Description
ORIGINAL OWNER - ORIGINAL CAR! DOCUMENTED IN THE EXTREME! ALL MATCHING NUMBERS! After almost 50 years of ownership it is time for me to let go of our family treasure. My father originally purchased this car for my mother, and eventually me, to drive. In the mid 1970's the car was placed in storage with approximately 45,000 miles on it. It had always been garaged and lovingly cared for. After settling down in the early 1980's I retrieved the car and began a light restoration which blossomed into results yielding many trophies including a Best Restored Convertible award at the ISCA show in Dayton, Ohio, 1998. Through the ensuing years the car has only been driven lightly for show and maintenance with only 48,939 total miles driven since new. During the initial restoration the 428 Police Interceptor engine and C6 transmission were rebuilt maintaining stock specifications and still function as new. The car has just completed a thorough freshening. The engine and transmission were removed and the engine and engine compartment were professionally repainted in the correct finishes. Engine and transmission seals were replaced and a thorough rebuild of the braking system was performed. All fluids were replaced including the differential. I retained the original starter, alternator, water pump, Carter fuel pump and distributor when I replaced them initially with rebuilt units for a clean presentation. The correctly numbered originals were just professionally rebuilt and restored to as new and reinstalled on the engine. The carburetor is the correct C8ZX-9510-A Holley which was recently rebuilt and restored to original appearance. All plated items such as the hood hinges and smaller pieces were just re-plated to their original finish. Also, the top frame was just removed and restored with the addition of a brand new convertible top that is the correct pattern and with the correct tack strip. The paint and panel fit are all excellent. The original steel wheels and Shelby wheel covers are in very good condition and included with the car. This car is 100% original including the near perfect interior (only the carpet was replaced with a correct weave which you can see in the pictures). All original tags are in place with their original factory rivets, they were not removed during restoration. This includes the Shelby VIN tag, fender tag, door tag and under-coil engine tag. The Ford VIN can be plainly seen stamped under the left fender along with the windshield tag on top of the dash pad. Documentation is incredibly extensive with the original broadcast sheet found under the rear seat, the original bill of sale from Jack Loftus Ford, a copy of the original title with my parent's names (they have passed and the current title is in my name), correspondence between Ford and my father and more. The original owner's manual is signed personally by Carroll Shelby to my mother and father (Dot and Jim). I have hand written a multipage history of the car that I will include with the sale. The car appears in the registry and as you can see by the VIN, it is one of the earliest 1968 Shelbys produced. This car shows, runs and drives absolutely beautifully and you will not be disappointed. It is simply stunning in person. This is an incredible and rare opportunity to own a completely original, low mile, all numbers matching, one-owner, FULLY DOCUMENTED, Shelby GT500 convertible! Even the spare tire is an original Goodyear Speedway 350. Please bid accordingly and thank you!
