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Las Vegas-based tuners Shelby are releasing another new set of mods for the Mustang. The limited edition 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake includes improvements both to power and performance.

"Over the past 12 months, my team of hot rodders was hard at work on a Super Snake package for the next generation GT500," said Carroll Shelby. "Every lesson we learned kicking the competition around on the track over the past two years has been poured into this new car to keep Shelby owners out front."

That is why the company mounts an optional Shelby/Kenne Bell supercharger kit, which raises power output to 725 horsepower. You can also take the car down a peg, and opt for the Ford Racing Supercharger, which helps to produce a maximum 630 hp and 590 ft-lb of torque. Either way, the driver will take control of a six-speed manual gearbox featuring a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio via the short-throw shifter. A Borla exhaust unit is also included on both.

The Super Snake gets a standard Ford Racing handling package, which includes lowered springs, adjustable dampers, front strut tower brace and tuned stabilizer bars. You can purchase the optional Shelby/Eibach handling package as well. Custom Alcoa 20-inch wheels surround the cross drilled rotors. A six-piston Shelby/Baer brake system is also part of the package, as are the front brake cooling ducts.

Visual changes begin with the new fiberglass hood, Super Snake striping, rear decklid lettering, and various badging. Shelby headrests and floormats are also included.

Although the company does say that, "Exclusivity will be assured as a limited number of Super Snakes will be built," what they do not say is how few units will be produced. This information would surely be beneficial to anybody considering the car as an investment.

The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake will begin production in August. Pricing for the 630 hp package starts at $29,495, while the 725 hp kit goes for $33,495. Installation is included, but the price of the car is not.

Supercar Ford GT500 is mechanically an evolution of the previous model.Ford used the current-gen Bullitt model as the starting point for the 2010 Mustang GT, the lessons learned from developing the limited edition GT500 KR fed directly into the latest Shelby-badged variant. Output of the supercharged 5.4L V8 has now been cranked up to 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, and the handling is claimed to be better than before.

Compare with the old GT500, this new supercar model gets more aggressive styling, particularly in the nose, and reprises many of the same detail elements. The horizontally mirrored trapezoidal shape of the grille in the upper and lower front fascia is meant to echo the oval shape of the Shelby Cobras of the '60s. The upper grille is tilted forward at a steeper angle than the GT and the grille surround is separated entirely from the hood. The hood of the GT500 still has a functional air extractor allowing some of the massive heat generated by the blown V8 to escape.

The engine for this supercar is still a twin cam 5.4L V8 with a supercharger. The updates bump output from from 500 hp at 6,000 rpm to 540 hp at 6,200 rpm. Twisting force also goes from 480 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm to 510 lb-ft at the same peak speed. The iron block from the F-150 was used with the top end of the GT engine, which pushed the car's weight up over 3,900 lbs.

The top two ratios in the new GT500's gearbox have been made numerically lower. The clutch plates for supercar GT500 have been increased in diameter from 215 mm to 250 mm. All that torque flows from the Tremec 6-speed gearbox through a limited slip differential with a 3.55:1 final drive ratio. The 2010 GT500 gets 17% stiffer springs at the front axle and 7% stiffer at the rear axle.

When a man of Carrol Shelby's stature in the automotive industry reaches the grand old young age of 85, there is little more Shelby Automobiles can do to celebrate other than recreate the iconic GT40 with a new 85^th commemorative version.

The new MKII GT40 will stay true to the original version featuring the original styling inside and out and comes as a rolling chassis built to accommodate any shelby branded engine which could include the top of the line 427FE V8. Unfortunately as this vehicle is only a rolling chassis, no specs have been released.

Available in three different colors: Arcadian Blue with whites stripes, black with silver stripes and red with white stripes, the MKII GT40 will be limited to a production of 85 units in each color.

A race version will also be made available with extra features including a roll bar, fuel cell and A/C delete, see below for a list of some of the commemorative features on all versions.

Features

• Record sale into the Shelby Registry
• Shelby MSO and dash plaque
• Carroll Shelby engraved door handles
• Carroll Shelby etched left and right front headlight covers
• Roundels with 85 number decals
• Leather seating
• Hood wind diffusers
• CS GT40® numbered plaque
• CS GT40® side sill graphics
• Carroll Shelby signature floor and sill mats
• 85th Commemorative hood badge
• 85th Special Edition decal
• Available in right and left hand drive

Shelby GT500KR is such a hit that more examples are to find their way into enthusiasts’ garages in the next year or so. This after the demand began to outstrip supply to dangerous levels, such that Ford and partner on the project Shelby Automobiles decided to produce an additional 746 units for the 2009 model. US buyers will receive 571 units for their top dollar. Production of the car began the day Carroll Shelby celebrated 85 years of his own birth back on January 11, 2008.

GT500KR fits a 5.4-litre supercharged V8 on its bones to make a hefty 540 bhp, working with a short-throw shifter and racing suspension tuning. “This car is really special to me and demonstrates that when Shelby Automobiles gets together with Ford SVT and Ford Racing, we can deliver a Mustang that will compete with the best in the world,” is what Shelby himself was heard to say.

The cars arrive at Shelby Automotive in Las Vegas as standard Mustang GT500 cars where they undergo an extensive metamorphosis of chassis tuning, performance kit installation and exterior mods to come out the way they are. Such is the interest in GT500KR that at a recent charity auction a unique one – glass roof and all – went for a shivering USD550,000! Curiosity will only heighten when it debuts as K.I.T.T. in the next installment of Knight Rider.