Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 9F03R482847
One of only 246 GT500 convertibles built for 1969, this
extraordinarily special Shelby was a special-order, originally in
Wimbledon White with white Clarion knit and Decor vinyl bucket
seats and equipped with the C-6 automatic transmission,
Traction-Lok differential, power front disc brakes and steering,
tilt-away steering wheel, Selectaire air conditioning, AM/FM Deluxe
stereo radio, intermittent windshield wipers, complete tinted
glass, Deluxe seatbelts, color-keyed racing mirrors, tachometer and
trip odometer, and competition suspension. All of these facts are
documented by an accompanying Marti Report, and all of it is less
significant than the original owner - Carroll Shelby, as he would
say, 'his own self.'
Shelby purchased the car after it had been used as a Shelby
Automotive 'company car' for several months and had about 8,166
miles. As he recounted in a detailed feature article on the car in
the Summer 2008 issue of Mustang Monthly, some 30,000 miles were
then accrued in three months by one of the salesmen at his wheel
company, before the boss finally took it back. Both of Shelby's
sons then drove it to college at UCLA. The man whose name was on
the car rebuilt the motor in 1978, painting it red rather than the
usual blue in the process, then had the body repainted Candyapple
Red and the hood pins removed in 1980, and fitted an auxiliary fuel
pump in the trunk controlled by a toggle switch under the
dashboard. "Sixty-seven-style" wheels from the Shelby Wheel Company
also found their way into place.
Shelby continued to drive the car at his ranch in Texas, then back
in California, into the early 1990s, and finally put it on display
in his museum. In the later years of Shelby's ownership, the car
underwent a complete restoration under the direction of Stephen
Becker in the hands of Jim Cowles' Shelby Parts & Restoration in
Wisconsin. Cowles told Mustang Monthly that while the car had the
expected bumps and bruises from a lifetime as a "driver," it
remained a very solid rust-free car and an easy basis for the work.
Today it is clear that the restoration was to a very high standard,
with correct equipment, finishes, and markings seen throughout, and
even the undercarriage was properly finished with primer and
overspray in all the expected locations.
In 2008, Carroll Shelby finally parted with his beloved GT500,
selling it to noted collector Ron Pratte. Last owned by Pratte, the
Gateway Automobile Museum acquired the car in 2015, only its third
home since new, from which it is offered today still in excellent
overall condition. Shelby's signature remains on the dashboard,
which is, of course, not uncommon - but it is uncommon for his
signature to appear on an automobile that he owned longer than most
others.
