1 of 7 SAAC Documented Restored Shelby GT500KR Convertible 428 Cobra Jet V8 C6
Make: | Ford |
Model: | Mustang |
SubModel: | GT500KR |
Type: | Convertible |
Doors: | 2 |
Year: | 1968 |
Mileage: | 9,719 |
Color: | Yellow |
Transmission: | Automatic |
Interior color: | Black |
Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Item location: | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
Extras |
Listed by |
Private seller |
Description of 1968 Ford Mustang GT500KR |
eBay template information@RKMotorsCharlotte. com 5527 Lakeview Road. Charlotte. NC. 28269. US 1968 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR 1 of 7 SAAC Documented Restored Shelby GT500KR Convertible 428 Cobra Jet V8 C6 Year: 1968 Type of vehicle title: Clear Primary color: Yellow Mileage: 9719 Transmission type: 3 Speed Automatic Engine: 428 Cobra Jet V8 Interior color: Black Vehicle info People always wonder why the survival rate of even exceptional collector cars is so low. If these cars are so special. why didn't someone take better care of them? This special-order Speed Yellow 1968 Shelby GT500KR is unquestionably a spectacular car. but it was almost lost forever and presents an interesting case study in seeing the forest for the trees. Literally hours away from the crusher. it was rescued by someone who recognized its greatness where others saw nothing but a burned-out shell of an old Mustang. In 1978. even a Shelby GT500KR convertible (with AC!) was little more than a used car. Certain astute collectors at the time recognized that these were special cars. but they had not yet gathered the immense following they enjoy today. Even Carroll Shelby himself had turned his back on the Mustangs bearing his name years earlier. dismissing them as little more than interesting footnotes to the Mustang story. So when Shelby 03900 was stolen. stripped of its engine and transmission. then set on fire. there was no public outcry. And the original owner probably happily cashed the check the insurance company gave him as compensation. The stripped. burned-out carcass was hauled away to a local scrap yard called Twin Service in Anderson. Indiana. where it was scheduled to be crushed just like any other stripped. burned-out theft recovery. However. a sharp-eyed enthusiast spotted the body at Twin Service and immediately made his move. Noting the original Shelby fender tag was still intact and therefore knowing the car was a top-of-the-line GT500KR convertible. he arranged to purchase it for $500 just hours before it was slated to hit the crusher. He paid the wrecking service to drag the car to his home where he began an extensive restoration. In 1978. you could still order Shelby parts directly from Ford. so all new fiberglass OEM pieces were purchased to replace those that were destroyed by the fire. Other missing parts were tracked down and added to the growing collection of NOS equipment that would restore 03900 to its original condition. Sadly. that never happened. as even in 1978. the resources required to restore a Shelby Mustang. never mind one that was burned. were substantial. Eventually the car and all its associated parts were sold. bouncing from collector to collector for almost 20 years. By the late '90s. it had become pretty clear that the cost of restoring the car was insignificant compared to the value of a finished product. so at least one previous owner made a heroic effort to restore the car using a donor vehicle to supply items like the correct black interior and other irreplaceable parts. His workmanship must have been very. very good. because the pros at Custom Classics. who re-restored the car several years later. could find no trace of fire damage. When this Mustang landed at Custom Classics. many of the NOS parts acquired by the first restorer were still on the car and the remaining correct. authentic and original components were assembled to create an absolutely stunning convertible. The car itself is no less remarkable than its story. Originally delivered to Dallas. Texas. it carries special-order WT6066 yellow paint. factory AC. a C6 automatic transmission and a tilt steering column. It is 1 of only 20 Shelby convertibles painted WT6066 yellow and. of those. 1 of only 7 equipped with air conditioning. Custom Classics' spectacular restoration incorporated all the aforementioned NOS parts plus hundreds more that were painstakingly researched and properly date-coded. The paint is 2-stage urethane that exactly duplicates special order Bright Yellow and looks especially good under correct stripes and call-outs. Naturally. any flaws carried by the original fiberglass have been thoroughly exorcised (even after Ford took over Shelby production. the 'glass wasn't all that great). Panel alignment is exceptional. gaps are even all around and the car fits together better than any Mustang ever built by the factory. When it comes to trimmings. all the correct Shelby badges and lettering. including the awesome 428 Cobra Jet emblems. have been replaced with NOS or exact reproduction pieces. The tail panel. with correct Thunderbird sequential taillights. is beautifully finished in correct Argent Silver and. yes. those are real Lucas driving lights in the grille. Side marker lamps. new for 1968. are beautiful reproduction pieces. and the bumpers show better chrome than was humanly possible in 1968. All glass is new. stainless is polished and there's absolutely no detail on this drop-top that's been overlooked. The car is vastly nicer than new in every way!The incredible detailing extends under the hood. where a rebuilt. date-correct 428 Cobra Jet looks right at home. Rated at 335 horsepower. it's no secret that the mighty CJ actually made around 410 horsepower and 440 lb. /ft. of stoplight-slaying torque. Bathed in rich Ford Blue. this particular mill features correct "COBRA" valve covers. functional ram-air and a complete thermactor system. The engine bay is dominated by a massive compressor for the AC system. which is fully functional and blows ice cold. Correct hoses. clamps. wiring. and clips were used throughout the engine compartment. resulting in a highly accurate. concours-ready appearance. An original radiator is perched up front. with a reproduction Autolite battery cover doing a very good impersonation of the real thing. And the mean motor rumbles to life easily. pulling with an endless well of torque that absolutely incinerates those skinny Goodyear tires. The chassis looks exactly factory correct as well. Red Oxide primer backs 'blown in' Bright Yellow paint. just like on the assembly line. The C6 automatic has been rebuilt and. like the engine. is correct for a Shelby GT500KR. Out back. there's a bulletproof Ford 9-inch that's fitted with 3. 00 gears. Original factory markings have been reproduced. from the driveshaft balance stripes to the torque dobs on the suspension bolts. The original factory convertible reinforcements are in place. An exact reproduction exhaust system has been installed. complete with correct tips. A new gas tank hangs amid fully rebuilt brakes and suspension. Gorgeous 10-spoke Shelby alloys carry Goodyear bias-ply tires. although it appears that the car's spare is an original or NOS piece. The interior remains the one transplanted by the previous restorer. And. since it's far more correct and accurate than any reproduction kit available today. Custom Classics decided to leave it as-is. The seats are deep and comfortable. and we're inclined to agree with Custom Classics in their assessment-the reproduction seat covers don't have pleats that are as deep as those on an original car. and these sure look authentic. The Shelby Cobra logo on the center armrest is crisp and clear and not overstuffed-looking like the reproductions. and the woodgrain pattern on the dash and center console is excellent. We have to believe the carpets are reproductions. and they are correct in material and ply. protected by a set of rubber floor mats. The Rim Blow steering wheel is just too nice not to be a restored piece. And the gauges have clearly been rebuilt. with crisp markings. deep black backgrounds and brilliant orange pointers. In addition to being listed in the SAAC Registry with a known ownership history. original photos of this Mustang's scrapyard stay include images of an original Shelby fender tag that matches the one currently on the car. Here's a list of everything that's included with our sale:An original owner's manualA Deluxe Marti Auto Works ReportDozens of restoration photos provided by Custom ClassicsA letter from Jim Wicks. SAAC Regional Director and Event Chairman. who authenticated the car in January. 2007 saying:". I have examined and inspected the above listed vehicle on several occasions in the process of the restoration. In a world of many "clones" and "recreations" I feel strongly that this car is XXXX-03900. the 3900th 1968 Shelby Mustang built for 1968. I feel this vehicle has received a high-quality restoration and could be considered for anyone's investment grade collection. display. or museum. "In summary. this is a thoroughbred Shelby with a concours-quality restoration. The parts are correct in every way possible given the car's unique history. As far as investments go. it's awfully hard to beat a Shelby GT500KR convertible with a special-order color and a ton of options. Blue chip doesn't even begin to cover this convertible's status! To add your chapter to this car's fascinating history. all you need to do is give us a call. About this auction & rk motors charlotte Please note that all sales are binding and final. Our cars are sold "as-is" with no warranty expressed or implied. Please carefully read the terms & conditions of the sale before bidding. Winning this auction does not entitle you to come inspect the car and decide if you want to buy it. but obligates you to complete the purchase! A $1000. 00 deposit via PayPal is due within 24 hours of the auction close . NO EXCEPTIONS. If you have ZERO feedback on eBay. please call or email us to request our authority to bid on our vehicles. We do not release our reserve prices. as this would be unfair to the other bidders. so please don't ask! Each and every one of these cars is listed on eBay. but only one sale. on average per month. actually occurs on eBay. If you see a car you like. don't wait! Call us! When you see it disappear from eBay. it means that it was sold by other means. Because we advertise heavily in other mediums. we reserve the right to cancel any eBay listing at any time. If you would like to make a sales visit or arrange an inspection. we would be happy to schedule a personal appointment with either yourself or your representative. To do so. contact Donald Bernard at (704)596-5211 or (781)773-4648. Donald's email address is: Donald. Berard@RKMotorsCharlotte. com. For those of you who need to fly in. we can provide transportation to and from Charlotte Douglas International Airport. We can also recommend accommodations within a short distance of our facility. RK Motors takes pride in delivering road-ready cars to our customers. That's why every car we sell comes with the assurance of our Seal of Approval process - a comprehensive inspection performed by our sister company. the RKM Performance Center. From major visual defects to basic functionality issues. our Seal of Approval checklist covers the basics so you can feel confident about your purchase. For international buyers. note that we've shipped cars to collectors and classic car fans world-wide for years. We can provide you with a firm quote for transport to any shipping port in the world in a sealed container and handle the process for you from start to finish. Our domestic and international ground transport solutions are enclosed only. If you wish to use an open carrier. you will need to arrange that. Our Transportation Manager. Gregory Smith. stands ready to help you with your transport & shipping needs. Gregory can be reached at: Greg. Smith@rkmotorscharlotte. com. A common question we receive is: "do you accept trades"? We do accept trades. but will only consider #1 or #2 condition vehicles. If you would like us to review a trade. please send recent. high resolution pictures of the entire car. including the underside. Also send a detailed description which includes all specifications. facts. figures. history and documentation present with the car. Lastly. give us a clear idea of what you are seeking in trade value. If you are a MyClassicGarage user. you can send us an Evaluation file for review. Our MCG virtual garage name is: RK Motors Charlotte. Email information and pictures on your trade directly to Donald Berard. Donald's email address is: Donald. Berard@RKMotorsCharlotte. com. Our 60. 00 sqf retail showrooms are located in beautiful Charlotte. North Carolina . We usually have 200-250 incredible cars on display. and there's always something new. Feel free to make an appointment. stop in and meet our staff. and. more importantly. see the Greatest Showroom on Earth! Each and every one of our employees is an absolute car nut and we do this because we love cars! In addition to our retail showroom in Charlotte. NC. the RKM Performance Center is located in a 40. 00 sqf facility in Mooresville. NC. which is about 20 minutes north of Charlotte in the heart of NASCAR country. We perform complete restorations for classic car collectors worldwide. RKM restored cars have won numerous national awards. Check out our feedback from other customers who have purchased cars from us in the past on our website. We pride ourselves on describing our cars accurately. and. our cars really do look better in person than in the pictures! Every car that you see for sale is in our physical possession and located at our main facility. 5527 Lakeview Road. Charlotte. NC. 28269. For general information. call us at: (704)596-5211. RKM Performance Center Heated paint booth Sanding room Mixing room Sandblasting cabinet Interior shop Metal fabrication shop 10 two post lifts Alignment rack Tony Klein Consignment Manager 5527 Lakeview RoadCharlotte. NC. 28269 Phone: 704-596-5211 Fax: 704-596-5980 Mobile: 440-413-0849 Tony. Klein@RKMotorsCharlotte. com Gerry Notara Vice Presidentof Operations 5527 Lakeview RoadCharlotte. NC. 28269 Phone: 704-235-2973 Fax: 704-596-5980 Mobile: 704-773-4658 Gerry. Notara@RKMotorsCharlotte. com Donald Berard Sales Manager 5527 Lakeview RoadCharlotte. NC. 28269 Phone: 704-596-5211 Fax: 704-596-5980 Mobile: 781-773-4648 Donald. Berard@RKMotorsCharlotte. com Gregory Smith Transport Manager 5527 Lakeview RoadCharlotte. NC. 28269 Phone: 704-562-6226 Fax: 704-596-5980 Mobile: 704-562-6226 Greg. Smith@rkmotorscharlotte. com 704. 596. 5211 info@RKMotorsCharlotte. com Showroom 5527 Lakeview RoadCharlotte. NC 28269 |