Since the new 1967 Mustang body shell was designed to accept Ford’s 390-cubic inch big block engine, Shelby dropped the Interceptor 428 into the pony car’s engine bay and added a dual-carb intake, creating the top-of-the-line GT500. Although conservatively rated at 355 horsepower, its actual output was closer to 400 horsepower, with 420 foot-pounds of pavement-melting torque!

The GT500 looked the part too, as it had a special front end with a unique bonnet scoop and grille-mounted driving lights, which gave the Shelby Mustang an unforgettable face. In the back, rear-quarter scoops, a rear spoiler, and sequential turn signals lifted from the 1966 Thunderbird gave the car an even more powerful presence. A roll bar with inertia-reel shoulder harnesses completed the competition flavour of the car.

The car offered here, chassis number 1926, is documented by a Deluxe Marti Report, a copy of which is included on file, as having been built at San Jose, California, on 5 April 1967. It was finished, as it appears today, in Nightmist Blue with a knitted black fabric Décor interior, an extra-cooling package, courtesy lights, a fold-down rear seat, power steering, front disc brakes, and a heavy-duty battery. It was delivered to agent Bedford Motor Corporation, of Bedford, Virginia, and sold new on 26 September 1967 to its original owner, James W. Gregg Jr., a resident of Bedford. It is noted that it had a cracked valve cover, which had been replaced by the dealer in January 1968.

Around 1971, the car was sold by a Ford dealer in DePere, Wisconsin, to Ken and Shirley DeYoung, who drove it to Road Atlanta in November 1972 to participate in the Sports Car Club of America run-offs. In 1973, it passed to Kevin Jones, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the last owner recorded in the Shelby American Automobile Club’s Registry.

The present owner had the car fully and expertly restored by British specialist Alan Faulkner-Stevens, of Dragon Wheels, to concours condition, including the majority of its original body panels, with the exception of a new passenger-side floor pan and a proper repair to the rear quarter panels. The body was stripped, properly prepared, and then returned to its original finishes and colours. The car retains its original engine and the 1968 dealer replacement heads, intake, and distributor, with remanufactured correct-type Holley carburettors. Furthermore, the engine has been upgraded with a stroker crankshaft and a connecting rod kit to increase capacity to 462 cubic inches, giving it a healthy boost in horsepower to 437. A dynamometer report on file attests to the increased horsepower and torque. The car has a correct four-speed transmission and axle assembly and all of the rare Shelby fiberglass parts, as well as a correct steering wheel, gauges, and aluminium wheels. The wiring and lights were also upgraded from the original specification, with turn signals being subtly fitted.

This rare “muscle car”, offered in excellent condition throughout and from one of the UK’s foremost Shelby enthusiasts, is undoubtedly the finest example in England!