Owning a showroom-worthy performance car must require a high degree of personal restraint. Imagine having a 725-horsepower, 14-year-old Mustang in your garage that showed fewer than 2,000 miles on the odometer. One thing is for sure – you would savor each and every single mile. And sometimes, the most rewarding car-ownership experiences involve a “quality over quantity” driving approach, right?
Featured in the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom is a 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake with only 1,926 miles on the odometer. This Kona Blue Metallic coupe is no ordinary pony car: It has been upgraded inside, outside, from top to bottom, and it comes with all the requisite collector-grade documentation that certifies its pedigree and significance. The car is identified via a placard in the cockpit (added during modification in Las Vegas) as Carroll Shelby Mustang (CSM) number 10SS0035.
It is hard to believe, but the fifth-generation (“S197” platform) Ford Mustang first came out almost 20 years ago, in September 2004, for the 2005 model year. Its design language was drawn by Sid Ramnarace and drew inspiration from the first-generation Mustang. A facelifted version was unveiled in 2008 and debuted in 2010 boasting better aerodynamics, revised exterior lighting, and a new “powerdome” hood.
As it turns out, that powerdome is a subtle indication that this car has some go-fast tricks up its sleeve. The Super Snake started life as a GT500 coupe, which in itself had a long list of nice content like an aluminum hood with an air extractor, integrated fog lamps, a decklid spoiler, and a suspension that had been tuned by Ford’s Special Vehicles Team (SVT). Performance for today’s featured car took a drastic leap at Shelby American’s Las Vegas-based facility where the car was taken to new heights. According to the build sheet, the Shelby-added equipment included engine upgrades, a Wilwood brake system, an Eibach suspension, special badging, and auxiliary gauges.
As for the heart of the beast: Power comes from a 725-horsepower 5.4-liter V8 that has been upgraded with a Kenne Bell supercharger. Additional performance equipment includes a Shelby driveshaft, a billet 75mm throttle body, a Borla exhaust system, a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission with a short-throw shifter, and a limited-slip differential with 3.71:1 gearing. With over 700 horsepower on tap, traction is key, after all.
The cockpit still offers some of the niceties that you would need for a long-distance adventure, like navigation, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a Shaker 500 audio system. Of course, no Shelby performance machine would be complete without an autograph from the man himself. This Super Snake has been signed in a Sharpie on the passenger side of the dash. Incidentally, the legendary Shelby passed away in 2012 at the age of 89, so this vehicle was signed in the final years of his life.
Do you have what it takes to take the reins of this pony car as its next steward? One thing is for sure: You are bound to have a grin on your face every time you hit the throttle. Swing by the Barrett-Jackson showroom to feast your eyes on this slick snake.
