Jay Leno was recently handed the keys to a 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake belonging to actor Jim Caviezel and while it may not be as exotic as some of the cars Leno’s drives, it is remarkably fast.
Caviezel is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jesus Christ in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ and also happens to be a massive car enthusiast. After reading a book about Seal Team Six (currently known as DEVGRU) who were among the 38 men killed in Extortion 17, a Chinook helicopter downed in Afghanistan in 2011, Caviezel decided to build a bespoke Super Snake paying tribute to the fallen service personnel.
To do so, Caviezel partnered up with car designer Chip Foose and purchased the perfect Super Snake to start the build from. In standard guise, the 5.8-liter supercharged V8 engine of the 2014 Super Snake delivers a monumental 662 hp. For the actor, though, that wasn’t enough.
Consequently, the build called for the fitment of an enlarged Kenne Bell supercharger directly from Shelby that upped power to 850 hp. This beefed-up powertrain makes for a muscle car so fast that even the most extreme hypercars better by wary of this beast.
Located near the Kenne Bell supercharger is a special plaque that pays tribute to the 19 SEAL members killed in the Chinook crash. This plaque also includes a trident belonging to Chris Kyle, a highly-decorated sniper and Navy SEAL veteran whose military exploits were portrayed in the film American Sniper starring Bradley Cooper.
Other parts paying tribute to the military are “sword-tipped” wheels from Chip Foose and a bespoke emblem on the rear and the wheel caps that includes the Extortion 17 trident, a knight’s helmet and the American flag.
Interestingly, last year Caviezel was cast as the lead on CBS’ then upcoming SEAL Team series, but was eventually replaced by David Boreanaz.