With only 7,104 units built from 1965 to 1969 (out of 2.2 million), the first-generation Shelby GT350 is one of the rarest Mustangs out there. But even so, many GT350s are still locked away in barns waiting to be restored and put back on the road.
The 1968 GT350 Convertible you see here was one of those cars. I say “was” because it was sold to a gentleman who will restore it shortly after the video below was shot. But this beefed-up classic, still an all-original gem, spent a whopping 40 years in a barn.
How is it possible for a fine muscle car like this to be forgotten in storage since the 1980s? Well, apparently the owner also had a 1968 Shebly GT500KR Convertible in yellow. He preferred the more powerful “King of the Road” Mustang so the GT350 ended up sitting in the back of the garage.
When the owner passed away, his daughter decided to let the GT500KR go and keep the red GT350. The car remained untouched from the early 1980s until 2021, when it was moved to a different barn. But surprisingly enough, the muscle car is in fantastic condition for a classic that hasn’t been driven in 40 years.
Yes, it does have a bit of patina here and there, but it’s rust-free and 100% percent complete. Not only that, but it still has all of its numbers-matching components, including the high-performance V8 engine under the hood. In 1968, Shelby replaced the more familiar 289-cubic-inch unit with a 302-cubic-inch V8 with an aluminum Cobra intake manifold and Holley 600 carburetor, and that’s exactly what this Shelby has.
On top of that, the red paint looks like it will shine again with a good polishing, while the white top is in surprisingly good condition. This GT350 is also a low-mileage classic at only 24,000 miles on the odometer.
The convertible layout also makes it rarer than the average 1968 Shelby. Ford built 1,664 GT350s that year, but only 404 were convertibles. And if we narrow it down to colors and options, this Shelby is even rarer. Probably one of fewer than 100 built like this.
But the even better news is that the gentleman who bought it plans to get it running again and preserve the original paint and interior. And that’s the greatest thing it can happen to a barn-found survivor.