The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 – regardless of generation – is a special machine, and as such, we routinely see nice examples of it cross collector car auction blocks. This is also true of the newer S197 generation Mustang in general, which is becoming increasingly popular – not terribly surprising given its attractive retro styling and copious amounts of power. Now, this 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 prototype is heading to auction, giving fans something extra special to bid on, as it has quite the story to tell.
This 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is actually prototype number one from Shelby American, and it’s slated to be auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach, Florida sale later this month with no reserve. It was built under the supervision of the late, great Carroll Shelby, who also track-tested it, making this a truly special example of Ford’s iconic pony car. Shelby also signed the dashboard, which is a nice touch. Otherwise, there are loads of prototype parts present that make this GT350 rather unique.
On the outside, those features include a prototype hood, a three-piece front valance, white paint with Guardsman Blue stripes, and two sets of prototype wheels – of which just 12 were made in total. Inside, this pony car sports a prototype interior finished in premium calf leather, and it still has all of its original CSN plates and even comes with a GT350 jacket. Mechanically speaking, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 prototype features a supercharged V8 generating over 600 horsepower, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Underneath, there’s a custom Shelby/Eibach suspension that’s one of just 159 produced, too.
Interestingly, this is just one of a handful of Shelby American prototypes we’ve seen surface for sale at auction recently. That list also includes a 2014 Shelby GT500 Super Snake prototype, a 2006 Ford Shelby GT150 prototype, and a 2008 Shelby Turbo prototype.
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