Authentic 1968 Shelby GT350 Project
Up for sale is a 1968 Shelby GT350 that is claimed to be an original, Candy Apple Red example. The seller has a Marti report to support the authenticity of this car. You know a car has some potential when it gets this kind of bidding action. A reserve is not yet met though. This car is located in Columbus, Indiana and the seller lists the VIN and a clear title. No miles are noted. You can view more on eBay.
Unfortunately the original engine is long gone. The seller claims that a 302 cubic-inch V8 resides under the hood, and there is photo evidence of that. That is connected to a four-speed manual transmission that came from the factory. Due to the car sitting for an extended period of time, it unfortunately does not run and drive.
The black interior does have some wear and tear as you can see in the photos. For being in storage for quite some time, it doesn’t look like too many critters have taken up residence on the inside. According to the seller this car was in the process of being put back together when the builder gave up. Somehow, it acquired a few paint blemishes while being in storage, which, unless it was moved improperly, seems strange.
The seller is nice enough to provide some undercarriage photos. There is rust, as expected, but nothing looks compromising to the integrity of the vehicle. While it will take some work and money to get this car back on the road, it could be done in relatively short order given adequate quantities of both. It can at least be a rolling project once you sort out the mechanical issues and get the interior safety up to par.
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Comments
Resale Red. Something doesn’t add up here. many parts missing. There seems to be the Shelby badge with the VIN but the seller didn’t do a closeup pic. Non orig engine. up to 40 large and hasn’t hit reserve. Guess you would need to look at and authenticate yourself. Has Marti report so if the vins match that might help. Looker over good and Good luck. Caveat Emptor.
Cheers
GPC
I agree and be careful on checking vins Plus hire a pro to verify for high dollars.
Its a NOM so that kills resales..
This guy has listed probably had others before.
Columbus IN is a small town.. Ask the current Veep born in the lil town known for Cummins diesel engines.
https://barnfinds.com/barn-find-1967-shelby-gt350-or-not/
$40+K and “Ahh, no-?”
Sorry, I’d have a huge problem with some pictures- a few decent, a few vague- and a Marti report and that is it. These days you can buy a modern GT350 in perfect shape, with all options, low miles (under 3K) and a history with FMC for a little more than where the bidding is on this “Mystery machine.” What is coming next is a general falling of interest on machines like this because, for the money and very little hassle, you can get new stuff that is more ‘daily driveable,’ more comfortable, better performing, more usable, less worry/headache.
I’m not 100% sure but didn’t all Shelby’s come with stripping package with reflective strips??? If some one did a non authentic paint job on this car it is worth a lot less then the asking price!! There seems to be many other things that just don’t add up!!! The dash should have a factor tach and the steering wheel should be wood grain with the Shelby center horn button!!! If I’m wrong please let me know but in my mind I’ve never seen a Shelby that looks like this!! It smells like a clone or a vin replacement!!!
The stripes do not go on the car until after the paint is finished. In this case it just looks like the restorer did not get to the stripe stage yet. Which is probably a good thing given that there are now issues with the paint. If there are paint problems in areas where the stripes go they may have been damaged as well.
The steering wheel is the correct deluxe woodgrain style. As is common the woodgrain pattern is mostly all worn off. The Shelby emblem is in the center of the steering wheel pad. It is harder to see but it does appear that there is a tach in the instrument cluster.
I did not take the time to watch the sellers video but they do claim to have a Marti report and that it is shown in the video. That pretty much takes clone out of the picture. Only a close personal inspection would prove whether of not a rebody has been done.
What kind of power did a 302 have in these luxo-Shelbys? I can never remember, maybe there’s something to that.
Who really knows how long this GT350 has been out of commission. Been valuable for decades, not that that matters really, as we see all kinds of unfinished diamonds in the rough,, some in absolute despicable condition. The four speed transmission explains a possibility of what happened to the original 302, bye-bye, the thing that I don’t care for is the red paint. I’ve seen red w/white stripe Shelby Mustangs and it’s just too much. White or blue, they just look right on an old Shelby.
The 302 was a J-code with 230hp. It was only available for 1 year in 68.
Please correct me if I’m wrong – this current color is NOT Candy Apple Red.
It looks much more like ‘mid-life crisis red’ to me.
To restore this mustang correctly it would have to be took completely apart and more than likely repainted. I would guess the work that has been done isn’t worth much but it is a Shelby (maybe).
The seats don’t look right either. Shelbys had deluxe interiors. No door panels shown is a problem too. It looks to me like someone has robbed parts from the car for another project.
I’ll give you 2500.