Monsters Inc

THREE TAKES ON THE MODERN MUSCLE CAR COUPE BUT THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE ULTIMATE

- Nathan Ponchard

INTIMIDATION COMES in many forms. Threats, blackmail, crowded shopping centres, the middle seat in economy, Mount Everest, an 800-horsepower Mustang. You could probably chuck a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in there too, because few people are going to feel instantly at ease with a seriously supercharged V8 sending shockwaves to its rear tyres, and it doesn’t make me any less of a man to admit it. If you had to name a muscle coupe destined to expand the testicular mass of anyone behind the wheel, it’s one of these Yank brutes.

Punters keen on this type of testosterone boost must be chuffed you no longer need to head Stateside to feel the burn. Thanks to HSV’s converting talents, Chevrolet’s ultimate Camaro is now right-hook-ready and perfectly poised to pick up where the GTS-R W1 left off at a somewhat eyebrow-raising $159,990. And, thanks to the column-shifting expertise of Mustang Motorsport, the thrill of a Shelby-enhanced Mustang Super Snake is also ripe for the taking, even in completely bat-shit crazy ‘Wide-Body’ form.

Without the full plumping treatment, the Shelby Super Snake is already a formidable 169 big ones. But if you want the Wide-Body booty, that’s another $35K right there. And if 700hp (522kW) isn’t worth getting out of your recliner for, there’s an 800hp (596kW) alternative for $12,290 more, complete with additional wail courtesy of a Whipple supercharger. And on our test car (the first of two – keep reading), let’s not forget painted pearl-white gloss stripes ($11K), a torsen differential with 3.73:1 ratio ($5K) and $1950 worth of leather and suede interior alterations that transform this Mustang into a virtual $239,930 caricature of itself – albeit a hugely intriguing one.