’s something uniquely attractive about having a 770 horsepower pickup truck that hits 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Sources: YouTube, Wikipedia, Motor1