We’ve had the privilege of featuring some great exclusives, but this could be one of the coolest! This 1969 Shelby GT500 is claimed to be all original – still wearing its factory paint and interior. There are 73k miles showing on the odometer so it has seen some use, but it’s been well cared for and could be one of the best unrestored examples still around. It’s only had three owners since new and is listed in the Shelby registry. This may have been the last of the GT500s, but it was also one of the most powerful pony cars ever built!
After having so much success with their track oriented GT350, Shelby and Ford decided to build something a bit more appropriate for the drag strip. So, they dropped a big block into it and added more luxury features. People deride the the direction that Ford took with this car today, but it actually outsold its little brother by a wide margin. These may have been more GT than sports car, but with a 428 Cobra Jet under the hood, they were undoubtedly quick.
The automatic transmission is proof that the GT500 had drifted away from Shelby’s original concept. Not everyone wants to ride around in a race car though. It still has to be exciting to sit behind that wheel knowing that you have 400 horsepower on tap! Obviously, the rubber floor mats need to go, but I bet they did a fine job at protecting the carpet. The seller believes that the only items that have been replaced are the tires, battery, starter, hood hold downs, reverse lights, air cleaner, and brakes.
This car had some serious duct work! The ones on the hood are functional, but I’m not sure about the others. Everything is claimed to work here including the sequential taillights. There’s no rust through and the car runs and drives great. You can contact the seller here via email if you are interested. That $100k price tag might seem high at first, but just try to find another survivor GT500 like this for less!
Correction for you: it’s either a ’69 or ’70.
If the paint is correct it looks to be a 69. The 70s model they painted stripes on the hood. Not sure what other differences there are.
The two paint stripes on the hood was it. The ’70 Shelby’s were just left over ’69’s, re-titled, using the ’70 Shelby VIN# over the ’69 chassis #. Even the GT-350’s in ’70, had the ’69 351 Windsor instead of the ’70 351 Cleveland.
The ad has the year correct, Jessie just hit the wrong key. Let’s not chastise him for a typing error.
All fixed. Thanks for catching that.
Wow!!! One of my dream cars. I don’t have 100K to spend on a car but I think that’s cheap. Where else you going to find one?
Always liked the front end treatment on these.
I knew I shouldn’t have bought that Super Bird
The rear scoops are duct-ed to the back of the drums, the front fender ones are allegedly forcing air to the front disks. The ones are hood are actually important because the 428CJ gets very hot in that little engine compartment. However, I will concede it was mostly a styling exercise. 69/70 was my favorite styling year. The exhaust collector on the back is the coolest part.
anyone want to give me a hundred grand?
Did anyone notice the cancer on top of the inner fender wells where the fenders bolt to?
There’s some surface rust, but I don’t believe it’s cancerous.
Those four areas are notorious for blistering really bad. Its where the shock towers were spot welded to the fender aprons and moisture would get in there and rust the heck out of it. That’s more than surface rust. That area should be flat and smooth and you can tell here its blistered up. Its not a terrible fix but those areas will need to be cut out, cleaned and new metal patched in. Doing it on my 70 Mach right now. (see pic, the blister is cut out but still needs work) This car should be carefully inspected. Just seeing that makes me wonder how the floors and torque boxes are. On the surface, those areas can look fine but with close inspection, it gets nasty really quick on these. No matter how nice the paint looks! Besides all that, makes this a convertible and that’s been my dream car since I was a kid!
Forgot the pic!
Best mustang generation!
It would be in my driveway if I had that much $$ handy.. Love it..
@Bruno: Those blisters sure look familiar. I remember working on a friends 1972 Mustang, and that was all along the top of the inner fenders when we pulled the outers off. Very common on these. This is sure a nice car. I just don’t have that kind of cash! GLWTS!
There are no bad years for Shelbys but the 1969/70 are my favorite. It would be on my short list if I came into an unexpected windfall.
The stripes on these cars were not painted on. They are decals. I owned two Shelby’s, a 69 GT 350 Drag Pack car, and a 70 GT 350 with all power and factory air. I enjoyed owning both cars, and am glad to get the chance to experience them, but they were both big piles of junk. If it was possible for something to break or fall off of a car it did. We had to remove the hood springs because the fiberglass hoods will bow and eventually crack. if you want to keep your chrome, you had better glue it on the car. To install the T-bird tail lights, they cut two rough holes in the back of the car that looks like someone took a saws all and hacked it out. Zero workmanship. A GT 500 in this condition is certainly a collectable, and this one looks good. There was no concern about quality with these cars.
The side stripes were decals, but I’m pretty sure the two added stripes along the two outer scoops on the hood(’70) were painted. It was the only difference in appearance between the ’69 and the ’70.
Don’t forget the 70 chin spoiler, which this one seems to have.
Is it possible that Ford used the chin spoiler from the ’69-’70 BOSS 302’s on the ’69-’70 Shelby?
I wasn’t aware they made a small block (351W) Drag Pack!
I don’t believe they did. There was the 351cj and the 351 Boss. I never heard of a 351 SCJ myself and if im correct all SCJs were the big block 428 and the 429 cars. Correct me if I am wrong but I think the were just called 351 Cobra’s.
The SCJ was an oil cooler and beefy rotating assembly that you got on the 428CJ when you ordered the 3.91 or higher rear end. The Shelby GT350 got the 351 Windsor. The Cleveland came in 1970 (but the Shelby still had the Windsor). There was no “Drak Pac” or SCJ option on the 351.
The Drag Pac was also available on the Boss 302s.
The chin spoiler was available as an option on any level 69 Mustang. It was standard installation on the 70. The part was the same on all mustangs. As i remember the hood stripe was painted on to upgrade the remaining 69’s into 70’s. They were beautiful cars but Caroll Shelby had long since bailed and ford was putting its effort into the Boss program. The 500 was fast because of the 428 bit luxury and ride were paramount in the car by this time. I had a 69 GT350 with the 351 Windsor. As i said, it was beautiful…
The chin spoiler was available as an option on any level 69 Mustang. It was standard installation on the 70 Shelby. The spoiler was the same part on all 69 and 70 Mustangs. As I remember the hood stripe was painted on to upgrade the remaining 69’s into 70’s. They were beautiful cars but Caroll Shelby had long since bailed and Ford was putting its effort into the Boss program. The 500 was fast because of the 428 but luxury and ride were paramount in the car by this time. I had a 69 GT350 with the 351 Windsor. As i said, it was beautiful…