On this episode of Ignition
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MotorTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 There's really only one thing you
00:24 need to know about the Shelby GT500 Super Snake.
00:27 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:30 And that is 850 horsepower.
00:35 Yes, 850 horsepower in a Mustang.
00:40 One would think that would be impossible for a street car,
00:43 but it's not, as we learned this week on "Ignition."
00:46 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:53 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:57 Welcome to K&N Engineering in Riverside, California.
01:01 And we're here this morning with the Super Snake,
01:03 because when they're advertising 850 horsepower,
01:06 we want to verify if that's actually the case.
01:08 So K&N's graciously allowed us to use their dyno,
01:11 and we're all taking bets on how much power
01:13 it's going to make at the wheels.
01:14 But either way, it should be an interesting morning.
01:16 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:21 Ingesting around 20 pounds of boost from the Kenny Bell
01:24 blower, this 5.8 liter V8 makes more of a torque plateau
01:29 than a peak.
01:29 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:33 It generated 747 horsepower and 611 pound feet of torque
01:46 to the wheels, which is right as advertised once you estimate
01:49 drivetrain losses.
01:51 Just for the record, that's 188 more horsepower
01:55 than the last GT500 we dynoed here.
01:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:00 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:14 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:17 Who is the person that buys an 850 horsepower Super Snake?
02:27 Well, it's the kind of guy, or gal, who gets out of the GT500
02:32 and says, you know what?
02:34 This could use another 190 horsepower.
02:37 This could use, like, an additional BRZ
02:40 worth of horsepower.
02:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:44 So for the $40,000 you pay Shelby
02:47 to have this done to your GT500, you get a lot of stuff.
02:52 Horsepower notwithstanding, you get a 3.73 rear axle
02:55 like this car has.
02:56 They also have an optional--
02:57 or a standard 331, I think.
03:00 But we have the 373.
03:01 You get a big cooling upgrade--
03:04 heat exchanger, aluminum cooling tanks, fans, a big radiator,
03:08 all the stuff you need to cool 850 horsepower.
03:12 You have big 20-inch wheels, Michelin Pilot Supersport
03:15 tires, cross-drilled, vented brakes,
03:19 and no less than 20 Super Snake badges around the car,
03:24 we counted.
03:24 [ENGINE REVVING]
03:28 But the power, of course, dominates the conversation
03:32 about this car.
03:33 It is the main thing, the main part of focus,
03:36 the main selling point of this car.
03:40 And we have so much power that it's almost hard to comprehend.
03:44 It's like when you're looking at a relative size of the universe
03:47 and once you get to the planet Uranus,
03:50 you can't comprehend the size of it
03:52 because it's just so far out of the realm.
03:55 So the way I've been able to contextualize the amount of
03:58 power is this.
03:59 We have a Mustang GT per rear tire.
04:04 Actually, we have more than a Mustang GT per rear tire.
04:07 It's like a Mustang GT with an intake and exhaust
04:09 per rear tire.
04:11 That's the level of horsepower that we're working with.
04:14 So driving this car quickly is, you might say, exhilarating.
04:19 I refer to the literal definition of awesome,
04:23 as in it inspires awe and is somewhat terrifying.
04:29 And when you're driving on the road,
04:31 I've actually come up with a checklist
04:33 to decide on when you can go full throttle.
04:36 The first part, is the road straight?
04:39 Check.
04:40 Are you in a gear that is three or higher?
04:43 Check.
04:44 Has the road been dry for the past 48 hours?
04:48 Check.
04:49 OK, now you can go full throttle.
04:53 Of course, I mentioned that on the curviest part of the road,
04:56 so we can't do that.
04:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:00 The Shelby Super Snake is less of a car
05:07 and more of a pallet of C4 explosive with a steering wheel.
05:12 And when you ignite it, you better hold on for dear life,
05:14 because it's going to go, and you're just
05:16 going to have to hold on to it.
05:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:21 This is fast.
05:26 It produces an acceleration G that makes your brain go,
05:31 dude, think about this.
05:35 It is a level of forward thrust that, I don't know,
05:38 could probably take you to space,
05:40 or makes you think you're going to space.
05:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:45 [ENGINE REVVING]
05:48 Of course, the question is, when you're
06:02 talking about an 850 horsepower Super Snake,
06:08 is how fast is it?
06:10 Well, in our testing, which we did before we filmed this,
06:12 as we always do, we got a quarter mile run
06:14 in 12 seconds flat with a trap speed of 129.2 miles an hour.
06:18 Now, this car can go faster.
06:20 In fact, we've seen it in the 10 second range
06:22 in the hands of our sister publication
06:24 when they were using VHT.
06:26 Why aren't we faster?
06:27 Well, unfortunately, we can't test it anymore.
06:29 After run five at about 140 miles an hour,
06:32 when I went to the brake pedal to end the run,
06:34 the pads just sort of disintegrated,
06:36 and the pedal went right to the floor.
06:37 Now, fortunately, it stopped.
06:38 That's why the car is still here.
06:40 It's still shiny and not on fire,
06:41 and that's why I'm not covered in blood or anything.
06:44 But we can't test it anymore.
06:46 We're out of brakes.
06:47 But there is something we can do.
06:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:52 [TIRES SCREECHING]
06:56 And that is kind of the point.
07:14 I mean, this is a rolling incendiary device.
07:19 This car should come with a cape.
07:21 It's a big American flag that you can just cruise along,
07:24 and it's draped behind you.
07:26 We're going to get a lot of flack because I'm not
07:28 driving this fast, but I welcome anybody
07:30 who says I'm a wuss to come out and drive this thing,
07:33 and they'll feel the same thing.
07:37 This car is scary.
07:38 [TIRES SCREECHING]
07:43 [EXPLOSION]
07:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:53 (gentle music)