Find of a Lifetime: Shelby GT350 Rescued from Dilapidated Lake House
Run-down lake house in Georgia was storing a 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang that is worth more than the house itself.
The 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang needs no introduction on these pages. The word iconic gets thrown around so much that we hate to use it anymore. But if we had to sum up the 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang in one word that word would be. Iconic. Sorry, but there is no better word for this car. Fewer than 600 of these cars were ever made. If you do a quick check on the Hagerty valuation tool, you will see the average value of the car is a healthy $407,000. So, you would expect a historic, and valuable car like this to be stored in a spotless, highly secure location. Well, that is not the case here. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite.
The GT350 along with a few other vintage cars and a slew of spare parts were found in an abandoned home in Georgia. The old lake house looks like it was a beautiful place at one time. And the previous owner was one heck of a gear head. But after many years of neglect the house is falling apart and is now used by racoons for living quarters.
We would not store a rusted-out Ford Pinto there, let alone a six-figure GT350. But life happens, or more accurately death happens. The owner of the house and car has passed on and the relatives that inherited it all sold it on.
Matt Taylor from American Mustangs struck a deal for everything after a couple of months negotiating. He recently posted a video of the find on his YouTube channel. It is one hell of a find for sure.
What a Mess
When Taylor first enters the home, it is obvious that it has not been lived in for quite some time. The walls are falling down, there is trash and animal droppings everywhere. But a closer inspection reveals a few clues that this may be a special place. Laying in the hallway floor is a 302 Tunnel Port head. Interesting. Next to it is a framed print of a 1965 Shelby GT350. Hmmm.
Then in the garage is a 1991 Ford Mustang LX Convertible. Cool. But, next to the 1991 is a genuine 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang. Jackpot! It has seen better days that is for sure. However, it is the real deal. Not a reproduction, not a tribute car. This is the unicorn GT350. Sitting in a building that should probably be condemned. Who would have thought?
Closer Look
Taylor first laid eyes on the car about two months before he shot the video. During that time, he was able to verify that this is a numbers matching 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang. The hood hinges are frozen so we can’t get a view of the engine.
But he can open the hood enough to see the original Shelby tag inside. The Shelby American tag can also be seen on the door sill. The car is rough but seems to be straight and complete. The odometer shows just 29,000 miles. This is truly a once in a lifetime find.
Rescue Efforts
Seeing the car is exciting but it can’t stay there. The good news is the tires hold air and after moving things out of the way it is actually quite simple to roll it out into the driveway. It is likely the first time the car has seen daylight in decades.
In the light of day, it is much easier to get a good look at it and it is impressive. “I can just sit and stare at this thing just like it sits for hours.” Says Taylor. We know how he feels. This is Mustang history right here. To think that cars like this are still lurking out there in old garages is mind blowing.
Now What?
According to the description in the YouTube video this car is already running and driving. And for the time being that is all Taylor wants out of this 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustang. The patina is too amazing to touch. There are no plans to restore it or sell it at this point. Checkout the video below to watch this treasured piece of American history get rescued.
Join the Mustang Source Forums now!
