SHELBY THOUGHT THE DARK HORSE MUSTANG WASN'T DARK ENOUGH - CREATES THE 2026 SHELBY SUPER SNAKE-R
Shelby American has taken the already badass Ford Mustang Dark Horse and transformed it into the most aggressive, track-focused Super Snake in the company’s history. The result is the 2026 Shelby Super Snake-R - a widebody, carbon-clad, magnesium-shod monster with over 850 hp, built for drivers who demand maximum performance without compromise. At the core of the Super Snake-R lies the proven Gen 4 Ford Coyote 5.0-litre V8, now force-fed by a 3.0-litre Whipple supercharger. This pairing delivers staggering output - well over 850 hp - and does so with the sort of throttle response and linear power delivery that only a supercharged V8 can provide. There are also two very different personalities: the Tremec TR-3160 6-speed manual, perfect for the purist who wants total control, or Ford’s 10-speed automatic for lightning-quick shifts on the street and track. Shelby has engineered an extreme cooling package to keep temperatures in check, along with performance half shafts and a Borla cat-back exhaust that lets the Coyote’s supercharged wail reverberate for miles.
The Super Snake-R’s fully adjustable coil-over suspension, metal spherical bearings, and rear harness strut bar deliver the sort of connection to the tarmac normally reserved for full-blown race cars. This isn’t about brute power alone; Shelby’s engineers obsessed over achieving perfect chassis balance, enabling the Super Snake-R to devour corners with as much confidence as it blitzes straights. One of the most striking technical achievements on the 2026 model is its 20-inch staggered magnesium alloy wheels, 11 inches wide at the front and a massive 13 inches at the rear. Produced by MP Wheels using BlueTech Global’s advanced materials expertise, they slash unsprung weight by roughly 16.6 kg in total, or about 4 kg per corner. In real-world performance terms, that’s the rotational mass equivalent of cutting roughly 82 kg of static vehicle weight.
Shelby’s widebody design gives the Super Snake-R an unmistakably muscular stance. Metallic rear body panels blend seamlessly with carbon fibre front fenders, while an aggressive front fascia channels airflow to critical cooling systems. The front splitter, bonnet vents, rocker wickers, rear diffuser, and pedestal wing all work in concert to enhance aerodynamics and reduce weight. From the rear, the widebody transformation becomes even more dramatic. Flared arches house those 20"x13" magnesium wheels and massive tyres, the carbon rear diffuser works to stabilise the car at high speed, and the Super Snake-specific pedestal wing adds significant downforce without compromising top speed.
Inside, the Super Snake-R’s cabin is pure business. Shelby-specific leather seat trim, embroidered with the Super Snake-R insignia, delivers both visual impact and all-day comfort. Alcantara inserts provide grip during aggressive driving, while a serialised dash plaque and matching engine bay plate underline the exclusivity of the build. The rear seat has been deleted in favour of weight savings and chassis rigidity, replaced with a harness strut bar tying the rear shock towers together. In the manual variant, a billet shifter ball adds motorsport-inspired tactility. Additional touches like embroidered floor mats, Super Snake door sill plates, and optional puddle lamps round out the package.
This marks the third Shelby vehicle built on the new S650 Mustang platform and the most track-focused Super Snake ever. Priced from $224,995 (+- R3,400,000), which includes the base 600A Dark Horse Mustang - each build is documented in the official Shelby Registry and carries a 3-year/36,000-mile (+- 58,000 km) limited warranty.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the folks who know what they're doing when it comes to aftermarket Ford Mustang tuning. As if the Dark Horse wasn't mean enough: 2026 Shelby Super Snake R | Full Walkaround of Shelby’s Track-Ready Mustang | Shelby American
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