Spotted this 1968 Shelby GT500 “Super Snake” on Ebay. It has ALUMINUM, supercharged 427FE, five speed manual and it is stated that over $200,000 are invested! Some more features are complete Ground Control suspension, A/C, rack and pinion steering, disc brakes, TRUE Halibrand knock offs. The iconic muscle car is a multiple show winner and pretty much custom touched everywhere!
Here come the details:
A HOT ’68 GT500 Eleanor tribute, powered by a Shelby licensed and supercharged ALUMINUM 427CI big block! A Tremec TKO transmission in the tunnel, competition suspensions front and rear, a killer interior, real knockoff wheels and a just-so exhaust note make this car a blast to drive and one of the ultimate head-turning rides of all time! Click on Read more for fantastic gallery and more spicy details!
Start under the hood: That’s a Gessford Machine (Hastings, NE) built, 100% new, all aluminum FE 427 with a Paxton NOVI 1200 blower hanging off the side. Gessford not only builds huge horsepower motors they’re licensed by Shelby and their motors receive CSX numbers upon completion. You want a real Shelby mill? Gessford can build you one from stock to insane, which is about the end of the spectrum where this beast lies. The foundation is a Shelby aluminum block, stuffed with a Shelby billet crank, H beam connecting rods and low compression (for the boost) forged pistons. The heads are Shelby pieces as well, styled after the “medium riser” Ford pieces but with larger 2.25/1.75 valves and more efficient ports. Up front, you’ll find a Shelby cast aluminum timing cover and water pump while a single plane Shelby intake resides on top. While that would be enough power for most, this isn’t a car for the masses, so Gessford added a Paxton NOVI 1200 supercharger hanging from custom billet engine brackets for even more go power. We figure the motor’s worth better than 700HP, and Gessford’s tab was north of $40,000. Supporting pieces include the MSD 6BTM ignition box and billet distributor, a set of ceramic coated headers, a mega dollar AVIAID dual kickout fabricated aluminum oil pan and Florida Central Machine spark plug wires. There’s an SFI damper up front and an SFI aluminum flywheel inside the scattershield in back. The polished blower, discharge piping and the fabricated and Shelby-logo’d valve covers handle the show duties. The headers dump into 2.’5” pipes with Magnaflow mufflers before exiting through the rockers-you have to hear this car to believe it. This is a serious sounding and running engine with few equals on the street.
The rest of the drivetrain is up to the task, with an aluminum crossflow radiator and dual fans handling the cooling, a hydraulically operated heavy duty clutch sending power to the TREMEC TKO500 transmission and a custom driveshaft leading back to a FAB9 3.70:1 9” rear axle with Strange axles and a Detroit Locker. There’s no hack job here, either-Exotic Concepts in Longwood, Florida, did the work. Sure, some cars look the part, and some even have huge engines, but how many do you see with ALL of the proper supporting equipment?
Stay underneath and see the chassis is all there, too. An ABS master cylinder with electrically operated Hydroboost powers Wilwood four piston calipers with two piece drilled rotors. There’s an adjustable proportioning valve for fine tuning and aluminum rotor hats for less unsprung weight. Total Control’s front suspension setup with coilover shocks, fabricated control arms with Heim joints, rack and pinion steering and a billet strut tower brace. Out back you’ll find a fully adjustable four link suspension with coilovers and a Panhard rod. Again, many pretenders but very few cars go this far!
The visuals are all in place, too. The already beautiful fastback body looks downright deadly in its Eleanor body kit and Super Snake bulge hood. There’s a racing style fuel filler in the C pillar, big PIAA driving lights in the gaping grille, full rocker panels with aluminum exhaust tips, hood pins, stripes and all new glass and trim. New chrome pieces from the door handles down add sparkle while the “wow” factor gets turned up to 11 with the Compomotive 17” TRUE knockoff wheels and tri-bar center caps, wrapped in Dunlop 275/40/17 front and 315/35/17 HTR Z tires. The body is perfectly smooth, the work of known Shelby expert Dave Miller in Florida. All of the Shelby pieces are in place from the big snakes to the sequential taillights out back. Is there any wonder this car took down the best of show trophy in its only outing?
The cockpit is an excellent place to while away the miles, or to be a complete hooligan-the car does either with aplomb. You’re sitting in very comfortable leather racing seats and held in place with RJS camlock harnesses. Your left hand is on the Moto-Lita wood wheel with Shelby center cap (all atop a tilt column) while your right hand finds the shifter with the awesome “GO BABY GO” shift knob. Look over your right shoulder-that’s a 10lb NOS nitrous bottle hooked to the Ny-Trex wet system in the engine bay. It’s jetted for a 125HP shot, for those just-in-case moments! The center console features a new Shelby armrest pad, a custom stainless insert with power window switches, fuel pump and nitrous arming switches, and three of the Auto Meter Phantom series gauges you’ll find everywhere you look. ’67 Door panels were tapped for duty (they’re a cleaner look) with wheel center cap logos over the holes where the window cranks would normally poke through. How’s that for detailed? A four point rollbar, the nitrous bottle and a fiberglass rear seat delete ride behind you, while a fire extinguisher rides shotgun. We wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable, either, so there’s an Old Air Products heating and air conditioning system installed. And yes, it’s as cool to be in here as you’re thinking.
Few cars get everything right, and this is one of them. We’re no stranger to customs and pro touring cars, and we can honestly tell you this beast is a standout. From ozone depleting burnouts to taking down trophies everywhere to cruising in style and comfort this car does it all!
Pictures from R&H MotorCarGroup.com