Only ’67 Shelby GT500 Super Snake Ever Built Heads to Auction
Cars don’t get any rarer than this one-of-one Shelby GT500 prototype carrying a GT40 MKII racing engine.
We often bat around the term rare a lot. But what truly constitutes the term? Is it a car with a production number of 1,000, or maybe 100? Nobody really knows. But when you’re discussing a car that is a real one-of-one, the word rare takes on an entirely new meaning.
Especially when you’re talking about something touched by the magical hands of Carroll Shelby. And that, friends, is this truly special 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake – the only one ever built. And now, it’s headed to Mecum’s Kissimmee auction, Jan. 3-13.
Today, the term Super Snake constitutes the ultimate in Shelby performance. And that was also true from the beginning. Not content with the range-topping Shelby GT500, Shelby America wanted to build something even more sinister. So they yanked Shelby GT500 No. 544 and blessed it with what was essentially the same engine used in Ford’s GT40 MKII racer. It even produced the same exact output of 600 hp.
Shelby American Sales Manager Don McCain called this special engine “the mother of all 427s” at that time. “Aluminum heads, aluminum water pump, forged crank, Le Mans rods, just basically everything inside the engine was built to run sustained 6,000 RPM—to race at Le Mans.”
This special Mustang proceeded to rip off some demo laps for journalists, where it hit a top speed of 170 mph. Then, it covered 500 miles with a reported average speed of 142 mph. But then Shelby shipped the ultimate Shelby GT500 to Mel Burns Ford in California. There, it sat on display in an attempt to drum up interest in a limited run of 50 cars.
There was just one problem with the Shelby GT500 Super Snake, however. And that was cost. With a price tag of more than double a regular GT500 and even more than the Shelby 427 Cobra, the crew deemed it nonviable.
The one-of-one supercar has changed hands a few times over the years, as well as configurations. But now, it’s been restored to its original condition. Right down to those family car whitewall Thunderbolt tires. And it’s new mission isn’t to test tire technology or consumer interest. Now, this special car simply exists as a fascinating piece of Shelby history.
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