Here’s an exciting find! This Shelby GT500 was purchased new by a doctor for his wife. Apparently, she wasn’t as impressed with the machine as he was. It was “too loud and used too much gas” so it got parked with only 27k miles on the odometer. That’s quite a story and we hope it’s all true but either way this is still a great discovery! You can view more info about the sale here on Auction Zip. Thanks go to Barn Finds reader BeeMoe for sharing the tip!
You should always be leery with expensive and easy to clone cars like this one. The Shelby number plate is in place and the seller provided Marti report looks legit. The report shows that there were 432 GT500s built with the same colors and options. Total GT500 fastback production was 1,140 in ’68 so how many of these Acapulco Blue beasts can there still be out there waiting to be found? I’m sure the Shelby register would love to get this one in their books.
And here is why it’s such a beast! That’s engine has 428 cubic inches and is topped with two four-barrel carburetors. It was good for 355 horsepower and 420 foot pounds of torque. No wonder the owner’s wife thought it was thirsty and a hand full to drive. Heck, these things left the factory with a roll bar behind the front seats. I doubt it would help much in a wreck but these muscle machines were meant to go fast and not much else.
The auction house claims that the interior could probably be cleaned up and used as is. One could easily verify the mileage claims by taking a look at the seats and pedal pads. Hopefully there’s some documentation to back that up too. The sticker on the license plate is dated 1983 so that does make us question the story a little bit. Perhaps they kept it registered even though they weren’t driving it. Or maybe they just drove it occasionally up until that point?
Unfortunately, the garage that housed this Shelby wasn’t the best. Supposedly, the car doesn’t have a lot of rust but it is really hard to determine the extent of the corrosion in the low quality photos provided by the seller. If really you’re interested in this one, you’re going to want to take a trip to Virginia and inspect it in person. If any of you do, please let us know! The real question here is, would you restore it or attempt to preserve it as-is?
If that was the doctor’s house I’d guess he wasn’t much of a doctor.
I see a lot of dirt and rust for a 27 thousand-mile survivor. There’s something going on here that doesn’t quite add up!
Clean it up and make it drivable then go from there. Ultimately I would restore it but keep it as a daily driver. If I wasn’t buying a second home I would be interested, maybe that lottery ticket I have for tonight will be a winner.
Being a Mustang guy and a Shelby fan, I’m a bit biased, but this is about the coolest car I’ve seen on the site in months. LOVE IT!
True, one who has to be leery with an expensive car that can easily be cloned, but from the overall looks of the car and especially the engine bay, I’d say that if there is cloning going on. In addition to being a crook, the seller could add artist to his resume.
Incredible find. Just imagine stumbling across something like this. GLWTS.
Just to be clear, no 68, either a GT500 or GT500 KR came with 2X4 barrels. That was 67 GT500 only. The 68 GT500 had a single four barrel 428 police interceptor. The 68 GT500KR had a COBRA JET 428 with a single 4 barrel. Two very different engines internally.
Rob S you are correct only the King of the Road came with the 428 Cobra Jet engine. This car is still very cool. It will go for alot of money in this condition!
Oh, and if the wife didnt like ot, i wouldve traded her for a sportier model…😆😆🤣
Rob…
Let me add my wife to sweeten the pot!
The 68 with the 428 and two 4s was a GT 500 KR. Only built in 68 and very few of them
428 with two fours was the police interceptor. The GT 500 KR was the 428 CJ.
No. The KR came spring of 1968 and utilized a single four barrel carburetor. Was arguably the fastest car available off the show room floor along with cobra jet Mustang.
Suspect this car may have a lot of under body corrosion.
Would be a mistake to buy site unseen.
S
One wing nut in the middle of the breather that tightens don on the center of the carb stud to hold the breather on the carb . Two nuts on the breather cover front and rear to hold that long breather filter inside that long breather cover . Retired Stig is correct about the choke cover . If you look close just past the dirt in the middle of the breather cover you will see the wing nut .
It is not really an auction as such but a tender, if it is a sealed envelope deal then that is a tender.
Automatic. Why would you spec a high performance variant and then add a slushbox?
Wife.
it was for the WIFE who probably didn’t drive a manual
Because it was for their wife and she probably didnt like manual
His wife had one arm and couldn’t shift
Derek wondered about that myself but Carroll Shelby put an auto in that 5 Million dollar Cobra that just sold. Also with age and medical problems I’d take the auto.
quico
What a nice find. I agree with shanahan. What’s with the first photo with doors in back of the car and on the driver side and the fifth photo in a car port with flat tire? ( I only looked at BF photo’s). I wish it was my car port.
Either that car sat with the hood up or the mice have been eating it alive.
Here is a link to a similar car. The buyer spent $70,000 just to clean it up and rebuild it mechanically but not restore it. Keep this in mind if you are in the market for a car like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEVVfGudNfw
The 68 did not have 2 4’s. Only the 67.
68 GT500 KR 2 4’s get your facts straight
This one is a single four barrel. The photo of the engine is pretty poor quality, but if you enlarge it, you can see the single choke housing. Shelby air cleaners had two studs.
To my knowledge the only Shelby that came with duel four barrels was the 67
According to the Marti report, the 428 engine came with a single 4V carburetor.
The KR version mentioned up there had the 428 Cobra Jet, not the police interceptor with dual 4’s that Shelby originally used in ’67-early ’68.
Is it a “Mossy”?
give me directions to Va ! Johnny Shark
I have a rebuilt complete engine/ & 4sp Trans for a ’66 GT350. Bought it for cheap from a rebuild shop when owner didn’t pay the bill and let it sit for 4 years. Now he wants it back. I have the drive train, he has the shell. Standoff.
Sealed bid on a pig in a poke . There is a reason that type of sale was chosen . I think they are hunting for the “right” buyer , someone far away with deep pockets and bad eyesight . I don’t think the selling price will be disclosed . JMO .
What do you mean?
If I spent the money on a Shelby Mustang and the wife didn’t like it, I’d have parked the wife!
True, but which one has lower miles?
i would venture to say justclean it up and get it running properly. replace rubber components with nos if possible and then just leave it as a survivor.