Hollywood Star Honors Fallen Soldiers with Shelby GT500

Passion of the Christ actor Jim Caviezel’s 2014 Super Snake is an 850-horsepower tribute to soldiers lost in U.S. Navy’s ‘Extortion 17’ incident.

Every Ford Mustang serves a purpose. Usually it’s as simple as giving an owner a fast drive to smile about. At other times, a Ford Mustang ends up raising large amounts of money for a charity. Then there are those Mustangs that honor history, such as the “Ole Yeller” Shelby GT350. Actor Jim Caviezel has a 2014 Shelby Mustang GT500 Super Snake that pays homage to the Navy SEALs who lost their lives when the helicopter they were in, call sign Extortion 17, was shot down in Afghanistan.

The star of the hit 2004 film The Passion of the Christ recently showcased his car on Jay Leno’s Garage. He was touched by Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 and his story of recovery after the deadly mission. Caviezel said, “I read it. It took me about 36 hours and my wife found me just sobbing at what these guys gave.”

After conversations with Luttrell and Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle, and meeting with the family of Matthew Axelson, who was killed during Operation Redwing, Caviezel decided to honor the military with his Shelby. His uncle was a crew chief for F-4 Phantom II jets during the Vietnam War. “I just thought, well, it would be great if I could talk about the Vietnam soldiers and also the guys that have just sacrificed so much. And a couple of my SEAL buddies gave me a shirt with the names of these gentlemen [from the Extortion 17] on it and it just tied the whole thing together and put it into the car.”

Instead of retrofitting his widebody Super Snake to be a tribute, Jim Caviezel had the special design touches incorporated when it was brand new. Under the hood, there’s a list of the men who died on Extortion 17 and a Navy SEAL trident badge he received from Kyle. (There’s also a massive Kenne Bell supercharger, which helps the 5.8-liter Trinity V8 pump out 850 horsepower.) The wheels feature spokes that resemble the tips of swords. On the trunk, the faux gas cap is decorated with an emblem that incorporates the American flag and visual nods to knights and the men of Extortion 17. As Caviezel puts it, “The ultimate warriors are the knights. There are very few of them and there are very few SEALs.”

Leno is a big fan of what Caviezel has done with his Shelby. Not only does he find it to be a tasteful tribute done with dignity and grace, but he also enjoys driving it. It pulls hard, blasting out exhaust sound and supercharger whine the whole time.

To Caviezel, the Super Snake is more than just a car. It serves as a constant reminder of what members of the military sacrifice for the rest of us and it’ll continue to do that for decades to come. Jim Caviezel intends to keep his rolling tribute to the armed forces until the day he dies.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.