With the introduction of the 2013 Shelby GT500, Ford Motor Company gave birth to an icon.
That icon has built itself up upon its name, but also allowed Carroll Shelby to leave behind a creation so influential, it has claimed victory amongst any competitor to step forward and face its wrath.
The 662hp monster craves attention, but is also the quickest production muscle-car to date. Sharing the spotlight with anything else is just simply not an option! If you're not one of the lucky ones to own such a divine piece, then all we can say is, it's like driving in heaven.
For Dave Pulley, the spotlight may have to shine itself onto a new creature, a creature that looks like it just crawled out of hell looking to destroy anything in its path with a vengeance. A serpent that slithered its way through the cracks to the very brink of existence and said, "I'm ready for anything you've got!"
This sinister '10 Shelby GT500 began its normal life in the fall of 2010 when Dave drove it home to Cheyenne, Wyoming. With it being his first and only Stang, not to mention a Shelby counterpart, Dave was more than thrilled. Having been a Mustang fan since his childhood, and always wanting one, Dave never had the resources to accommodate one. It wasn't until after he retired as a firefighter and opened his own fire protection business, Phoenix Fire Protection, that the opportunity would unveil itself.
Immersed in the initial joy of finally owning a Stang, Dave would cruise to the local car shows and Mustang meets. While attending the shows and events, one in particular, the Sturgis Mustang Rally in South Dakota, he noticed that his new Steed was not quite the attention-grabber as some of the other Mustangs. After a year of ownership, Dave was ready to modify his Shelby, but little did he know what he was getting himself into.
Wanting something that would add a little customization to his ride, he ordered a one-piece radiator cover from Bangastang, a company that not only sells parts, but also specializes in customizing Mustangs. Thrilled with the finish and look of the new piece, Dave wanted more. It wasn't until he spoke with the owner of Bangastang, Hendrix Knowells, that his Shelby was about to cross the lines into a fiery territory.
" I wanted to find a balance of style for the car, not something that was over done.
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"We spoke on the phone probably for over a month before I decided to send him the car," explained Dave. "With me living in Wyoming and him located in California, I was very skeptical to send my car off to someone I had never met. But we spoke just about everyday, coming up with crazy ideas of what we wanted to do. As time went on, we got a feel for each other."
With the help of Bangastang's auto artist, Danny Whitfield, Hendrix sent Dave a rendering of what he thought would suit Dave. Once he receiving the rendering, astounded by what he saw, Dave simply said, "Let's do it!"
Hendrix ordered all the parts even before the Shelby made its way to California. Once there, he didn't waste any time. Starting with the exterior, Hendrix gave the Snake a new coat of paint from PPG, along with a sleek stripe design. Next up were several carbon fiber components, including a Trufiber hood, spoiler and front splitter; RK sport roof cover; VIS Racing trunk lid; and a billet upper and lower grille, powdercoated in black. And lets not forget the 20-inch Shelby Alcoa rims in all four corners.
For the interior, Hendrix wanted to create something that would follow the paint scheme. He had the seats reupholstered in leather to mimic the exterior, and also reupholstered the headrest, shifter, E-brake boot, and trunk lid.
Adding more bite to Dave's Shelby was a key ingredient to the build, so Hendrix set him up with a polished Ford Racing Performance Parts 2.9L Whipple supercharger. To match the polished blower, more than 40 pieces of billet accessories were polished and placed underneath the hood. This includes a CAL Pony Cars battery and master cylinder cover, shock tower covers, fusebox, and ECM cover by Silver Horse Racing.
In favor of better handling, the suspension was beefed up using Eibach coilovers and Blow-By Racing's lower control arms. Tuning was performed by Greg Rentis from Renegade performance in San Diego. The slithering Snake put down 685 rwhp and 627 lb-ft of torque on the rollers.
A unique feature to Dave's Shelby is a complete custom fire-suppression system designed by himself. Using a chemical known as halotron, designed and formulated to protect electrical equipment from fire, Dave installed this polished canister in his trunk, in case of any unfortunate fire were to occur in the future.
The entire build for Dave's Serpent only took six weeks. With the project finally finished, Hendrix and Dave deemed the Stang Hell Snake!(It is now a package deal that Bangastang currently offers.) With sinful aspirations of creating something unique and custom, we believe Dave and Hendrix reached down into the bottomless pits of hell, pulled out a mild demon, and turned it into a grueling, fire-breathing monster!
According to Hendrix, "I didn't want to create a Shelby that was overdone. I wanted to find a balance of style for the car, not something that was over done. When Dave takes it to the car shows, I wanted people to think, Oh my god, that's the Hell Snake!"