2023 is the year the American car industry (and perhaps the world's) celebrates the Carroll Shelby centennial. That's right, that would be the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the nation's most important automotive figures, so the perfect opportunity to have some very special cars made.
The company that wears the man's name, Carroll Shelby International, has been at it all year long, marking the occasion through various events and products. Most recently, for instance, was back in June, when the 2023 Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition F-150 was introduced.
Based on the most recent incarnation of Ford's best-selling pickup truck, the Shelby version got an impressive boost of power to an impressive total of 800 hp, double what it is capable of releasing in stock, factory form. It was also highly limited, to just 100 units.
It only took a couple of months for the truck's maker, Shelby American, to be satisfied all of them would be sold, so it decided at the end of September to reveal the same kind of treatment for the Super Snake.
The upgrades the truck got are virtually the same as the one used for the previous version. Starting off from a 2023 Ford F-150 of the Lariat 4x4, SuperCrew variety, the shop boosted the 5.0-liter engine's output to the same amount of 800 horsepower (when using 93-octane fuel), making it, just like the one back in June, the "most street-legal horsepower of any Shelby street-focused truck yet."
Responsible for the bump in power is the optional supercharger slapped over the V8 (a naturally aspirated version is also on the table), but that's not the only change made to the stock F-150. To handle the increased power, the suspension system was tampered with, getting Ridetech gear, Fox coilovers and modified upped control arms. At the rear new sway and track bars were fitted.
The truck was upgraded on the interior as well to be on par with the Centennial Edition moniker. It now comes in black stitched leather, the proper dedicated logos, and special lighting. The entire cabin is surrounded by deep-tinted windows.
Shelby will make just 100 of these as well for the 2023 model year, and it will offer them to potential buyers through select Blue Oval dealers. The starting price for the variant of the F-150 is not for the weak of heart: Shelby has set a $127,995 tag for the naturally aspirated version, and no less than $136,995 for the supercharged one.
The money will not land customers the truck alone, but also membership in Team Shelby and eligibility for the Shelby Registry. A Stetson hat the likes of which Carroll Shelby used to wear is thrown into the mix as well.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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