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One-of-one Shelby G.T. 500 Super Snake sells for $1.3 million

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1967 Shelby G.T. 500 Super Snake. All photos courtesy Mecum Auctions.

The one-of-one built 1967 Shelby G.T. 500 Super Snake may never have been, except for a conversation between Carroll Shelby and car sales executive (and former Shelby American employee) Don McCain. McCain suggested that there was room atop the supercar food chain for a Shelby-tuned Mustang even higher in performance than the G.T. 500, perhaps using the 427-cu.in. V-8 from the Ford GT40 Mk II race car. Shelby directed engineer Fred Goodell to make it so. The resulting car sold for an impressive $1.3 million at Mecum’s Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis this past weekend.

Though McCain was adamant that he could sell as many as 50 Super Snakes for Shelby American, production was limited to just the single example built using an existing G.T. 500 reserved for the Goodyear “Thunderbolt” tire test (to be entirely accurate, two other 1967 Shelby G.T. 500s were constructed with the 427-cu.in. V-8, though neither was labeled a Super Snake). It’s likely that the public objected to the car’s $8,000 sticker price, which was higher than that of a 427 Cobra.

Even before Fred Goodell ran the Super Snake for 500 miles at an average of 142 MPH (and speeds as high as 170 MPH), the story goes that Carroll Shelby himself thrilled the media gathered at Goodyear’s San Angelo, Texas, test facility with 150 MPH ridealongs. The car and tires performed flawlessly in the test, despite the fact that the Thunderbolt tires were the narrowest ever fitted to a Shelby G.T. 500. The Super Snake’s former owner, Richard Ellis, acquired the car with just 26,000 miles on the odometer, and reportedly returned the car to its condition on the day of the Goodyear test.

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“Eleanor,” as built for the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds.

Another Mustang that drew a seven-figure selling price was “Eleanor,” the modified Shelby G.T. 500 clone revered by Nicholas Cage (as car thief extraordinaire Memphis Raines) in the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. Billed as the “hero” car from the movie, VIN 7R02C179710 was constructed by Cinema Vehicle Services, used for the bulk of the movie closeups and photographed for movie posters and other promotional materials.

Sold in “movie used” condition with minor repairs, the car featured a 351-cu.in. Ford V-8 rated at 400 horsepower, a four-speed manual transmission (complete with a Go-Baby-Go Line Lock button atop the shift knob), four-wheel disc brakes, a lowered coilover suspension, PIAA driving lights, a non-function nitrous oxide system and a distinctive fiberglass body kit sketched by designer Steve Stanford.

The car’s shape is instantly recognizable to anyone who’s seen the film, and many credit the car with single-handedly launching the “Eleanor” resto-rod Shelby G.T. 500 craze. According to Mecum’s description, it has been part of a private collection since the movie’s completion.

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1965 Mercury Comet 427 A/FX Super Cyclone, as driven by “Dyno” Don Nicholson.

The top 10 vehicles sold brought in a total of $4.84 million. Rounding out the auction’s top sales were a Triple Crown-winning 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, which sold for $610,000; “Dyno” Don Nicholson’s 1965 Mercury Comet 427 A/FX Super Cyclone, which sold for $410,000; a 1965 Shelby Cobra with a polished aluminum body, from Carroll Shelby’s own collection, which sold for $320,000; a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429, with low miles and its original paint, which sold for $255,000; a Bloomington Gold award-winning 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, number 93 of 300, which sold for $250,000; a Triple Crown-winning 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, which sold for $240,000; a 1957 Ford Thunderbird  Phase I D/F, one of just 15 built for racing, which sold for $230,000; and a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429, KK #1758, restored to museum quality, which sold for $225,000.

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1938 Pontiac Sedan, wearing its original paint.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Spring Classic offered up quite a few bargains, too. A 1990 Lincoln Mark VII Coupe, upgraded from airbags to a coil spring suspension, sold for $3,250; a 1988 Cadillac Brougham with its original paint and interior sold for $2,500; a 1938 Pontiac Sedan, with original paint and a freshly-rebuilt engine, sold for $4,800; a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan sold for $4,500; and a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible sold for $4,500.

For complete results from Mecum’s Indianapolis auction, visit Mecum.com.


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