1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 sports car
This 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback was offered for sale at the 2007 Christies auction of 'Exceptional Motor Cars at the Monterey Jet Center.' It is white with blue stripes and black vinyl interior. Power is from a V8 engine that displaces 428 cubic-inches and is capable of producing 524 horsepower. The engine breathes through dual Holley 650 CFM four-barrel carburetors and has stopping power provided by four-wheel disc brakes. There is a four-speed manual gearbox with a solid rear axle and front independent suspension.
The late 1960s was an all-out horsepower war by most American marques. GM had their Camaro, Chrysler their Hemi-powered cars, and Ford with the potent GT500. The GT350R versions were true race-bred machines while theGT500 had many power features, big engines, and comfortable interiors.
The GT500 was first put into production in 1966 and carried a sticker price of $4,195. They were instantly popular, outselling the 289-powered engines nearly 2-to-1. These were the final Mustangs to be built by Shelby-American, as all future models were constructed by Ford, with some input from Shelby.
This example spent its early life in Texas where it had a lime green exterior and black vinyl interior. It had an automatic gearbox, power steering, power brakes, shoulder harness, AM radio, fold down rear seat, and deluxe wheels. The original sticker price for this machine was $4,000.
1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 American Muscle car
The Ford Mustang first appeared in 1964 and was immediately popular for its style and its capabilities. The largest engine offering of the time was the 289 V-8 K-code small block engine which was sufficient but enthusiasts wanted and demanded more power. The base engine was a six-cylinder power plant. The body style configurations included coupe, convertible and fastback. In its first year of production over 500,000 examples were produced.
Ford turned to SCCA racing to stir even more popularity for the car and to prove its true potential. Unfortunately, SCCA rules for sports cars required two seats which the Mustang failed to qualify for since it had seating for four. The Mustang was a new breed with plenty of room to grow and improve. Ford turned to the legendary Carroll Shelby who had aided them in securing a LeMans victory with their GT 40s. He was also well known for his Ford powered Shelby Cobras which had dominated the SCCA circuit for many years.
In order to qualify for homologation requirements, 100 examples needed to be produced by January 1st, 1965. Amazingly, the cars were ready to go by the due date, all painted in Wimbledon White livery with Guardsman Blue stripes. Well, they weren't entirely ready but they did pass the inspection.
1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500-super sports car
Shelby lost the lease for their factory at Los Angeles International Airport near the close of 1967 so operations were moved the Ionia, Michigan under the control of the Ford Motor Company.
In 1968, a convertible option was added to the Shelby line-up, available with either a 302- or 428-cubic-inch eight-cylinder engine. The High Performance 289 cubic-inch V8 was no longer offered on the Ford or ShelbyMustang versions of the . The 302 was standard on the GT350, equipped with an aluminum intake manifold and Holley 600 CFM carburetor capable of producing 250 horsepower. 1968 also marked the year that Ford took over production of the Shelby vehicles with operations moving to Livonia, Michigan.
The styling modifications for 1968 were minor. The front of the vehicle was restyled resulting in an aggressive appearance. The headlights switched back to the single seven-inch unit configuration with Lucas fog lamps positioned inside the grill. The hood was once again a fiberglass unit with repositioned scoops and air-extraction louvers.