What a great experience it was to celebrate the 30th birthday of Baywatch. It was such an honour to work with our partners at The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay during a great article write up and photoshoot by Ferdi de Vos and Ryan Abbott. Most of us didn’t even know that the world-renowned show Baywatch was actually filmed in Camps Bay, Cape Town.

“Snake in the Bay”

Special Mustang models like the SVT Cobra and Cobra R returned with the fourth-generation model. After an update in 1999, it spawned the first Bullitt, a Mach 1 revival, and the 2000 Cobra R. There were no Shelby versions, though, as the Shelby-Ford partnership was over by 1969. It was revived in 2007 and since then Shelby has developed several bespoke Shelby Mustang models.

Still, we are convinced the stars of Baywatch – if it was to be resurrected now (there are rumours …) – would be seen in the Super Snake version at least, and well-known racer Peter Lindenberg, the local distributor of Shelby, kindly supplied us the latest 2019 model for our shoot.

It is an eye-catching beast. Based on the latest S550 Mustang this limited-edition package, each with a unique CSM number included in the Official Shelby Registry, has been extensively reworked, featuring a new hood, rockers, spoilers, splitters, grilles, rear
tail panel, and rear diffuser assembly. The Shelby theme is continued inside with finely appointed stitching and badges.

Powered by an 800 horsepower (nearly 600 kW) cross-plane crankshaft variant of the Ford 5-litre V8 Voodoo engine (named the Predator) with a Whipple supercharger, the powerful Super Snake emits a magnificent sound, and with nearly 1 000 Nm of torque, it whips from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds.

With a Penske-tuned suspension, MagnaRide dampers, 20-inch forged wheels, high-performance tyres, Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes, and Shelby exhaust it effortlessly carved up the Chapmans Peak road, yet it is still tractable enough to burble down the Camps Bay main drag at snail’s pace. The track-tuned suspension is hard, though, and amplifies every road undulation.

Nonetheless, this fastest of all Shelby Mustang specials is a magnificent and very collectable machine, ready for everyday use but with more than a healthy dose of muscle car appeal.

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