Makes › Shelby American › GT500 › GT500 'Super Snake' · Historically significant · 1967
Shelby American
GT500 'Super Snake'
One-off 427 GT40-engined GT500 built for a Goodyear tyre test
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- 1967
- Engine
- V8, Le Mans-specification 427 · 7,000 cc / 7.0 LFactory: 427 cu in · converted
- Power
- 447 kW / 608 PSFactory: 600 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 274 km/hFactory: 170 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Fred Goodell (Shelby American chief engineer), from Don McCain's concept
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The 1967 Super Snake is a one-off GT500 built with a racing 427 for a 500-mile Goodyear tyre test. It was meant to lead to a run of 50 427-powered GT500s, but its price was too high, so only one was made.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Shelby American GT500 'Super Snake' (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Sarah Larson from Ann Arbor, MI, USA · CC BY 2.0
Shelby American GT500 'Super Snake' (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Sarah Larson from Ann Arbor, MI, USA · CC BY 2.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionone-off ("The one and only 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake") | 11,2 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
In 1967 Goodyear asked Shelby, its West Coast distributor, to join a promotion for its Thunderbolt economy tyres, and Shelby chose a GT500 for an extended high-speed test. Former Shelby sales manager Don McCain suggested a racing 427 for the test and a run of 50 cars for a dealer. Shelby's chief engineer Fred Goodell prepared GT500 number 544 with a lightweight 427 racing engine, special rear axle and transmission.
At Goodyear's test track near San Angelo, Texas, Shelby took journalists on laps and reached 170 mph, and then Goodell drove the 500-mile test at an average of 142 mph. The tyres kept 97 per cent of their tread. McCain admitted the car was just too expensive, and it was sold to two airline pilots who changed the 2.73 gears to 4.10 for drag racing.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard GT500 'Super Snake'.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | V8, Le Mans-specification 4271 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 7,000 cc / 7.0 LFactory: 427 cu in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 447 kW / 608 PSFactory: 600 hp · converted1 Independently researchedFigure quoted for the GT40 Mk II-type engine fitted. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Final drive | 2.73 (original); changed to 4.10 for drag racing1 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 274 km/hFactory: 170 mph · converted1 Independently researchedSpeed reached by Carroll Shelby on demonstration laps. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The Super Snake has one-off chrome inboard headlight surrounds and a unique variation of the Le Mans striping, with two narrow blue stripes flanking a wide blue centre stripe. It originally wore Shelby 10-spoke aluminium wheels with 7.75-15 Goodyear Thunderbolt whitewall tyres. The engine has an external oil cooler, braided lines, remote oil filter and a variation of the GT40 Mk II 'bundle of snakes' exhaust.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake Level B Supercars.net
- there is only one Super Snake
- same powerplant used in the GT40 Mk II that had won the famous French endurance
- special lightweight 427 racing engine
- its output of 600 horsepower
- replaced its original 2.73 gearset with a 4.10 unit
- Shelby reached a top speed of 170 MPH
-
2
1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake – Mecum Auctions Level B
- 1 one-off ("The one and only 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake")
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