The Ford Mustang story began back in 1964 when the production of the first generation kicked off. It was the offspring of Lee Iacocca, who wanted a lightweight machine for the masses, and the following year, Carroll Shelby got his hands on one, turning it into a track beast with multiple upgrades, including a power boost. In 1967, he came up with the iconic GT500.
Powering this monstrous machine was the same V8 engine used in the LeMans-winning GT40, namely a 427 ci, only since that was a mill destined for racing, it was shortly replaced by a 428 unit. The car pictured above uses the latter motor, which was sourced from the era’s police interceptor, and in this case, it was rebuilt, so it should run like new, pumping out close to the original output, which was rated at 355 brake horsepower.
The engine works in concert with a four-speed manual transmission, and other highlights include the fiberglass work and a few other bits and bobs.
Car #706, according to the Mecum listing, this 1967 Shelby GT500 was fully restored. The process started in 2017 and ended four years later, and as it seems, it hasn’t seen much action ever since. The vehicle is in absolutely perfect condition all around, and that includes the engine bay and underbody.
It is so clean that you should wash your hands before touching anything, from the Nightmist Blue paintwork with White LeMans stripes to the rare Parchment Comfort Weave interior, which is estimated to have equipped around 8% of all Shelbys made 56 years ago.
Everything is said to have been brought back to life with extra attention paid to the factory details, and the original Ford and Shelby VIN stampings were kept in place. The classic muscle car has a rollbar, and it is accompanied by copies of the window sticker and dealer invoice.
At the time of writing, the auction house responsible for finding it a new home hasn’t said much else about it other than the fact that it will go under the gavel this fall. You’ll have to attend the Indy Fall Special 2023 event on October 7 if you want to bid on it, and as you can expect, it should fetch a lot of money.
We wouldn’t rush into providing an estimated selling sum, but it will nonetheless change hands for six digits, assuming that it attracts the right attention. This Shelby GT500 is a dream ride that deserves a nice home, so are you perhaps its future owner?
