1968 Shelby GT500

The new 1967 Mustang body shell had been designed to accept Ford's 390-cubic inch big block engine, however, Carroll Shelby had other ideas and decided to drop a Police Interceptor 428-cubic inch Cobra-Jet into the engine bay with the addition of dual carb intakes. His legendary GT500 was born and was the "top-of-the-line' for Mustang ownership in 1967-68.

Output was conservatively claimed at 355 horsepower, however, actual output was closer to 400 with 420 foot-pounds of pavement-melting torque! The engine was mated to a four-speed manual transmission or 3-speed auto, the suspension was "heavy duty' and the brakes were power-assisted discs at the front with drums on the rear.

The GT500 looked the part too, sporting a new front end with a unique bonnet scoop and grille-mounted driving lights, giving the GT500 Shelbys a more aggressive stance. Towards the back, it boasted rear threequarter scoops, a rear spoiler, and sequential turn signals from a 1966 Thunderbird, all of which gave the car, even more, road presence. A roll-over bar with inertia-reel shoulder harnesses completed the race-car references and the model has been immortalized with true "cult' status ever since. In recent years GT500s have become prized collector items and continue to perform incredibly well all over the world.

Chassis number 00551 is a second series GT500 and is 1 of just 1020 examples built and 1 of 458 sold new in Candy Apple Red. It was ordered new in 1967 and delivered to Joe Myers Ford in Houston, Texas on 17th January 1968 with the fantastic 428ci 4-Valve engine.

Desirable factory options included: 6,000 RPM hydraulic camshaft, manual 4-speed wide-ratio transmission, power disc brakes, power steering, ram-air intake, hood locks, remote driver's side mirror, décor black interior and tilt away steering column.

Supplied in the history file is the original bill of sale from 1968, along with 78 pages of bills and receipts over the years. The car was expertly restored by Shelby marque specialists Classic Car Care of Texas benefitting from a full rotisserie rebuild and, having only covered 1,000 miles since is presented in fine condition. The paintwork retains an excellent shine and the interior is in lovely order. The engine bay is still very clean and the engine sounds incredible on start up!

In 2010 this GT500 was acquired by a UK collector from Specialty Sales in San Carlos, California and he has kept the car in pristine condition covering just 200 fine-weather miles in 6 years.

Offered publicly for sale for the first time ever in Europe, this incredible vehicle is included within the Shelby World Register and has a deluxe Marti Report. The Marti report confirms the car as a matching numbers example that has never had an engine change. Pre-sale inspections are encouraged and prospective bidders should contact the office for further details. This extremely rare Shelby GT500 is surely the ultimate "Muscle Car' and is one of the finest examples we have ever seen in Europe.