Shelby turns the GT500 into the drag-focused Dragon Snake

As first drive reviews have recently revealed, the new Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 is more than just built for the straight-line.

Our reports from American soil attest to Ford’s new muscle car flagship being a well-rounded package on road and track, however for those of the drag racing disposition, American tuner Shelby American has reimagined a Mustang GT500 for the drag strip with the Shelby GT500 Dragon Snake concept.

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Revealed at SEMA 2019, the Dragon Snake features a retuned version of the GT500’s 5.2-litre supercharged V8 fitted with a Shelby supercharger upgrade and a full exhaust system, raising its power output from 567kW to “597kW+”.

In addition to that, Shelby recalibrated the Dragon Snake concept’s dual-clutch transmission, revised its suspension, installed lightweight glass, and modified the bodywork, all in the interest of bolstering its straight-line acceleration.

The Dragon Snake name too is a homage to Shelby American’s drag racing version of the Shelby Cobra of the 1960s, which was known as the ‘Dragonsnake’.

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“The 2020 Shelby GT500 is truly amazing in stock configuration, but we wanted to explore its pure acceleration capabilities,” says Vince LaViolette, vice president of operations and chief of R&D for Shelby American.

“So we worked closely with Ford Performance and other partners to create the ultimate ‘weapon of track destruction’ in the quarter mile.”

On a related note, the Dragon Snake concept wasn’t the only Shelby American concept at SEMA 2019, with the tuner also unveiling the Shelby Super Snake Sport F-150 concept.

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Based on the two-door version of Ford’s popular F-150 pick-up truck, the Super Snake Sport F-150 was built in response to “enthusiast requests” and meant to capture the “spirit of the great 1960s muscle cars”.

The concept pick-up features a 563kW supercharged V8 engine, Shelby-specific Borla exhaust system and lowered suspension, and uprated brakes.

That being said, Shelby American hasn’t released any performance figures for the Dragon Snake concept and Super Snake Sport F-150 concept, or details of its availability to customers.