HomePick of the DayDocumented original 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 that had a Hollywood movie tryout

Documented original 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 that had a Hollywood movie tryout

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This could be the year that Shelby-badged cars again rise in value, likely due to the release of the movie Ford v. Ferrari, or as a friend of mine calls it, Ford v. Shelby.

Last week, the Pick of the Day was on the sharp end of the Shelby pantheon with an original 289 Cobra. This week, I wanted to focus on a car that while still expensive, is considerably more affordable than the Cobra, a 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 offered on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Butler, Missouri.

shelby

The GT500 features the first year of the restyled Mustang body, which was a bit larger that the first design and had considerably more-aggressive styling. The Shelby Mustangs built in 1967 would be the last built in the Shelby garage in California because in 1968, production of Shelby Mustangs moved to the Ford assembly line.

As a result, many die-hard Shelby fans consider the ’67 cars to be the last true Shelby Mustangs.

One thing you need to be aware of with all Shelby Mustangs is to ensure the car you are buying is the authentic item. This is because there are quite a few fake cars out there, run-of-the-mill Mustangs that were made to resemble real Shelbys.  Documentation and ownership history of a given car are immensely important.

shelby

This GT500 checks out as a fully documented real deal. According to the seller, it was delivered to Stockton Quincy Ford on 9/14/67 and sold to RJM Leasing for the actor Howard Duff, who owned and drove it for more than 28 years.

It is also reported that this very Shelby Mustang was originally tested for the ’68 movie Bullitt.  Due to the high cost of Shelby vehicles, it was deemed impractical due to the damage it could sustain during movie production, so a Mustang GT was used instead.

The next owner of this fastback was SAAC rep Bob Johnson, who purchased the car from Duff’s widow, Judy Duff.

shelby

The car remains in mostly original condition, the seller says, with its original engine, close-ratio toploader gearbox, and 10-spoke alloy wheels, including the spare.

Johnson had the paint restored by John Schwadtner of Muscle Cars Unlimited, the seller notes. Since he was involved with the Shelby club, it could be assumed that he had it done correctly.

The car still has its rare original roll-bar seat belts, wood-rim steering wheel, fold-down rear seat, 3:50 posi 9-inch rear end, Carlite glass and deluxe interior.

shelby

Importantly, this GT500 comes with all its original paper work, including order delete sheet, warranty card, title, California black plates, and invoices from Howard Duff, and it has a Marti report that this car is exactly as represented.

Back to the link with Ford v. Ferrari. The 1967 GT500 came with a 427 cid Cobra Le Mans engine that was the street-tuned version of the same engine that Shelby’s racing team used to sweep the top three places at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Only 2,048 of the 1967 GT500s were built, and this one with an asking price of $180,000 or best offer looks to be a strong deal that could well increase in value during the coming year.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day

Andy Reid
Andy Reid
Andy Reid's first car, purchased at age 15, was a 1968 Fiat 124 coupe. His second, obtained by spending his college savings fund, was a 1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2. Since then, he has owned more than 150 cars—none of them normal or reasonable—as well as numerous classic motorcycles and scooters. A veteran of film, television, advertising and helping to launch a few Internet-based companies, Reid was a columnist for Classic Motorsports magazine for 12 years and has written for several other publications. He is considered an expert in European sports and luxury cars and is a respected concours judge. He lives in Canton, Connecticut.

12 COMMENTS

  1. I love your news letter, I read it every day, with my monring coffe; and only in my desire to contrubute to the hobby, the Shelby GT 500, never came with the 427 (excpet for one, the super snake) all came with 428 in diferente variants, some where call 428 KR, King of the Road, when the 428 Cobrea Jet engine was in.

    • My 1967 Shelby came with a ( special –
      Order) 427 side oiler, purchased from
      Avis Ford , Southfield Michigan in Feb
      1967. 67. GT-500 , Lime Gold , 4spd,
      Top cover trans , Deluxe comfort weave into. Ect. 67400F7A027–.
      Yes you could order a 427 spec order.

    • Actually, certain ’67 GT500’s do in fact have the 427 side oiler. I knew a guy personally that had an all numbers matching black convertible 427 equipped.

      • No Shelby convertibles in ’67. Only 4 in 1966 (the last 4 cars produced on the line that year) and then again in 68 as a production item.

      • Don’t know if it will get driven, or with 4 adults in it. My cousin had a new 67 390 GT 4 speed . Adding a slightly larger tire, would cause the rear tires to rub very easily on slight dips with 4 people.
        Probably why the Bullit Mustang was heavily modified while the Charger was basically stock.

  2. According to the car’s Production Order (photo included in listing), this is a Standard wheel car. Standard wheels were 6.5"x15" Steel with wheel covers. If this car had 7"x15" Shelby Aluminum 10-spoke wheels from the factory, it would be indicated on this document in the appropriate box. Same can be said for the Full (a/k/a/ "top" or "Le Mans") stripes. Looks like a great, mostly original car — just pointing out what appear to be liberties taken during it’s cosmetic restoration to help other readers understand these truly special cars.

  3. What makes this Shelby especially valuable is the fact that apparently Howard Duff continued driving this car for FIVE YEARS after his death!. Quite an achievement, even for Hollywood.

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