Looking to the Ford Mustang for inspiration, Shelby American just announced plans to build 98 special edition 2021 Shelby Super Snake “Speedster” cars for the U.S. market.
“From a styling perspective, there is simply nothing like it on the road,” said Gary Patterson, president of Las Vegas-based Shelby American, who shuttles between homes in Logandale, Nevada, and Newport, Michigan.
“With the wide body option, it’s a rare combination of sleek elegance and American muscle machismo. This is the automotive equivalent of a powerful heavyweight boxer fitted into a stylish, fine suit,” he said.
This is the first two-seat roadster version ever offered of the Shelby Super Snake, which takes its design cues from a car created by Shelby American in 1967.
They’re handmade in Las Vegas and sold at select Ford and Tuscany dealerships.
The Shelby Super Snake starts at $133,785. This limited edition Speedster costs $4,995 more or $138,780. The company will build 98 of each model.
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Patterson is seeing a surge in luxury shoppers.
“The typical buyer is probably 40 to 70 years old. They’ve got their own business and they’ve done very well. They want something other people don’t have,” Patterson told the Free Press. “It’s a great street car. People in this price category probably live in a nice neighborhood, an area where people have discretionary income. They can go down to a dealer and buy a new Ferrari or a new Corvette. But your chances of running into a Shelby Super Snake Speedster are really small.”
These owners tend to live in “smile” states — traditionally considered California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and up the east coast a bit, Patterson said. As if you drew a smiley face on the U.S. map. Patterson adds Oregon and Washington, too. The top Shelby American dealer, Pierre Ford, is based in Seattle.
There are pockets of customers in Colorado and Michigan and Ohio, he said.
Orders placed now will begin delivery in April, just in time for summer.
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In addition to the Speedster edition, Shelby American is honoring what would have been the 98th birthday of its founder — race car driver, designer, builder Shelby Carroll — with a collection of limited edition vehicles they’ve nicknamed a “bundle of snakes.”
Besides the Super Snakes, the company will build 98 each of the Shelby GT, which starts at $62,310, and the Shelby GT500 Signature Edition, which starts at $104,900.
“While the amazing Ford Mustang is a world class car from the factory, our team created additional models so we can offer something for everyone who dreams of owning a high-performance Shelby,” said Patterson. “From the daily driver Shelby GT to the technically sophisticated Shelby GT500 SE package and the limited edition Shelby Super Snake Speedster, we’ve never offered so many choices.”
Vince LaViolette, chief designer and vice president of operations at Shelby American, said, “Collaborating with Ford Motor Co., Penske, Borla, Brembo and other key companies, we dialed in a unique personality for each car targeted to a specific type of drive. And then we spent countless hours, miles and laps refining the vehicles.”
Shelby American, a subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International, has a licensing deal with Ford. The powertrains used in the vehicles are made by Ford, too.
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 or[email protected].Follow her on Twitter@phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.
