Amazingly, even though Ford’s original Mustang Shelby series is one of the most coveted ever, there’s an increasing number of examples that get uncovered as fabled barn finds. Or, perhaps, the fact this range of classics becomes ever more popular lately makes people suddenly remember where they or their elderly misplaced these cars. Either way, we’re glad more and more get the attention they deserve.
Let’s take this 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, for example, which is showcased in the latest video (embedded below) by automotive enthusiast David Patterson (a.k.a. ThatDudeInBlue on social media). He’s naturally enticed by the fact that he came across the fabled classic car barn find, but he’s also doubly enthused because we’re dealing with such a coveted vehicle. And because he’s driving it.
For context, the video begins with the story of how this barn find came to be: a lovingly restored classic car that sold for 65 grand when it was in dire need of TLC and then ate up another $70K to look and drive the way it does today. Nobody said these were cheap nor easy to maintain.
After Patterson puts some interesting facts about this ‘67 and the 2021 GT500 into perspective, the drive from the 1:14 mark (which continues until the end, with little intermezzos and beauty shots of the Shelby at the dealership) is all that matters. Seriously, if one never gets to write off the bucket list a test drive with a classic GT500, this one comes as close as it gets.
He’s brutally honest in assessing the difference between classic cars and their modern counterparts, but it still entices just about everyone to try and put themselves in his shoes. That smile from the 4:42 mark basically says it all and shows that everything is well worth it.
That includes the “come on, brake” nerve-wracking instances, or the fact that “of course smells like gas, smells like fuel because of carburetors,” and even the scary moments of “wow” driving (7:20) at a higher speed on the expressway as there’s much steering input needed to control the pace.
Well, the upside is that such a car is just like an exotic, attracting the attention of basically everyone—even though it doesn’t come with a very spectacular color scheme. Which, by the way, was kept because it was the car’s original paintwork.
On the other hand, everything else is “always dramatic, and for what it is, it’s really not that slow,” probably because of that replacement 428ci (7.0L) engine coming from a Mustang that was built the very same year.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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