Vehicle Description
The legendary pairing of Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang goes
way back to the genesis of Ford's genre-defining pony car. The
development of the Shelby Mustang began in 1964 when FoMoCo tasked
Shelby Automotive with turning the Mustang into a serious contender
in the hotly contested SCCA production-class national
championships. The earliest Shelby GT350 Mustangs were focused,
stripped-out racers for the road, and buyers could even select a
track-ready, fully-prepared R-model. The project was a resounding
success, and it firmly cemented the Mustang's sporting credentials.
Naturally, increasing numbers of buyers wanted a piece of the
Shelby experience, so Ford's involvement gradually grew as demand
outstripped Shelby American's production capacity. Shelby
production moved to Ford, and the hard-edge GT350 was joined by the
more luxurious, big-block equipped GT500 and the ultimate
high-performance Mustang - the GT500 KR. As Shelby's influence
dwindled, he eventually ended his long-running relationship with
Ford. Following a stint with Dodge in the 1980s (thanks to his old
friend and ex-Ford man Lee Iacocca), Shelby rekindled his
relationship with Ford in 2003 as a technical advisor to the
upcoming GT project. Ford was astute enough to realize the value of
associating the Shelby name with their products, so they integrated
Shelby's expertise into the Special Vehicle Team, and a new
generation of Shelby Mustang soon followed. Among the first new
Mustangs to wear the Shelby name came in 2007. The car that was
intended to be the new SVT Cobra, but as SVT was absorbed back into
mainstream Ford engineering, they instead debuted it as the Ford
Shelby GT500. The car was worthy of its famous name, featuring a
500 horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V8, and a host of chassis and
brake upgrades. Of course, Carroll Shelby was not one to leave well
enough alone, so he developed a special package to celebrate the
40th anniversary of the GT500. The 40th-anniversary model featured
unique body trim, interior fittings, wheels, and suspension
upgrades. Above that, customers could opt for the Super Snake
package, which tweaked the supercharged V8 to belt out over 600
horsepower in the convertible and 700 horsepower in the coupe. The
lucky few who shelled out the additional $27,995 (on top of the
price of a base GT500) had their cars shipped from Ford to Shelby's
Las Vegas facility for modification by Shelby's technicians. When
new, the Super Snake was one of the fastest, most potent Shelby
Mustangs ever built, and today they are coveted by enthusiasts and
collectors. Since the rekindling of the Ford/Shelby partnership, a
series of increasingly powerful Mustangs have rolled out of the
Shelby Automobiles workshops. This 2007 GT500 Super Snake is among
the first of the big-horsepower Shelbys of the modern era. This
very special Shelby Convertible is one of just a few cars to
feature both the 40th Anniversary Packageandthe 605 horsepower
Super Snake package. According to the documentation provided by
Shelby Automobiles, Inc., car number 07XL0226 has numerous
distinctions that set apart from other GT500s. Documents show it is
the very first 40th Anniversary GT500 (coupe or convertible) to
receive the Super Snake 605hp upgrades. It was also one of 15 cars
selected for the 40th Anniversary launch party, was used by the
factory to kick off the Super Snake program, and appeared in some
of the official promotional materials. It also spent time in the
Shelby museum and was on hand for Mr. Shelby's 85th birthday when
he signed the glovebox. Collector-owned since new, this superb
Shelby shows just 3,035 miles on the clock, and it presents in
magnificent condition in the original color of Ebony over black
leather. Documentation includes the original Ford window sticker,
Shelby certificates of authenticity, and correspondence between
Shelby Automotive and the original owner. In addition to all of the
40th-anniversary upgrades (including the stripes, American Racing
wheels, and Shelby/Eibach suspension), the Super Snake package
added supercharger upgrades, redesigned hood for improved cooling,
carbon fiber rockers, and front splitter, and many other details.
This car also adds the optional big-brake package with huge
slotted/cross-drilled rotors and Shelby calipers, and a short-shift
option for the Tremec 6-speed manual gearbox. Thanks to careful
preservation, the car remains in nearly showroom-fresh condition
inside and out, with impeccable paint and body and all of the
unique anniversary-package items intact. The car rides on its
original 20-inch American Racing Shelby Razor wheels with special
center caps and Pirelli P-Zero tires. The interior is similarly
outstanding, upholstered in black leather with silver accent trim,
and specially embroidered headrests. The black canvas top is
like-new and includes the original soft boot cover. With such low
mileage, the engine bay is spotlessly clean, with the unique
badging, engine build plate, and Shelby serial number in their
rightful places. With 605 horsepower on tap, performance is
explosive, with a thumping V8 soundtrack courtesy of the original,
factory-fitted Borla exhaust. Despite coming along 40 years after
the original GT500, this Super Snake is genuinely a worthy
successor. Packing all that tire-shredding horsepower and just the
right amount of in-your-face stripes and spoilers, it meets the
blueprint of the ideal American muscle car. This rare and desirable
Super Snake convertible's exceptionally low mileage and superb
presentation make it a worthy addition to the Mustang or Shelby
enthusiast's stable. Offers welcome and trades considered
