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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Rare 427 Shelby GT500 At Auction
Powered by the racing engine from a GT40, the unique and all-original 1967 demonstration car will be offered by Mecum in May.
Shelby American transplanted the 427cid engine from a GT40 racecar into this one-of-a-kind 1967 Shelby GT500 for use as a tire tester. (Photo: Mecum Auctions)
A very significant 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang will cross the auction block at Mecum’s Original Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis on May 17, according to Mustangs Daily. Originally intended as a demonstration vehicle for Goodyear’s Thunderbolt tires, the car was turned into much, much more after a conversation between Carroll Shelby and Don McCain.
McCain had been the sales manager for Shelby American, and he saw a potential market for cars with even higher performance than the production Shelby GT500. Since Carroll Shelby had been in charge of Ford’s GT40 racing efforts, McCain convinced Shelby to stuff the 427-cubic-inch race engine from the GT40 into the GT500 reserved for tire testing.
Shelby engineer Fred Goodell was happy to comply, equipping the car with the same engine used to win Le Mans in the GT40 Mk II. The end result was a Mustang with around 600 horsepower and a top speed of 170 miles per hour. Its name, coined by McCain, was to be the Shelby Super Snake.
The Goodyear tire test was a success, despite the fact that the whitewall Thunderbolt tires were the narrowest ever fitted to a Shelby GT500. After Shelby himself ran the car to 170 mph, Goodell averaged a speed of 142 mph for about 500 miles, proving the durability of the tires.
The public was less than thrilled with the price tag of the Shelby Super Snake, which at $8,000 cost more than a 427 Cobra. In the end, only the test car was built, which makes it among the most desirable for any serious Shelby collector.
Its current owner, Richard Ellis, purchased the car with just 26,000 miles on the odometer. Though well-preserved, Ellis went to great lengths to return the car to the condition it was in the day of the Goodyear tire test.
It’s impossible to predict what the car will sell for, as there is no frame of reference with which to compare it. A low-mileage, all-original 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction
in January for $192,500 (including buyer’s commission), so it’s safe to assume the original Shelby Super Snake will far exceed this value.
This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
McCain had been the sales manager for Shelby American, and he saw a potential market for cars with even higher performance than the production Shelby GT500. Since Carroll Shelby had been in charge of Ford’s GT40 racing efforts, McCain convinced Shelby to stuff the 427-cubic-inch race engine from the GT40 into the GT500 reserved for tire testing.
Shelby engineer Fred Goodell was happy to comply, equipping the car with the same engine used to win Le Mans in the GT40 Mk II. The end result was a Mustang with around 600 horsepower and a top speed of 170 miles per hour. Its name, coined by McCain, was to be the Shelby Super Snake.
The Goodyear tire test was a success, despite the fact that the whitewall Thunderbolt tires were the narrowest ever fitted to a Shelby GT500. After Shelby himself ran the car to 170 mph, Goodell averaged a speed of 142 mph for about 500 miles, proving the durability of the tires.
The public was less than thrilled with the price tag of the Shelby Super Snake, which at $8,000 cost more than a 427 Cobra. In the end, only the test car was built, which makes it among the most desirable for any serious Shelby collector.
Its current owner, Richard Ellis, purchased the car with just 26,000 miles on the odometer. Though well-preserved, Ellis went to great lengths to return the car to the condition it was in the day of the Goodyear tire test.
It’s impossible to predict what the car will sell for, as there is no frame of reference with which to compare it. A low-mileage, all-original 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction
in January for $192,500 (including buyer’s commission), so it’s safe to assume the original Shelby Super Snake will far exceed this value.
This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
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