Buying a classic car can be fraught with dangers, but when it is a well-documented survivor like this 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500, suddenly life looks a lot easier. The owner is realistic that the vehicle isn’t perfect, but if the buyer wants to retain it as-is to preserve its originality, that is a viable proposition. A new home is beckoning for this desirable and potent classic, so if you find yourself tempted, you will find the Shelby located in Charleston, South Carolina, and listed for sale here at Barn Finds Classifieds. The owner has set the sale price for this GT500 at $200,000.

There’s a lot to take in with this Lime Gold Shelby because it isn’t an understatement to say that these cars have developed a legendary status. Your run-of-the-mill ’67 Mustang is already a desirable car, but the GT500 pushes that desirability to a whole new level. The fiberglass additions, along with the distinctive grille and taillight treatment made these cars stand out in any crowd. This Shelby is completely original and unrestored. Its paint has never been touched, and it has never suffered any accident damage. It is also worth noting that it is no trailer queen. This classic has not been squirreled away in a garage. It has been driven and enjoyed exactly as its creators intended. The paint wears the chips and marks that you might expect to accumulate over 54-years of use, but it still manages to hold a winning shine. The panels are straight, with a fit and gaps that look tight and consistent. The fiberglass components are generally in good condition, with only a couple of minor flaws. We inevitably need to turn our attention to the question of rust, and it is here that the news remains extremely positive. It appears that the Shelby may have been the recipient of a dealer-applied undercoat when it was new, and most of this remains intact today. Where has disappeared, what we find is the factory red oxide undercoat. All of this combines to leave the underside of the vehicle rust-free and structurally sound. The owner acknowledges a small hole in the rear quarter panel, but this is small enough that it could be addressed with a patch. There are small spots of surface corrosion present in a few locations, but nothing that would demand immediate attention. The chrome and trim appear to be in excellent condition, as is the glass. Our more eagle-eyed readers will note that the GT500 doesn’t wear the distinctive 10-spoke Shelby wheels. That is a testament to the originality of the vehicle. The original owner ordered the car with the Shelby hubcaps, and these are what remain on the car today.

While the 1967 Mustang offered the promise of impressive performance levels, the GT500 ramped that up a notch or two. This was achieved by shoehorning the 428-8V interceptor V8 under the hood. This brute of an engine pumped out an “official” 355hp, although few people actually believe that figure. Insurance companies and government regulators can begin to twitch uncontrollably when they hear high horsepower figures, and it was quite common in this era for manufacturers to underplay their hand in this area. There are plenty of people who are well-versed in the area of American high-performance cars who believe that the truth rested some way north of 400hp. Bolted to the back of this monster motor is a 4-speed manual transmission, while the car is also equipped with power steering and power front disc brakes. Point a GT500 at the ¼ mile and you could be guaranteed that the journey would be short and sweet. It would cross the line in 14.7 seconds, and if the driver was brave enough to keep the right foot buried, the Shelby would run out of breath at 155mph. Those figures stack up quite well today, so imagine how they sat with the buying public 54-years-ago. This GT500 is in extremely good mechanical health, as it has only accumulated around 1,000 miles since the previous owner treated the engine to a rebuild and replaced the clutch. That rebuild makes for good news, but it does bring a small slice of bad news. The car is numbers-matching, but during the engine rebuild, the original carburetors disappeared. These have been replaced with reproduction components, but they count as the only non-original components in the drivetrain. However, every cloud does have a silver lining. The owner has managed to source a set of the correct carburetors with the right date code. They require a rebuild, but they are included with the vehicle. For buyers intent on instant gratification, the Shelby is said to run and drive perfectly. It has a genuine 50,760 miles showing on its odometer, and this reading is backed by documentary evidence.

When we turn our attention to the interior, we find that it is upholstered in its original Black parchment trim. There’s a lot to like here, and not many problems for prospective buyers to be concerned about. There is some wear on the door trims, and cracks on the driver’s armrest. The driver’s seat also sports a split, and this will leave the buyer with some decisions to make. These are the only identified flaws, and replacing the offending parts to address them is conceivable. However, that will have some impact on this Shelby’s original survivor status. I would be inclined to have the seat assessed by a competent upholsterer, as they might be able to offer a repair solution that won’t compromise the originality, but will prevent further deterioration. Beyond these issues, the carpet and headliner are in excellent condition, as is the dash. The rear seat is in as-new condition, and I doubt that anyone has ever used it. Once again, the interior features a few distinctive Shelby components, including the gauges under the dash, the roll bar, shoulder harnesses, and the beautiful steering wheel. Everything inside the vehicle functions as it should. The exception is the speedometer, which recently gave up the ghost. The owner has stopped driving the car because of this issue, as he doesn’t want to impact the odometer’s true reading. The buyer will need to address this, but given this car’s history, it should be worth the effort to do so quickly.

This 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 is not perfect, but that’s what makes it such a special car. The company only produced 2,048 examples in that model year, and a mere 1,376 featured the 4-speed transmission. They appear on the market regularly, but the majority that do have undergone at least a partial restoration. This one has never been touched beyond an engine rebuild, and that makes it a rare beast. It wears its survivor badge with honor, and there’s no reason why it couldn’t continue to do so for decades to come. But will it do so in your hands?