There’s an old trick to telling how far away a lightning bolt is. Once you see it, you start counting until you hear thunder, and every five seconds is supposed to equal a mile away. The trick’s not of any use, however, if the thunder arrives without you even seeing any lightning—as it will if you race Ford’s electric F-150 against the even faster Shelby F-150 Super Snake Sport.
The single-cab version of the most powerful street truck in Shelby’s history, the Super Snake Sport, is based on an optioned-up F-150 XLT with four-wheel drive and the 5.0-liter V8. To its upstream side, Shelby fits a carbon fiber intake, a new manifold, a heat exchanger, and of course, a big old blower. Meanwhile, Borla supplies piping downstream. The result is a max output of 775 horsepower on 93-octane gas, good for zero-to-60 in 3.45 seconds, or almost a second quicker than the Lightning.
Zero to 100 and back to zero is even more savage, taking just 8.3 seconds. That’s down to six-piston front calipers that bite down on slotted rotors and “upgraded” rear pads and rotors. They’re the biggest, but far from the only modifications keeping the Super Snake Sport’s performance manageable, which also include major suspension and aero revisions.
Shelby lowered the Sport on coilovers with adjustable Fox shocks, altered the upper control arms, and added a new rear sway bar. Traction bars keep the rear axle in place, and functional aero keeps it on the tarmac. A front splitter and side skirts reduce airflow under the truck, while a functional ram air hood and Shelby grille defend against overheating. Along with 22-inch wheels and generous Super Snake striping and badging, they make damn sure people know they’re looking at an authentic Shelby. And if any doubt remained, they’d only have to check the re-trimmed interior for the one feature universal to all Shelbys: The serial-numbered plaque.
Shelby will produce just 300 of each F-150 Super Snake cab style, of which the single-cab Sport is the slightly more affordable option. It’s still not cheap, though, starting at $98,960 for the supercharged model, or $90,790 for one without the blower (though let’s be real: go big or go home). All are covered by three-year, 36,000-mile warranties that cover the powertrain, so feel free to do the chili enthusiast in chief proud and go like hell.
Got an S10 that’ll outrun this any day of the week? Send me at video at james@thedrive.com