The Long-Lost 1968 Mustang Shelby GT500 Was Finally Found. What's So Special About It?
This car, a 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, was featured in a car magazine back in August 1968. Those who drove it pushed it well beyond its limits, took shots of the joy ride, and published the whole story. Years later, the car vanished without a trace. Now, it has been found.
This never-restored and long-lost 1968 Shelby GT500 comes with the celebrity factor. It was a magazine star, pushed to the max, and photographed from all the right angles. The car came with the 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Police-Interceptor V8. In 1967, the Mustang Shelby came with dual four barrel carburetors. Things changed in 1968, as Ford switched to single-barrel carburetors.
A Ford C6 automatic transmission sent 355 horsepower (360 metric horsepower) and 420 pound-feet (569 Newton meters) of torque to the tarmac through the rear wheels. It did 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 6.9 seconds, ran the quarter mile in 14.9 seconds, and maxed out at 140 mph (225 kph).
Nothing to write home about by today's standards, right? But, hey, those were the 1960s, and the Shelby GT500 was labeled as a performance car for all the right reasons, which were different from the reasons of today.
The 1967 and the 1968 model years are easy to tell apart
With a front end totally redesigned compared to the 1967 Mustang made famous by Gone in 60 Seconds, the 1968 model year came exclusively with outboard lights, while customers could choose either inboard or outboard units for the previous model-year Mustang.
To tell the 1967 and the 1968 examples apart, headlights are a useful hint. Early models of the first generation got the Marchal headlights before switching to the Lucas units.
Shelbies rolled off the production line of the Shelby American Factory in Venice, California. Later on, production moved to Ford's Metuchen plant in New Jersey.
Built on the same assembly line as the C2 Chevrolet Corvette
Once completed, the cars were shipped by rail to A.O. Smith Corporation in Ionia, Michigan. The 1968 Shelbies shared the assembly line with most of the C2 Corvettes. They had something in common: they both had noses, hoods, scoops, quarter panel extensions, deck lids, and rear wings made from fiberglass.
But the material wasn't exactly the best choice, so the hood used to bow backward. To get rid of the problem, AO Smith Corporation, which was specifically contracted for the fix shortened the hood by approximately 4 inches instead of the previous unit that stretched all the way to the bumper and used reinforced fiberglass plastic instead of fiberglass.
All cars rode on 15-inch steel wheels. Now, those wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich tires.
All 1968 model year examples rolled off the production line for only nine months, between November 1967 and July 1968, in the shape of the GT350, the GT500, or the GT500KR, with the latter being manufactured starting in May 1968. Only 1,571 saw the light of day. During those nine months, the AO Smith also manufactured the Mercury Cougar XR-7G.
Each car had a rollbar welded in, had the taillights panels modified, and was assigned a special serial number with a special VIN plate attached to it, with a different pattern than those of the GT350 and the GT500KR, in the Ford factory.
Furthermore, each car got a set of rocker panel stripes, which came in black, white, or blue. This model has the white set, with the "GT500" letters and numbers inscribed on both sids, right next to the front fenders.
For 1968, all the chrome pieces were replaced by simulated wood grain in an attempt to move the model upmarket. Black upholstery, with a fabric seating area and leather bolsters and headrests, was also on the menu.
This 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 has 29,345 miles on the clock, which proves it was pretty much a garage queen, with an average of only 506 miles per each of the 56 years since it drove through the factory gate.
A doctor from Virginia ordered this car new from the Koons Ford dealership in Falls Church, Virginia, in 1968 as a Sunday driver for his wife. It still retains the original dealer's sticker at the back. At the opposite end, there is a crack on the front end. One of the wife's friends reportedly sat there, and that was the aftermath.
One of the viewers of the channel identified the car was featured in Super Stock Magazine in August 1968. The Super Stock team tested the car back then. There is no doubt that it is the exact same car. Everything seems to match, and all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The dealership logo on the trunk lid and the front-mounted antenna are two of the evidence pieces.
The car is now for sale, but you will have to ask the Backyard Barn Finds team if you fancy driving this Shelby GT500 home.
This never-restored and long-lost 1968 Shelby GT500 comes with the celebrity factor. It was a magazine star, pushed to the max, and photographed from all the right angles. The car came with the 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Police-Interceptor V8. In 1967, the Mustang Shelby came with dual four barrel carburetors. Things changed in 1968, as Ford switched to single-barrel carburetors.
A Ford C6 automatic transmission sent 355 horsepower (360 metric horsepower) and 420 pound-feet (569 Newton meters) of torque to the tarmac through the rear wheels. It did 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 6.9 seconds, ran the quarter mile in 14.9 seconds, and maxed out at 140 mph (225 kph).
Nothing to write home about by today's standards, right? But, hey, those were the 1960s, and the Shelby GT500 was labeled as a performance car for all the right reasons, which were different from the reasons of today.
The 1967 and the 1968 model years are easy to tell apart
With a front end totally redesigned compared to the 1967 Mustang made famous by Gone in 60 Seconds, the 1968 model year came exclusively with outboard lights, while customers could choose either inboard or outboard units for the previous model-year Mustang.
To tell the 1967 and the 1968 examples apart, headlights are a useful hint. Early models of the first generation got the Marchal headlights before switching to the Lucas units.
Shelbies rolled off the production line of the Shelby American Factory in Venice, California. Later on, production moved to Ford's Metuchen plant in New Jersey.
Built on the same assembly line as the C2 Chevrolet Corvette
Once completed, the cars were shipped by rail to A.O. Smith Corporation in Ionia, Michigan. The 1968 Shelbies shared the assembly line with most of the C2 Corvettes. They had something in common: they both had noses, hoods, scoops, quarter panel extensions, deck lids, and rear wings made from fiberglass.
But the material wasn't exactly the best choice, so the hood used to bow backward. To get rid of the problem, AO Smith Corporation, which was specifically contracted for the fix shortened the hood by approximately 4 inches instead of the previous unit that stretched all the way to the bumper and used reinforced fiberglass plastic instead of fiberglass.
All cars rode on 15-inch steel wheels. Now, those wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich tires.
All 1968 model year examples rolled off the production line for only nine months, between November 1967 and July 1968, in the shape of the GT350, the GT500, or the GT500KR, with the latter being manufactured starting in May 1968. Only 1,571 saw the light of day. During those nine months, the AO Smith also manufactured the Mercury Cougar XR-7G.
Each car had a rollbar welded in, had the taillights panels modified, and was assigned a special serial number with a special VIN plate attached to it, with a different pattern than those of the GT350 and the GT500KR, in the Ford factory.
Furthermore, each car got a set of rocker panel stripes, which came in black, white, or blue. This model has the white set, with the "GT500" letters and numbers inscribed on both sids, right next to the front fenders.
For 1968, all the chrome pieces were replaced by simulated wood grain in an attempt to move the model upmarket. Black upholstery, with a fabric seating area and leather bolsters and headrests, was also on the menu.
This 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 has 29,345 miles on the clock, which proves it was pretty much a garage queen, with an average of only 506 miles per each of the 56 years since it drove through the factory gate.
A doctor from Virginia ordered this car new from the Koons Ford dealership in Falls Church, Virginia, in 1968 as a Sunday driver for his wife. It still retains the original dealer's sticker at the back. At the opposite end, there is a crack on the front end. One of the wife's friends reportedly sat there, and that was the aftermath.
One of the viewers of the channel identified the car was featured in Super Stock Magazine in August 1968. The Super Stock team tested the car back then. There is no doubt that it is the exact same car. Everything seems to match, and all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The dealership logo on the trunk lid and the front-mounted antenna are two of the evidence pieces.
The car is now for sale, but you will have to ask the Backyard Barn Finds team if you fancy driving this Shelby GT500 home.