Update 10/20/20 – This toasted Shelby has been relisted here on eBay with no reserve. How high will it go?
From 9/30/20 – I have always found the ’69 and ’70 Ford Shelby Mustangs to be the least desirable of the Shelby Mustangs. They are miles away from the original ’65 and ’66 versions, share the big engine philosophy with the ’67 and ’68 GT 500 variants, though not the collectibility, and shared styling that drifted further away from the ready-to-rumble road racer vibe. And the 1970 model is especially unique for reasons that will be further examined. Let’s take a look at this 1970 GT 500, it is located in Carmel Valley, California, and is available, here on eBay for a starting bid of $25,000, zero bids tendered as of this writing.
The uniqueness of the 1970 Shelby Mustang arises from the fact that the ’70s were really retitled, or leftover, ’69s. The story goes that the VINs were altered, under FBI supervision, to reflect the 1970 model year. As a visual cue, the raised power bulges on the hood were finished off in black and a lower front spoiler, also finished in black, was added. Body styles still included a fastback and a convertible, in both GT 350 and 500 trims. The last Shelby Mustang, for this generation, was assembled in June of ’69. It is an interesting juxtaposition to compare this ’70 with this ‘69 Shelby Mustang GT 350 that we covered last week.
This example has a lot of stuff going on. Firstly, it was equipped with the seldomly seen Drag Pack performance option that was available with the 428 Cobra Jet engine. The claim is backed up with a Marti Report which states that this Ford is one of 98 with this performance enhancement, not one of 35 as claimed in the listing. Specifically, the Drag Pack option included a 3.91:1 axle ratio with Traction-Lok (limited slip), oil cooler, cap screw connecting rods, and a “modified” crankshaft, flywheel and harmonic balancer. Unfortunately, this Shelby is a “youstabee”, as the 335 gross HP, 428 CJ V8 engine is MIA. This Mustang was modified for drag racing so that’s probably how the engine met its fate. It has been off of the road since 1980, so the loss occurred some time ago. It is sort of like “steers and rolls redux” as that is exactly what the seller claims this car still does. The original Toploader, four-speed manual transmission is included with the sale.
Moving right along, and there is no way to disguise the elephant in the room, this GT 500 has experienced a firestorm. Actually, according to the seller, it was a flash fire, “It was in a flash fire and burned from the waist line up. The bottom of the seats, the bottom of the door panels, and carpet are not burned. All of the glass is shattered. The dash, steering wheel, top of the door panels, seat backs, top of the fenders, hood and trunk lid are burned (see photos)”. The steel structure of the body is probably still usable though the seller notes a dented roof – caused by heat? Certain body components, such as the quarter panel side vents, are gone and fiberglass parts like the rear spoiler have been destroyed. Ditto for the lights, glass, lenses and that ’70 Shelby only front spoiler. The original Shelby wheels are still in place and appear to be usable though the seller mentions that the tires aren’t original – it seems highly unlikely that they would be. There are included images of the underside and the integrity of this Mustang appears to be sound.
Most of the interior items have been referenced in the seller’s inferno damage description. It seems irrelevant to suggest that the bottom of the seats, the bottom of the door panels, and carpet are not burned. The interior looks like a complete write-off and will need total restoration. Any way you cut it, this Ford will be a major undertaking.
There are five days to go with the auction and no bids tendered so far. It wouldn’t be a surprise to find zero tendered at all with a $25K starting bid requirement. This is truly an unfortunate occurrence, this would be a great car to own if it were in at least passable condition. That said, even fully restored, it’s value will be adversely impacted without the original engine; the fact that it had a Drag-Pack equipped 428 is of little consequence now. But that doesn’t mean this Shelby Mustang is shredder fodder, perhaps it could roam the roads again, just in non-original form. With that thought in mind, what do you think, is this GT 500 salvageable?
$25,000 for this? It’s barely a parts car. The interior is literally toast with probably nothing salvageable except for maybe a few screws and a door handle. The rear end is ruined, no glass and the side scoops along with the front spoiler are gone. So what’s left? Front fenders, hood, wheels, the top loader, the Drag-Pack bits and maybe a few other odds and ends. Sorry guys, I’m not seeing $25 large here. IMO, the seller has a better chance of winning the lottery.
It will probably wind up a VIN swap candidate assuming the tags survived the fire. But agree that $25K is too much.
I see a $1200 parts car at best
agreed……and most people would need to win the lottery in order to Resurrect this Roasted Shelby.
Set fire to it again…or lower the price a LOT! We go from overpriced rust buckets to overpriced burn victims. This ones pretty toasty.
Jeez, that’s a crying shame.
I misread your reply.
I saw “Jeez, that’s a frying shame.
Close!
Just Toss Some Carroll Shelby Five Alarm Chili Into The Pot And We Just Might Have A Meal To Go Along With This Sweet Deal.
Ghastly looking. Looks like it was in a car fire. Or, as my car buddy sez: “Vehicle Flambé.”
AKA a Car-B-Que
They Call It Greek Lightning Here In Chicago.
25k no way. I see no value here just a burnt up POS.
It’s an expensive vehicle identification number for some clone clown…
Sadly , the car is junk ; once the fire gets to the point where the aluminum pieces melts , its over. The roof is bent from the heat and anything structural in the top part of this car is no good. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tires on the car were changed too- I’ve seen tires blister and ” spontaneously combust ” from nearby fire . I wonder if the seller bought the car with the motor and transmission and removed it for another Shelby and is now trying to unload the carcass ?
@bone…that sounds bout right but if the fire got that hot probably wasn’t much of anything good left of the engine..stick a fork in it its crispy
It might be relevant that the lower parts weren’t burned. There could be a chance that the floorplan and subframes are not damaged, which would be a good start for replacing everything else. But without the motor, and needing the unique trim in addition to most of the body panels, the price is hugely out of bounds.
LMAO 25k Just more proof you can’t fix stupid with this listing !
$25K? I don’t know what to say.
No?
Sweeten The Deal And Toss In A Few Bags Of Stay Puft Marshmallows…
Like the kay’oed 67 GT elsewhere, gots to be careful with these rare machines, only so many built. I know it’s just a car, but the outrageous money these things go for tell me it’s more like treasure.
No relations to road racing is true, more like a street racer for the man who liked to ride in style.
Uuurrgh, was a nice ride!
And today on Burn Finds ……
I’ll give him $2.16 for a gallon of gas and a pack of matches, so the fire can finish what it started!
If the car were to be media blasted and any parts from Dynacorn could be used to fix the body, I can easily see this car being turned into a restomod powered by the Predator engine from the 2020 Shelby GT500 … or at the very least, a Coyote engine with a supercharger installed.
However, the seller will have to remove 1 or 2 zeroes from the asking price, because no hot rod builder would want to pay $25,000 since they would probably have to invest that amount just to get the body in shape and purchase the engine. The shop would also have to spend more to add a new suspension, transmission, and a custom interior.
On COPART a while back they had a Ferrari with a buy it now of “300 dollars” which was a similar burn victim. The seller may get $300 if someone wants some lawn art.
red-head·ed step·child
nounINFORMAL•US
a person or thing that is neglected, unwanted, or mistreated.
Definition from the Oxford dictionary, it has been in use since the 1840’s. It’s not intended, certainly by me, to impugn anyone’s appearance or reputation, it is simply meant to refer to something unwanted. And unwanted the ’69-’70 Shelby Mustangs were, for years though as of late, they have deservedly come into their own.
JO
I’m sorry Jim ODonnell, I didn’t think this needed to be said, but it seems to be fair to suggest good people should avoid using phrases that are likely to be personal and insulting to someone, regardless how old the phrase is.
Which phrases are insulting and which aren’t? Should we go through Merriam-Webster and review every one we can find and then have a consensus vote? I won’t bow to ouvert censorship or the thought police. I try to be engaging in my writing and draw in everyone; doing that will undoubtedly offend some people. It’s never premeditated or intended, it just happens.
If I took offense to every word or phrase that I encountered, I’d spend the rest of my life being offended. And believe me, in this job I get some pretty unkind things leveled at me. I blow it off and move on.
As the comment requirements, as stated by BF Editors state, “No profanity, politics, or personal attacks”. If we stick to that requirement and keep comments on target about the article subject, or a related automotive topic, we’ll all be in good shape and enjoy what’s here.
JO
I’m pretty sure that the N word is in the dictionary too. It’s not just political correctness, either. It’s high time to start thinking through the things we say and the words we use everyday. Not trying to be preachy, just trying to remind folks that the more we try to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, the better we will all get along. Now if you want to talk trash about Ford versus Chevy versus Mopar, go right ahead.
I got to tell you that in this day of political oversensitivity, I would have throttled back on things that might send people into a tiz. Now I do not believe in political correctness. I believe in good manners. The centuries old phrase associated with red headed step-child should have been enough for you to realize that it could be offensive to people. It was a racist joke when it was defined by the British on people who married Irish widows with children or vice versa and the very real pain that was thrust upon them by society during that time. I only assume by your last name that you should have known this. There are a lot of variables in life. Your audience here is broad and getting broader. You should know your audience. You got a big lesson today. So, instead of me commenting on an unfortunate hulk of a car that I love, that the only thing it has of any great value is a title. I am commenting on this. I can think of a couple of dozen ways to say unwanted, White Elephant, Ikea Bookshelves, Lead Baloons, Lot Lizard, Hanger Queen, Free Live Baboons, Used Face Masks and many others that highlight the unwanted. It might have been, I say might, less protest if you hadn’t used the phrase at the very top of your article and you led into to why the Shelby’s were slow to sell in 1969, but what do I know, I only have 2 years of newsroom experience. Not enough to say one way or the other. I am just teed off that I am not getting to have the pleasurable experience that I get from commenting on automotive only content and that I have to feel ill today about my little indulgence that is your site. Wake up for Pete’s sake.
Excellent and eloquent response Jim! It’s people like you that make Burn Finds one of my favorites! Thanks well played
I have experience rebuilding burnt cars. Trust me if the fire got hit enough for the roof to cave in and it certainly appears it did, this car is probably not worth bothering with. No doubt you will find any aluminum parts even if not in the actual fire were burnt or maimed. No original motor but the rarity of the car might get you 1,000 and if you are lucky 2 grand. That is about it. Talk about a ground up restoration where everything needs to be replaced. Even if you find a few odd parts salable, there just is not enough and if anything in the interior, you will never get that burn smell out. Sad but I agree with the person saying took everything good and swapped it to another car and this is the parts car and the person is trying to unload the carcass! Said because no doubt she used to be a beauty but this is one that will never get done especially at this price. Unfortunately a rust buckets had more potential than this car does!!!
Junk it
The owner of BHCC spat out his coffee and is now yelling at his employees about how did this one get by us?!
You tell ‘em, Jim.
Any car that has burned that much is almost worthless. Take nice pictures to remember it. Send it to the crusher. Who likes to eat burned toast?
” zero bids tendered as of this writing.”
You don’t say.
This should be in the photo booth at BHCC at this price.
It would be interesting to know if the fire was extinguished with water or foam.
I lost 3 cars in a similar garage fire scenario. Burned from halfway up the ‘A’ pillar on all three. They only needed a roof skin (top on the convertible), windows and interiors (plus the obvious- paint, trim, blah,blah, blah) but the fire was extinguished with foam and the chemicals in foam REALLY like to eat metal….and I mean REEEEEEALY like it. They were solid cars before the fire, put into another heated climate controlled garage after the fire, then they proceeded to rot out in every crevice and pinch weld that the foam could get into. They were covered for about 2 years with car covers and when we decided to start working on them we pulled back the covers and were shocked. Needless to say they were junked for their drivetrains and whatever stainless was salvageable. (2) SS 350-300 HP 4 speed Novas and (1) 69 427-390HP 4 speed Impala convertible. 20 years ago and it still stings
I have a similar situation with my 69 E Type. House fire 12 years ago. The car was in an adjoining building that burned as well. Car burned from the belt-line up.
It went into storage. A 98% rust free 2+2 E type (had some minor wheel well rust starting to show up from an old shunt on drivers left/rear). Went to start the resto this past summer. What ever they used to put the fire out has eaten through the floors, rockers and as noted, any crevasse it could get into. I’m now starting my search for another body to swap all my suspension parts to.
WOW, an original Galpin car.
That can’t be common.
Oh dear, political correctness on an automotive site? I think you’re asking too much. I realize we live in a world today where someone will be offended by just about anything. Be glad you HAVE hair,,, :)
Big chuckle from whose hair is gone with the wind.
Better be careful what you say and what you do..most anything you say nowadays that used to be normal conversation will now get you on the news and be extremely careful what you do because if you look around there’s a camera looking at your every move and that’s the world we live in now. I MISS THE OLD DAYS
It is strange that people find it so challenging to find words and phrases that aren’t offensive. It must be a real burden for some of us to live in a world that contains other people. That must be why so many pine away for “the good old days”, when you could poison a whole salmon stream just because you didn’t like seeing a bunch of dead fish on the banks after spawning season. Gosh, that must have been great.
This newly invigorated trend of making fun of red-haired people, with the perjorative “ginger” being the hip new catch phrase for the insecure, is RACIST. Sorry if people find that inconvenient. The guy who first commented on the innappropriateness of the arcane phrase was polite, articulate, and reasonable. The responses, not so much. Everyone wants to be a victim these days. Lame!
It’s okay, one day all us old farts will be dead and all our antiquated racist, sexist, and just plain rude phrases will be gone.
Hopefully.
Also, that car is a real pile of garbage. Strange that the VIN holds so much value.
I know, Shelby buffs gasp in horror, but I remember Shelby’s that were total beaters. The allure hadn’t come around, and people beat the crap out of them. I knew a guy out of HS, his dad worked for Ford in some capacity, he had a ’68 KR500 his dad “let him use” and he beat the heck out of it ( I swear the front wheels came off the ground in the 1-2 shift once) Now, $25 g’s? Why not? Just hope you don’t work for the airlines,,,
When you have a Fire Sale you are supposed to drastically lower the price.
This was a drag car, drag it to the crusher and get whatever scrap is going for.
Not woth 25 cents
A body man friend told me years ago to stay away from a car that has had a fire. He said there is damage that you won’t see. I’m not sure there is much damage to this one that isn’t seen, as it looks like everything is damaged. I couldn’t believe the asking price on this one but I’m not a Mustang expert so we all might be surprised at what it sells for. Sometimes a vin tag will bring gold price.
Do any B Fers do like me. You see a forty-year old truck on its final legs. Then you suddenly wonder for a minute about the day it was purchased. How the new owner felt and how great it looked. I get that feeling looking at this unfortunate burn victim. One day it turned heads; now reduced to junk. Sad
Thats me too !
The only thing on this car that is worth any money is the transmission, the wheels, and, if it’s still there, the original rear axle assembly, For the rest of it, all you’re doing is kicking a dead horse! (;-)
It was noted in the original write up and i appreciate that, yet laugh everytime a car being sold minus all the cool bits, diatribes what the car once was and never will be again.
Just like this car obviously was once some pro pack racer but guess what no engine. So who cares what it once was?
I used to be 20, but i dont go and tell everyone about it.
It’s a shame to see a once really nice car through its life destroyed to the point of this worthless hulk! I was hoping that he got a decent insurance claim then I thought if this happened at the dragstrip that never happened! Lots of bad decisions were made concerning this car and add those all up and here we are!
having exsperienced 2 wildfires that destroyed too many cars and motorcycles I loved while having to try and bring a couple of them back after the fact,I can tell you that there won’t be 1 uesable panel do to the heat distortion and loss of metal integrity this one has gone through..couple that with the missing motor and I am thinking the owner may have gotten confused with his zero’s on his figure….
Rick, you are “Spot on” regarding the heat distortion issue. Working in aircraft as a kid I learned quite a bit about heat and metal forming, bend radiuses, X-factors, & set back lines for forming. When metal is formed it stretches, when it is heated in a controlled oven it can be stamped or pressed or formed. In most cases it must be in a soft condition to be stretched or formed. After it cools it hardens. If more strength or hardness is needed, back in the oven it goes.
Once it reaches its desired hardness, it is send along. When a fire burns a car it could be any temperature from A-to-Z in an uncontrolled environment.
It always looses it temper strength as the molecules are weakened.
It becomes useless for anything except scrap or “Yard-Art.”
And it is gone…
Having restored 3 ‘69 mach 1s and a ‘69 Cougar XR-7, this car is only good for a Restomod or parts.
Lots of these CA fire victims will be showing up on reVINed fastbacks in the future. Probably a good thing to watch out for.
Lawn art at best. Total POS. Only a fool would buy this.
From personal experience and a neighbor with a MS in metallurgy.
Once a car has gotten THAT hot, the steel that gets work hardened in the stamping process is annealed and IS no longer structurally sound.
I will NEVER try to repair a burnt car again since the car loses all it structural integrity after the fire.
The car we “fixed” was never the same and subject to body flex bad enough to crack and flake the paint off.
“Work Harding is something entirely different. Work hardening involves a different kind of stress. Best way to describe it is bend a coat hanger back and forth until it breaks. Does not have to have a fire. It’s stress, like when your garage door spring breaks. That’s “Work-Hardning.”
During the California fires many steel garage doors were warped and destroyed by 🔥. Not a SINGLE one was reusable.
Fire crews were warned to be extremely careful about wound springs with residual energy during the fires. Heat destroys cars and sheet metal. Salt destroys frames and everything else.
Perform your “Due Diligence” with an eye for structural integrity.
When my building was hit by lightning [destroying over 15 rare cars/trucks], on arrival the firemen asked me questions about what was inside the building. They were less concerned about the cars aside from exploding tires, they were worried about the Oxy/Acet welding tanks, where the paint thinners were kept, and if I had any pianos.
Pianos? Yep, I was informed that the strings on a piano have immense kinetic energy stored up, and especially on a grand piano, if just 1 string lets loose, it can decapitate someone, or take off an arm, etc.
They also said an Oxy welding tank, can become a horizontal rocket once the bronze valve on top melts in a hot fire. And that rocket, if the tank was mostly full, can travel unimpeded for almost a 1/4 mile!
As for the comments above discussing what happens to an automobile during and after a fire, even a “flashover” like this car underwent, means it should be treated as a parts car, or an expensive set of identification pieces: VIN tag, inner front fenders, rear frame member & driver’s door.
I had numerous one-off cars, some with custom bodywork, and none could be rescued. Within days every possible square millimeter of metal showed corrosion.
I had a 1956 Packard with a dual 4 carb setup. Only one day after the fire, after removing the intake manifold from the heads, when the manifold was placed on a flat metal workbench, the manifold would rock back & forth. What should have warned me was the fact that the bolts holding the manifold to the heads, were almost finger tight.
I had some cast iron motor parts with soft metal pieces that had melted into various openings. I tried to chip away the soft metal, but ended up fracturing the [now brittle] cast iron housings instead.
Behind the ’56 Packard was a 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 coupe, the entire alloy engine and gearbox were reduced to a solidified puddle of aluminum on the floor, with little steel parts sticking out.
Fire damage [other than simple wiring harness fires that don’t involve other aspects of the car] should be avoided like Covid-19.
Dear CC, as kind of a Goodwill ambassador to BF’s, I hope this doesn’t discourage you from writing. I’ll go out on a limb, judging by your sensitivity( and the fact on a Dukes of Hazzard post, you mentioned some were looking at Bo) I think you are a gal,( if not, disregard the rest) and that’s great. This site and the hobby in general, needs more women, but think of this site as a big hall with 97 crabby old men complaining what’s right or wrong about the hobby, and then the 3 or 4 women, that love cars, have to try and mingle in. It’s tough. I lived with racism all my life, so I know all too well the impact of words. Besides, I think, a red-haired woman is the most beautiful . Please stay with us,,,thx.
NOTE: this is offered as discussion, not as a personal attack.
Well, JO, if you can’t hold up a minute, to stop to think of how words can cut like razor blades, even when it is pointed out in a kindly fashion, and you want to assert your rights to hurt someone’s feelings, I pity you. I’m pretty sure that the “unkind things” you encounter are because of your writing, not your color, creed, race, or religion, so it is something that goes with your chosen occupation, and you knew that going in. Not so with those who are picked on, for whatever reasons, which reasons are present from birth. Sadly, your reports have lost this reader.
Read what and who you want to, or don’t FastEddie, it’s always your choice. That’s the great thing about the First Amendment, it can cut both ways.
JO
People need to have a lot thicker skin . Just because someone writes or does something you dont agree with, you bail from this site ?
RHLM!!!!
(Red Headed Lives Matter!!!!)
lol
FordGuy1972 wrote: “So what’s left? Front fenders, hood, wheels, the top loader, the Drag-Pack bits and maybe a few other odds and ends.”
After reading FordGuy1972’s post today, I started thinking … what if this car could used as a donor for a project using a Dynacorn body? If someone wanted to do a standard restoration, the aforementioned parts could be transferred to the new shell … with a little work done to them to make the transfer easier.
The VIN can also be transferred to the Dynacorn body, provided you have a Manufacturer Statement of Origin (MSO) certificate to take to the DMV. Dynacorn can provide an MSO certificate, which would make things easier in that regard as well.
I’ve done a whole bunch of rust repair on 69 and 70 mustangs. And, built 3 1969-70 Shelby clones.
A couple of major problems with this car besides the heated metal! Right off the bat, this car needs a top and both rear quarter panels. it needs all of the glass replaced. The interior is really expensive when you start adding seat foam, console, etc, etc, etc. I can’t tell if the cowl panel or the Windshield frame is history! One just sold for $65K and another at 79K on EBAY. The ones that have an asking price over that don’t sell! someone reinforced the inside of the shock towers with really thick sheet metal. That means the shock towers have to be replaced, and big block shock towers are different from small block. The drag pack is missing! The good dash pad on this car is over $450.00 alone! anything you can take off this car, you throw away. The doors are history! The two gauges in the console are around $700 and try to find a tach dash with an 8,000 rpm tach and a 140 mph speedometer! Just the 428 block alone, brand new is $4000.00! The two front fendr eyebrows are over $600 now, if anyone has them, and the chicke wire grille chrome racetrack that goes inside the grill, the $650 rear bumper…it all adds up! It’s also missing the rear aluminum center exhaust system. There’s one on EBAY for $1300 right now! Look at the cost of the rollbar on EBAY!! LOL!
But you can’t blame the guy for trying! Anyone who had the car would make an attempt to get as much as he can for this! There are still really stupid people out there, but you’d have to have just fallen off the turnip truck to pay $25K or greater for this firebomb! You can buy a 69-70 Shelby Mustang for a lot less than this would cost to put back together! You’d be better off buying a clean donor car and building a clone! Lots of aftermarket body kits out there! The only way that this car makes any sense is to build it with original fiberglass parts! Every major part, hood, fenders. trunk lid, etc.. that I’ve seem on EBAY is beaten up. so you’d have a real patchwork of a car!
But you can’t blame the guy for trying to make money! There are a lot of big $$ guys out there who have paid $180K to restore a 55 chevy that’s worth $40K!
If you go on EBAY, people are trying to get big money for these wheels! They are half aluminum and half steel and can’t be restored!! A friend of mine reproduces them and laughs when he sees these for sale on EBAY!
A paint job on just about anything is around $11,000.00 these days! This car could never be put back to original!
Fran..U hit it on the head.
The guy is tryin to make a buck.
Plan and simple.
Someone will by this.
It is what is.
Why does it look like it has a 71 nose and tail?
Still a barbecue special GT500, still asking a lot for I, still available in time for Christmas.
Forget it, just get rid of it with a no reserve auction, or sell it to Hollywood for a prop, something outside of the box might work.
Bidding sits at over $26k? P.T. Barnum was right.
I’m bald and just laugh at bald jokes. Get the chip off your shoulder.
Someone will save whats there. its a Money pit.. $25k for car.. just getting all the original parts for this car.. will be daunting..
Whoever willing to pay $25k needs to figure out is it worth it? How much will cost you to put together.. the main thing is Do you have a bodyshop? Metal fab? How much can be saved.. and How much is it worth when done.
If I won the lottery.. I buy one done and thats be it.. but if you honestly figure out a good budget then slim maybe.
@Jim ODonnell thank you. I had the same reaction but lacked the guts to call out the obvious. Things deemed “acceptable” in the 20th Century do not work in the 21st. I can think of a number of epitaphs that were common 100 years ago that would start a riot today. PLEASE add “Red-Headed Stepchild in the Attic” to them!
It’s an expensive Vehicle Identification Number for some clone clown… No disrespect intended for the hard work put into some clone builds but there are those who pass them off as the real deal for large amounts of money…
Grow up
Some trust fund Johnny will snap this up even if the economics don’t line up for the rest of us that have experience with restorations or what all goes in refurbishing absolute basketcases. Might even be the foundation for a high dollar restomod, but I expect the bidding to top $35K and likely even more, however the buyer will need to save their receipts from fixing it up because once they sell it, they can declare an investment loses on their taxes when that time comes
A quick look at Hagerty shows a concours resto at $116,000 plus the drag pack. Looking at the provided Marti, this is at the low number (a 1 in 35 paint codes) car. So assuming that any form of restoration on the car will be to concours quality, your looking at a figure in the $120,000 range. Back out the non-numbers matching engine so loose $10k. Buy it for $25k gives you $85,000 window to work with.
The body is toast. So buy a Dynacorn body at $17,500 and I’ll bet for a few bucks more they will “Shellby-ize” it. It s licensed by Ford product so its not “cheating”.
Making a coupe of cautious assumptions, you can save the front fenders and hood.
All your suspension will refurbish and transfer over. $ 5,000
Interior – $10,000
Paint (as someone noted) $15,000
Period correct engine $15,000
Shelby GT500 specific parts $ 5,000
rechrome/refurbish misc parts $ 5,000
Misc stuff (glass, etc) $10,000
Even if I missed something, with a $25k purchase price, you are break even…for now. If you do a lot of the work yourself, you start building “sweat equity” in the project.
Thank you for the break down on the numbers.
$26K with 3 days left. SMH!
I am astounded that this car got 26k I just plain do not understand?
Anyone know what happened to the clutch pedal?
I was supposed to go look at this car, I spoke with the owner, nice guy, he builds cars and said that he has too many other projects. Since you need to use real Shelby parts on an original car, those parts, non-damaged original hood, fenders, and lower valance panel are very, very expensive.
Rear trunk lids and end caps are a dime a dozen, lots of them appear on EBAY over time.
The roof is about $370.00 from dynacorn, but doesn’t include the sail panels down to the fenders. And the top of the fenders are torched! Add a set of full rear quarters and the labor to install them and everything above them, inside and out! This also doesn’t include the front windshield frame, and both of these items aren’t reproduced, so if they are fire damaged, You will need to cut them out of a wrecked Sportroof. Contrary to what you see on EBAY, the wheels can NOT be restored! Paradise Wheel sells Repro’s that are better made. you need to buy new seat frames or upper seat frames because these are melted. I’m guessing that the cowl panel needs to be replaced as well. The filler panel between the rear glass and trunk seems to be heat damaged, and the reproduction is too with. You have to Straighten the repro and use a brake to bend it in the right places! Most tail light panels that You’ll come across have major fiberglass damage. The front eyebrows, bumper, grille, and race track are very expensive, and I can’t tell if the headlight buckets are damaged! The side scoops are cheap and there are always sets on EBAY. The rear center exhaust seems to be missing , and that’s not cheap either! The roll bar is VERY expensive and the interior parts associated with it are impossible to find! The gauge tach dash is extremely rare in all mustangs, and only the Shelby has the 140mph speedo. The doors need to be skinned, too much heat damage at the top!
Parts aside, it’s the labor that will absolutely kill you! I’ve built 3 1970 Shelby Clones, replaced full quarter panels, core supports, bought and installed all the fiberglass, etc…
We’ll see how high this goes! I’ve seen two Shelby fastbacks sell in the last couple of months for $69 and $79, complete and in good shape! I can’t imagine how much it will take to build a 428 Cobra Jet with the special drag pak rods and everything! I would be far too expensive to ever make this a numbers matching car! My worry is that it would cost more than the car is worth to fix it! Personally, I’d fix the body with Tony Branda fiberglass parts, and either throw a rebuilt 390 in it, or a small block! Then I’d drive the damn thing! Too easy to lose money on a car that is no different from a mach1, except for the fiberglass and cosmetics! It’s not even built by Shelby, this is a Ford production! These cars are being bid up to 50-60K on EBAY and not selling! I think I just talked myself out of this project! LOL!
The only thing this car has going for it is that it looks like a Shelby. It is about as desirable as free live baboons. The only thing of value is it’s title.
I knew sooner or later you would list a joke car. Even though it is not April 1st, thank you. I needed a little chuckle.