Rare Continuation Shelby GT500E Emerges on the Auction Block
Set to make a big splash at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale shindig, Shelby GT500E Super Snake comes with a strange tale behind it.
Carroll Shelby. The name means high-performance Fords, especially Mustangs. While most were happy with their ponies as they were, the rest wanted big power for their stallions. Shelby delivered the goods on numerous occasions, from the GT350, to the GT500E Super Snake.
In 1967, 2,048 of the monster Mustangs were built, each equipped with a 427 V8 used in Ford’s Police Interceptors. Barrett-Jackson has found one of the rare continuation GT500E Super Snakes, whose unique history is sure to bring in the big bucks on the auction block.
The tale begins in 2001, when Shelby American authorized 75 new GT500E Super Snake Mustangs to be built. The authorized builder would be Unique Performance, a company which would go on to rip-off several customers by not delivering the $200,000 cars, according to the Dallas Observer in 2008.
This example, the 23rd of 43 to be completed by the builder, was one of the few to find its way to its owner. However, it went back to Unique Performance in 2007 for servicing, which was when Texas State Police turned up to bust the owners of the company. Thus, the car wound up in the impound, and the builder wound up in bankruptcy.
After everything was sorted out, this GT500E Super Snake was repaired by another builder, then received an Arizona-issued VIN, plus all of the official Shelby American documentation. The Mustang’s 427 V8 was bored out to 482 cubic inches, and is linked to the nine-inch rear and its 17-inch wheels through a Tremec TKO 600 five-speed manual, and a three-inch aluminum driveshaft.
Inside the Raven Black body, five-point harnesses will protect the occupants from the Super Snake’s bite. There’s also a fuel cell for extra racing cred, and a NOS tank ready to deliver more power to the big V8.
The GT500E Super Snake is set to hit the big auction block of Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, scheduled for January 11 through 19. It’ll be one of a handful of fine Fords and Shelbys to pull in the big bucks. And with a story like this, there’s no doubt the snake will do well in the desert.
Photos: Barrett-Jackson
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