The Shelby F-150 Super Snake Is a Riot of a Track Truck
Traditionally, if you’ve wanted a faster Mustang, you turned to Shelby. The latest Shelby GT500 Mustang, for example, has enough horsepower to out-pace certain supercars. But the American tuner creates more than just muscle cars. It also works on Ford’s pickup trucks. And Shelby’s latest high-output truck is the Shelby F-150 Super Snake.
2020 Shelby F-150 Super Snake specs and features
As of this writing, the recently-unveiled 2021 F-150’s horsepower figures haven’t been released. Which makes the 2020 Raptor, with its 450-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6, the most powerful production F-150.
In contrast, the 2020 Shelby F-150 Super Snake has a 5.0-liter supercharged V8. The base truck’s 5.0-liter V8 makes 395 hp. When the F-150 Super Snake was shown as a concept, it reportedly offered 755 hp. But the final version, Motor1 reports, makes 770 hp—10 more than the GT500 Mustang. With that, the Super Snake truck can go 0-60 in a claimed 3.45 seconds, and 0-100 in 8.3 seconds.
But Shelby’s modifications go beyond the supercharger, carbon-fiber air intake, and side-exit exhaust, Motor Trend reports. The F-150 Super Snake has coil-overs in front and leaf spring shackles in the rear; both are fully adjustable. It rides on 22” wheels aluminum wheels wrapped in performance tires. The truck’s brakes are also upgraded from stock, with slotted discs at all 4 wheels.
The Shelby F-150 Super Snake also has several visual and interior mods. It has a new front bumper, a new grille, a functional splitter, and ram-air ventilated hood, several decals, and Shelby’s trademark stripes. Inside, the seats are upholstered in leather and Alcantara, and there are new gauges, billet pedals, and some faux carbon-fiber trim.
Driving a 770-hp truck on a racetrack
Pickup trucks aren’t typically featured on racetracks, outside of NASCAR’s SportTruck racers. But YouTube team Throttle House took the 2020 Shelby F-150 Super Snake to one to see how it would perform. Specifically, they took the first model, VIN #1, to the racetrack. And they had a blast.
With 770 hp, the F-150 Super Snake is definitely fast. But the suspension and tires mean power-slides are perfectly controllable. Add in the supercharger whine filling the cabin, and it’s a recipe for smiles all-around.
Its height doesn’t make for the sharpest handling, and there’s still noticeably body roll. But even with a solid rear axle, the truck turns admirably. The upgraded brakes can also stand up to repeated, extended abuse. Which, considering the truck weighs over 5000 pounds, is appreciated.
The 2020 Shelby F-150 Super Snake may not be the fastest way around a track. But it’s definitely one of the most fun.
Shelby F-150 Super Snake vs. the competition
The Shelby F-150 Super Snake doesn’t come cheap. The 770-hp version starts at $93,385. There is a non-supercharged 395-hp version—but it’s only $7300 cheaper. Plus, Shelby’s only making 250 Super Snake trucks total.
As of this writing, the Ram Rebel TRX isn’t available. Not even the official horsepower or pricing has been released. However, we do know it will offer at least 700 hp, and likely cost less than even the non-supercharged Super Snake.
Roush’s F-150 Nitemare isn’t quite as powerful as the Super Snake. Its supercharged 5.0-liter V8 ‘only’ makes 650 hp. But, with a 0-60 time under 4 seconds, it’s not exactly slow. Plus, it’s possible to get a Nitemare for roughly the cost of a new Raptor. Which makes it significantly cheaper than Shelby’s truck.
Also, Saleen can boost the performance of the F-150 with its Sport Truck series. For $75.5k, you can get a 700-hp supercharged F-150 with Racecraft springs and shocks, an additional oil cooler, and vented disc brakes. And for a bit extra, you can upgrade the brakes even more.
But, if you want the Shelby styling and similar speed, Kansas-based LongMcArthur Ford may have the solution. The dealer makes its own Shelby-style F-150s using some of the same hardware Roush uses in the Nitemare. With 650 hp, the LM650 isn’t as fast as the F-150 Super Snake. But even without a dealer discount, it’s still cheaper than even the non-supercharged Shelby truck.
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