This is a 1967 Shelby GT500 4-speed that benefits from a full restoration and engine rebuild back in the 1990s. It remains a matching-numbers car finished in Dark Moss Green over a Black interior.
The Shelby GT500 is one of the most desirable muscle cars from the golden age of large displacement American V8 coupes. It has the looks, the power, and the Shelby name – and it inspired the hero car from the 2000 film Gone In 60 Seconds, nicknamed Eleanor.
Fast Facts: The 1967 Shelby GT500
- This is a 1967 Shelby GT500 with a 4-speed manual that underwent a full restoration and engine rebuild in the 1990s. It remains a matching-numbers example finished in Dark Moss Green with a black interior.
- The GT500 emerged after the success of the GT350, when the redesigned 1967 Mustang gained an engine bay large enough for a big block V8. Shelby offered two lines, keeping the small-block GT350 while introducing the GT500 as a more powerful, drag racing-focused flagship.
- Power comes from the 428 cubic inch Cobra FE Police Interceptor V8, rated at 355 bhp and 420 lb ft of torque, paired with either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic. Additional upgrades included uprated springs, anti-roll bar, front power disc brakes, and additional safety equipment.
- The example shown here was restored by Greg Adams, with the engine rebuilt by Blue Oval Performance in Colorado. It rides on correct Magstar wheels, white-letter tires, further factory options, and Shelby details, and is slated for a Mecum auction in January with an estimate of $325,000 to $375,000 USD.
The Origins Of The Shelby Mustang
When the Mustang had first arrived, executives at Ford were acutely aware that it was a sporting car with no sports car pedigree, and plans were put into place to establish some bonafides as soon as possible.
The car you see here is a 1967 Shelby GT500 Shown Here that was restored in the 1990s by specialist Greg Adams. The engine was also rebuilt by Blue Oval Performance of Englewood, Colorado, and it remains matching-numbers.
Carroll Shelby was consulted, and a deal was penned for him and his team to create a new version of the Mustang specifically targeted at SCCA B-Production class racing in the United States.
Shelby already had a good relationship with Ford at this time, as he was using Ford V8s (the same engine used in the Mustang) to power his Shelby Cobra sports car that had been regularly giving the Chevrolet Corvettes black-eyes since 1962.
The car that resulted from this project was the Shelby GT350. It was a completely stripped back Mustang with upgraded brakes, upgraded suspension, a significantly reworked engine, and it had been put on a weight loss regimen so strict that even the back seat had been thrown out.
The Shelby GT350 would prove to be a resounding success, it won the B-Production championship for three straight years and established the Mustang’s bonafides as a true race-winning performance car.
A newly redesigned Mustang would make its first appearance in 1967, and Ford sent it over to Shelby to see if he could give it the special treatment, this time with a big block V8.
The Ford Cobra FE Series 428 cubic inch (7.0 liter) Police Interceptor V8 is capable of 355 bhp and 420 lb ft of torque, these were supercar numbers by the standards of the late 1960s.
The car is finished in Dark Moss Green over a Black vinyl interior, and it has period stripes as well as the correct Magstar wheels and Goodyear white-letter tires.
The Arrival Of The Shelby GT500
When the 1967 Ford Mustang debuted it would be the largest redesign of the Mustang platform that had taken place since the model’s wildly successful debut back in 1964. The 1967 model was slightly larger, with updated styling, and perhaps most importantly, it now had an engine bay large enough to accommodate Ford’s big block V8.
Shelby would create two distinct lines of Shelby Mustangs from this point forward, the small block Shelby GT350, and the big block Shelby GT500.
The Shelby GT500 would receive the Ford Cobra FE Series 428 cubic inch (7.0 liter) Police Interceptor V8 with two 600 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetors on an aluminum intake manifold.
No one could have known it at the time, but this would be the car that would go on to inspire the creation of the car “Eleanor” from the 2000 film Gone in 60 Seconds.
This big block V8 was considerably more powerful than the K-Code 289 V8 fitted to the GT350, offering 355 bhp vs the 271 bhp of the smaller engine. Torque was much higher also, with the big block twisting out 420 lb ft vs the 329 lb ft of the 289.
The Ford Cobra FE Series 428 cubic inch (7.0 liter) Police Interceptor V8 is capable of 355 bhp and 420 lb ft of torque, these were supercar numbers by the standards of the late 1960s.
This power was sent back through either a 4-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic transmission to the live axle rear end and inside the car a roll bar was fitted for safety – perhaps an indication that there was concern about putting this much power in the hands of untrained drivers.
The interior is largely the same as the 1968 model year Mustang that the car is based on, though there are a few changes, and this GT500 carries Carroll Shelby’s signature on the glove compartment.
A number of other changes were made to the vehicle to help improve performance and better cope with the heavier new engine. The front coil springs were uprated as was the anti-roll bar, front disc brakes came as standard along with Gabriel shock absorbers.
The Shelby GT500 series would remain on sale from 1967 until 1970 however this wasn’t the end for the badge – it would return due to popular demand in 2007 and remain in production over a number of sub-variants to the current day.
The 1967 Shelby GT500 Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1967 Shelby GT500 Shown Here that was restored in the 1990s by specialist Greg Adams. The engine was also rebuilt by Blue Oval Performance of Englewood, Colorado, and it remains matching-numbers.
It’s finished in Dark Moss Green over a Black vinyl interior, and it has period stripes as well as the correct Magstar wheels and Goodyear white-letter tires. This car came from the factory with a tachometer, AM radio, clock, and the extra cooling package.
The car has inboard headlights, hood pins, power front disc brakes, a roll bar, fiberglass hood, fold down rear seat, and an original reconditioned Shelby wood-rimmed steering wheel.
It also has inboard headlights, hood pins, power front disc brakes, a roll bar, fiberglass hood, fold down rear seat, and an original reconditioned Shelby wood-rimmed steering wheel.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in mid-January with a price guide of $325,000 – $375,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
