Is the GT500 Super Snake’s 850 Horsepower Too Much?

The 2013 Shelby GT500 Super Snake has an amazing 850 horsepower thanks to its modified supercharged 5.8-liter V8. That’s much more than most street cars, and even more than many race cars. But is it too much horsepower? That’s the question Motor Trend is asking in their latest episode of Ignition. Actually, the magazine asks three questions: does it actually make that much power, is it too much for the car, and how fast is it?

To kick things off Motor Trend takes the Super Snake to K&N Engineering to find out whether the Super Snake actually makes its advertised horsepower. On K&N’s dyno the car made 747 horsepower and 611 lb-ft torque at the rear wheels. Accounting for drivetrain loss, Shelby’s rating of the supercharged 5.8-liter V8 is spot on.

And how fast is it? Well, Motor Trend recorded a quarter mile run of 12.0 seconds at 129.2 mph. They admit the car is capable of being significantly faster – Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords broke the 10 second barrier using Nitto NT5550R street tires.

So does the Super Snake have too much horsepower? Motor Trend doesn’t specifically answer the question, so you’ll have to watch the video and decide for yourself. Just click the play button below.