When you talk about Mustangs, of course there are the in-house Ford Performance editions like the Bullitt, the Mach 1, and the Dark Horse. Each are evolutions of the GT Fastback (or convertible!) that add more power, more features, and make it a meaner, nastier car in looks and feel. Yet, as much as Ford does their own models quite well, they pale in comparison to what Shelby American chucks out once in a while.
That name evokes images of dangerous looking Mustangs with flared wheel arches, louvers in the hood, big wheels with wide tires, and a snarling, barking exhaust note. They are the ones that bring out the GT500, for many the ultimate Mustang… but once each generation, they bring out a limited edition, all powerful, absolute beast of a car known as the Super Snake.
Welcome, then, to the 7th Generation 2024 S650 Mustang Shelby SuperSnake. We’ll share what we know at the moment, and as we learn more as the Summer 2024 release approaches, we’ll keep you updated!
Quick Facts
- Using a Gen 4 5.0L Coyote V8 paired with a Whipple 3.0L twin-screw supercharger, the SuperSnake puts out a mind bending 830+ HP
- Has an upgraded, larger radiator and heat exchanger unit to keep the Coyote cool
- Bespoke Borla exhausts designed specifically for the SuperSnake give it the roar and bark you’d expect from a Shelby American car
- Uses a one-piece driveshaft (manual only), performance half-shafts, and a short-throw 6-speed transmission (manual only)
- Optional 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters is available
- 20-inch magnesium alloy wheels all around are supported on four independent suspension points, MacPherson struts up front and integral-link out back. Shelby American designed the dampers and springs, which will keep the SuperSnake low and planted onto the road.
- No announcement on if MagneRide is included in the damping
- Some fenders are made of carbon fiber, while other parts of the body are made from motorsports-grade aluminum alloy, including the hood. The chassis will be a combination of steel and aluminum to keep weight down.
- Aerodynamically tuned to provide real downforce while also using the Venturi effect to suck excess heat up out of the engine bay via the hood louvers, and cool the brake via intakes on either side of the front fascia (front) and the side sills (rear)
- Wheelbase of 107.0 inches, overall dimensions of 189.4 x 75.4 x 55.0 inches (LxWxH). This means that like the other SuperSnakes before, the S650 version is a widebody.
The Engine: 830+ HP Supercharged 5.0L Coyote V8
The beating heart of any Mustang is its engine. We’ve been blessed with the 5.0L Coyote V8 for almost 15 years now, and in that time it’s progressed through three generations and was updated to the Gen 4 engine for the S650, 7th Generation car. As many know, this is a highly adaptable engine that can be tuned to the moon and back, and handle both turbocharging and supercharging alike without much stress.
For the SuperSnake, a 3.0L Whipple Stage 1 twin-screw supercharger is bolted directly to the top of the Coyote. It uses twin cold air intakes feeding into a 120mm throttle body, and can pass more than 1,000 CFM of air for compression. The twin screws inside the supercharger are Whipple’s new 3×4 rotor combo for significantly more airflow and compression than their previous 2.6L supercharger for the S550 Mustang.
The whole engine also features enhanced cooling, using a larger radiator and heat exchanger unit to disperse engine heat, and has a high-flow intercooler pump for the supercharger to chill the compressed air before it passes down into the cylinders. There is also an intercooler air bypass system to prevent burst knock and increase fuel economy in combustion.
The result is that the Coyote produces a hell of a lot more power down low in the rev range, almost down to idle. Throttle response is also more aggressive, both by the programming of the ECU and the fact the engine is supercharged. There is a reason that Shelby American is saying 830+ HP as a bit of coy marketing, as that is probably the lowest amount of HP they’ve been able to extract from the V8.
To get rid of all the exhaust from the Coyote, Borla has created an S650 SuperSnake specific system that sounds downright nasty (in the best way possible). It takes the snarl and bark you get from a Dark Horse, and triples the intensity. It’s loud, it’s mean, and you’ll swear you can hear each exhaust impulse from the cylinders with how much it roars when on throttle. Just give it a listen below…
Transmissions & Drivetrain: 6-Speed Manual Or 10-Speed Automatic
The number of cars you can buy nowadays that still come with three pedals and the ability to row your own is infinitesimally small. Out of the hundreds of models and trims of all brands of cars, less than 20 still come with the option for a manual. Thankfully the Mustang is one of those cars, although it has not been announced yet if the SuperSnake will come with the Getrag MT82-D4 or Tremec TR-3160 from the GT and the Dark Horse respectively.
You can opt to get the Ford 10R80 10-speed automatic if you wish, which will use paddle shifters behind the wheel for “manual” mode shifting, but that kind of defeats the point of having a ridiculously powerful muscle car. You’re supposed to wrangle the thing by its neck and catapult it down the road, slamming the next gear home as the grin threatens to tear your face apart.
As part of the drivetrain, at least with the manual, there will be a one-piece continuous driveshaft between the engine and the rear differential. It has not been fully announced or confirmed yet, but knowing how past Shelby cars have been, it will very likely be a limited slip, as there are performance half-shafts from the rear diff to each rear wheel.
Not much has yet been announced about what type of drive system the automatic will have, but it’s widely rumored to be similar to what the Mustang Dark Horse uses.
Suspension & Wheels
The SuperSnake will take the same layout as the Dark Horse, but of course, this is Shelby American, so expect it to be tuned and slammed. Double ball joint MacPherson struts are up front, with Shelby American designed coils and springs, and all reports point to being tuned to provide very stiff and immediate turn in, faster even than the S550 SuperSnake.
Out back, integral-link independent suspension is tied together with a stabilizer bar. The decision to use integral-link was mostly to provide a robust and stable platform for the power coming from the engine to get down to the road with as little parasitic loss as possible, and of course has been tuned by Shelby American to the point the top of the rear tire is almost behind bodywork. By reinforcing in all three dimensions, the rear hubs are able to absorb bumps, but also are very strong to handle the expected 700 to 800 WHP the SuperSnake should have.
At all four corners, you’ll find ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy 20 inch wheels, shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S high performance tires. Compared to the wheels you get on a Mustang GT, these wheels cut a combined 37 lbs away, keeping the rotating mass to a minimum. It will also keep unsprung weight down, so that the SuperSnake will feel responsive, even “pointy” when being pushed on a track.
What hasn’t been made clear yet is if the suspension will integrate MagneRide from Ford Performance into the dampers. In a way, it would make sense as it is a high-performance system, but the official word out there is that the damping is “Fully developed in-house at Shelby American.” This is one of those details we’ll need to update you on when the full specs of the car are released closer to Summer.
Braking will be provided by good old-fashioned steel brakes and calipers by Brembo. While there is no announcement on specs yet, from the size and look of the front calipers, it looks to be a 4- or 6-piston front and 2- or 4-piston rear setup.
Body & Chassis
The 2024 SuperSnake is destined to be one of the lightest cars that Shelby have ever made. At the very least, the front fenders are made out of carbon fiber, while the doors, hood, and most of the body panels are made out of lightweight motorsports grade aluminum. The chassis that the SuperSnake rides on will have the primary stress members made out of steel, much like the S650 Mustang itself, but will use aluminum where possible for secondary members and mounts to keep weight as low as possible.
The entire body has been shaped to provide functional downforce, including the carbon fiber rear wing and the tail spoiler. The front splitter is fully functional and will push the front of the car into the road to keep steering sharp and responsive.
The front air intakes are also intelligently set up, with the primary radiator and intercooler gaining air through the central area, and secondary coolers outboard, which will then route the air to the front brakes for cooling. To prevent that air causing any high pressure areas in the wheel well, it will then be extracted through the fully functional vents that sit behind the front wheel.
The rear brakes will be cooled by small intakes at the rear of the fully functional side skirts, which will shape the air into the cooling vent to be blown over the rear brakes before being extracted down and out around the exhaust tips. Much of this comes from Ford’s own experiences with the Mustang GT3 and GT4 race cars, which use very similar systems for brake cooling and aerodynamics.
There will also be a functional diffuser array at the rear of the SuperSnake, as there will be proper underbody low pressure airflow. In the interests of saving weight, it will be made entirely out of carbon fiber. There will also be functional heat extraction louvers in the hood, which will use the Venturi effect of air passing over them to literally suck excess heat up and away before flowing that air over the hood and down to the spoiler and wing at the rear.
Interior
The interior of the SuperSnake will be both familiar S650 Mustang and some Shelby American touches to enhance it. You will get SuperSnake sill plates, a Shelby shifter on manual models, embroidered floor mats, and Cobra puddle lamps. There will also be a dash mounted plaque with the car’s production number, as it is a limited edition of 250 cars, and the engine serial number.
For seats, the Dark Horse sports seats have been kept, but the materials they are made of have been upgraded by Shelby American. Shelby embroidered seat centers are flanked by premium leather bolsters and headrests, with the embroidered material looking to be Alcantara. It has not been announced exactly what the material is, so this is at most an educated guess.
On the convertible model, a roll bar is also featured.
Overall, the interior should be familiar to anyone that has sat in a Mustang GT or Dark Horse, but a bit more premium. It’s those little detailed touches that make cars like the SuperSnake special, and also make it exclusive!
Pricing
Official pricing has not been announced at the time of this writing.
The rumor mill, however, has numbers anywhere between $150,000 to $175,000 being passed around, and with a limited edition of 250 cars, we can honestly see that being a decently good range to land the pricing into.
Expect pricing to be announced sometime in the next two to three months, as the release date for the S650 SuperSnake is rumored to be July or August this year, at the height of Summer.
