It was only a matter of time before Shelby responded to the 850bhp Hennessey Super Venom Mustang.

While Shelby already offers the 820bhp Super Snake, its Texan rival stole a march on the Nevada-based outfit by basing the Venom on the driver-focused Dark Horse, rather than the regular S650.

The R is Shelby’s riposte, taking a Dark Horse and applying the same 3.0 litre Whipple supercharger to the 5.0-litre Coyote V8. The net result is 850bhp – up 20 on the ‘regular’ Super Snake. No torque output has been disclosed, but given the previous-generation Super Snake delivered a claimed 700lb-ft, it's possible the R could be knocking on the door of 800. And all this is on 93-octane unleaded.

Shelby also fits a new, enlarged radiator to aid cooling, forged con rods and heavy-duty driveshafts to handle the power. Transmission options are Ford’s Tremec 3160 six-speed manual or 10R80 10-speed automatic.

But there is far more to the Super Snake-R than headline-grabbing outputs, as suggested by a huge widebody kit that gives the Mustang GTD a run for its money. Shelby states the car has been “engineered for track dominance”, meaning the Super Snake’s sports spring and damper package has made way for fully adjustable coilovers, in tandem with new anti-roll bars, chassis strengthening mods and adjustable camber plates. Alongside all this, metal spherical bearings replace select rubber bushes.

Shelby has fitted new five-spoke magnesium wheels to further differentiate the R from the regular Super Snake. The staggered 20"x11" front and 20"x13" rear rims better fill the new arches, and are wider than the magnesium multispokes of the Super Snake. Michelin is onboard supplying ‘Shelby-spec’ rubber – a colossal 335/35-20 at the rear. Given the track intent, you’d expect those to be Cup 2s, however the press car appears to be sporting Pilot Sport 4S – perhaps the final choice will lie with the customer.

Despite growing in size, the new wheels still save an identical 4kg per corner. In a similar fashion, the brakes are larger and lighter, thanks to the adoption of two-piece slotted discs, clamped by Brembo callipers.

The carbon aero package has been taken up a notch, comprising a new front splitter, rocker wickers and bonnet vents, while at the rear, there's a carbon diffuser, ducktail spoiler and a huge pedestal wing. Carbon fibre also features in the aforementioned widebody kit, albeit only in the front arches – the rears are still fashioned from steel. Shelby claims every detail serves a purpose, designed for optimum airflow, ‘blending form and function into a cohesive, race-ready silhouette.’

While the adoption of carbon fibre is widespread, the weight of the Super Snake-R has actually increased to the tune of 53kg – resulting in a 1,816kg total. Blame the juicy supercharger, strengthening measures and new-found surface area of the bodywork.

The weight-saving measures include the removal of the rear seats, which make way for a harness bar to anchor multipoint seatbelts. Given the hardcore track-toy remit, what remains of the interior is surprisingly plush – the bucket seats are still trimmed in leather and Alcantara, there are embroidered floor mats and all the mod cons are still present. As per the regular Super Snake, a numbered plaque designates the limited-run status.

The car will be available in five Ford factory colours, including Grabber Blue Metallic, Race Red, Oxford White, Shadow Black and Carbonized Gray Metallic. A selection of racing stripes offers further customisation.

“The new suspension is a real game-changer,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American. “The R is far more solid, more connected and more poised than any other Super Snake we’ve built. And it is so adjustable that an experienced driver can easily tailor it to their taste.

“The ‘R’ model designation has never been applied to a Shelby Super Snake. We can build a small number of the 2026 model at a much higher level of performance, which earned it the special ‘R’ badge.”

The starting price is $225,000 – roughly £165,000 – which includes the brand-new Dark Horse donor. Reassuringly, despite the more than 40 percent jump in power, the Shelby Super Snake-R is backed by the firm's own three-year / 36,000-mile warranty, and can be purchased from and serviced at any Ford Performance dealer.

With official UK importer Clive Sutton already offering the Super Snake, it might only be a matter of time before the hardcore R finds its way across the Atlantic. Before that happens, you can count on Hennessey delivering a response.