How can someone get their hands on some of the most famous names in Detroit’s muscle car history? You can purchase a final-year Shelby Mustang G.T. 500 from the first generation simply going to an online auction site, placing one bid—a single, winning bid. a good day? Yes, but hold off until you read the really great part of this “steal.”
1969 was the break-up year between Carroll Shelby and Ford Motor Company. Incidentally, it was also the last year when a Ford GT40 would run at Le Mans (and win again, for the fourth time in a row). It was quite a busy summer for the Blue Oval, between the historic fourth triumph on the famous endurance race and the parting with the man who had made that dream possible.
As history has it, Shelby and Ford had been growing distant from one another a few years before the summer of ’69, with the Detroit company gradually taking over the Shelby Mustang project. Hardcore gearheads don’t even consider the ’69 Mustang a ‘Shelby’ Shelby, but a ‘Ford’ Shelby. Strictly to the point, the cars were built by Shelby Automotive – the fender tags claimed that descendency – but Carroll’s input was pretty much limited to the badging by the time the last of the first-generation cars came about.
Several hundred Shelby Mustangs were given 1970 VINs by the government, although they were really just ’69s with newer tags and paperwork. Therefore, the 1969 Shelby Mustang could be seen as the final chapter of this brief romance between two of the most illustrious names in automotive history (America). 1,872 G.T. 500s were produced by Shelby between 1969 and 1970, 1,402 during the first year, and 470 during the final Shelby Mustang assembly. Naturally, they are extremely uncommon and valuable, and the Shelby American Automobile Club keeps a close eye on the remaining stallions.
Once in a while, one such unicorn of a Mustang comes out of a decade-old hibernation in a secluded den in some garage, where it went to wait for a repair that never came. This is the story of a Competition Red G.T. 500 built on May 20, 1969, that served its original owner well until one day in the late 80s. The scenario might seem very familiar to many gearheads – car is bought new, car is driven, car is enjoyed, car breaks down, car is put into storage for ‘later,’ then life happens. In 2013, with other priorities to sort out, the owning family decided to sell the Shelby.
The original buyer’s son completed the transaction after deciding that, due to strictly personal life issues, he was unable to embark on the restoration project. Consequently, the car got a new owner. A damaged water pump and other heater core problems (the same injuries that left the Mustang unworkable back in the 1980s) caused it to lay on blocks for two and a half decades. The buyer spent around a year and a half to get the automobile back on the road after the sale was finalized at the end of January 2013. The new and very thrilled owner of the road-ready 1969 Shelby Mustang G.T. 500 said, “We ultimately pulled the motor out of the car and did a complete stock rebuild.”
He enjoyed the car for nine years but added only 939 (1,511 kilometers) miles on the clock between 2014 – when he finally got it back on the road – and 2022 – when he put it up for sale. This is where a retired dude steps in. Literally, the auction website username of this car’s latest owner is RetiredDude (his real name is Doug Newhouse). Apparently, all he had to do was place one bid (of $87,427) to secure the buy.
He tells the story in the video below, where his car is featured in all its shiny and rumbling glory. This ‘Ford’ Shelby rocks the 428 cubic inches (7.0 liters) of Cobra Jet V8-ness glued to a three-speed C6 automatic transmission and a 3.00:1 rear. The standard gearing for the Shelby-badged Mustang G.T 500s was the 3.50, with optional 3.91 or 4.30. However, this particular example also has the air conditioning package, which required the lower axle to compensate for the power drain caused by the air-cooling unit.
The 69s and 70s are immediately distinguishable by the elongated front end that didn’t resemble the standard Ford Mustang anymore. The fiberglass hood sported five NACA air ducts, and the overall car was four inches longer than the Ford it was based on. But the Shelby tradition wasn’t established on looks and creature comfort.
The magic of this car lies under the perforated engine bay lid – the 428 Cobra Jet V8. Officially rated a modest 335 hp at a low 3,200 RPM and 440 lb-ft at 3,400 (340 PS / 597 Nm), the engine first appeared on a public display in February 1968 at the Winternationals in California. Six Mustangs equipped with the new V8 competed, with four of them running in the finals of their respective classes. Mustang (and Shelby) fans take great pride in the Cobra Jet’s performance on its maiden trial, with the Stock Class win (the final was a two-CJ Mustang affair) and the Super Stock Eliminator triumph over a race-HEMI Mopar. To temper the spirits a bit, please note that the 426-equipped Plymouth lost because the driver jumped the gas pedal and red-lighted, and not strictly for Ford’s merits alone.
The 428 CID Ford engine, with quarter-mile sprint times in the high 13s and trap speeds around 103 mph (166 kph), was no garden snail, though. Whether or whether the vintage Mustang we see in the video still has that kind of performance is no longer relevant. The driver (and owner) doesn’t hesitate to press the loud pedal on occasion. The current owner, who was shot in July, only bought this gem a year ago and hasn’t driven the Mustang much. The car’s mileage stated 63,386 (101.988 km) when he purchased it. The odometer on the car had another 100 miles (160 km) when it was shown in the video.
This Mustang has come a long way from its 25-year retirement (see photos of its state after that prolonged storage) to the restoration from ten years ago, and finally, to the head-turning demeanor it has once again. Equipped to induce drivability and comfort rather than sheer rubber-sublimating fun, this example sports power steering, power front disc brakes, a tilt-away steering column, and a Sport Deck rear seat. The 8-track cassette player was a dealer-installed option, so it’s not listed in the Marti report included in the gallery.
On the internet, there has been some discussion about the winning auction price. Some people believe it is a great deal, and they are supported by prior purchases of 69 Shelby Mustangs that exceed six figures. On the other hand, prices for vintage survivors, particularly those with the badge of rarity attached to their names, have recently skyrocketed (like this ’69 Boss 429).