Photo: Barrett-Jackson
That’s right, this 1968 Shelby GT500 King of the Road is original in so many ways it hurts. It hurts because, after the Vegas auction where it’s poised to sell is over, only one human will get to enjoy it, while the rest of us will be left dreaming about it in vain.
In the world of Mustangs in general, and Shelby Mustangs in particular, the King of the Road (KR) is without a doubt one of the most coveted beasts. Shortened to GT500KR, the magical piece of Shelby engineering was made for just one year (1968) in its original form, making it an incredibly rare machine.
The one we have here is not only part of that rare breed, but also restored, and original to the teeth.
We’re not told what crew was responsible for bringing this Acapulco Blue with white Le Mans stripes gem to its current form, but we are told we’re dealing with a rotisserie restoration. And it shows, as visually the car seems to be flawless.
More importantly though, the original mechanical bits are all there. That includes the 428 Cobra Jet engine fitted under the hood back in the day, the 4-speed manual transmission that came with it, and the correct date coded ‘N case’ rear end.
To make sure there’s no misunderstanding as to what car this is, the original Shelby ID tag, dash VIN tag, and door data tag are still on the machine.
Like all the hundreds other cars Barrett-Jackson sells at the end of the month in Las Vegas, this one too is going with no reserve. That’s usually a risky business, as the hammer may fall either way, but we think it’s pretty clear this King of the Road will cause quite a fight between bidders.
We’ll come back to this story as soon as we learn for how much the GT500 went.
The one we have here is not only part of that rare breed, but also restored, and original to the teeth.
We’re not told what crew was responsible for bringing this Acapulco Blue with white Le Mans stripes gem to its current form, but we are told we’re dealing with a rotisserie restoration. And it shows, as visually the car seems to be flawless.
More importantly though, the original mechanical bits are all there. That includes the 428 Cobra Jet engine fitted under the hood back in the day, the 4-speed manual transmission that came with it, and the correct date coded ‘N case’ rear end.
To make sure there’s no misunderstanding as to what car this is, the original Shelby ID tag, dash VIN tag, and door data tag are still on the machine.
Like all the hundreds other cars Barrett-Jackson sells at the end of the month in Las Vegas, this one too is going with no reserve. That’s usually a risky business, as the hammer may fall either way, but we think it’s pretty clear this King of the Road will cause quite a fight between bidders.
We’ll come back to this story as soon as we learn for how much the GT500 went.
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