Coolest Mustangs From the Barrett-Jackson 2017 Northeast Auction
Would you pay more for a movie car clone than an original? What's a GT 500 worth? Looking for a 429? The recent Barrett-Jackson auction featured some rare Mustangs, so let us compare ponies to ponies.
1. '68 Fastback Eleanor Tribute
Are Eleanors a lasting investment strategy? Or are they just really cool and people with loads of cash will pay to be cool? Will Ford release their own Eleanor in the future? Would they have to pay Disney for the rights? This one is listed in the Eleanor World Registry... which means there is an Eleanor World Registry. Whatever you think about all that, one thing is true: it's a pretty car. Lot #718 was originally an S-code 390 Fastback. It's a fresh restoration wearing a body kit by Stang-Aholics. It's still got a 390, a freshly rebuilt one with GT heads mated to a 4-Speed Toploader. Other features include 17' Shelby wheels and Pro-car rally seats. Sold, for $123,200.
2. '68 Shelby GT 500
So if a custom '68 Mustang Fastback with touches of GT500 goes for $123,200, How much for a real one? $250K? Nope, just $88,000. This Acapulco Blue Shelby has clocked 75,207 and was repainted in 1999. All the sheet metal is reportedly original with no rust and "only minor flaws." Shelby #00698 is powered by the original 428 and retains its original automatic transmission. This GT500 also features a Shelby-installed roll bar, deluxe interior, power steering, power brakes and super cool period 10-spoke Shelby wheels. Given your choice between the Eleanor and an actual GT500 for 35 grand less which would you take?
3. Red Boss (429)
As the adage goes, something is only worth what someone will pay for it. Putting aside the fact that that isn’t true of any of the most important aspects of value, how much is arguably the most handsome year Mustang with the most desirable engine worth? This one met or exceeded its reserve and was had for $407,000. It's an original Boss 429 showing 2,000 miles on the odometer, though the title says "mileage exempt." It's powered by the original 429 engine bolted to the original 4-speed. Lot #709 is listed as having "mostly all-original paint, original tires, original exhaust and original interior." Original tires? On a Boss 429? Who owned this?!
4. Blue Boss (429)
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback in Grabber Blue. Unsold—did not meet reserve. Described as "trailered MCA-Concours car received a score of 994 out of 1,000." It's a Toploader 4-speed car with a 3.91 Traction-Lok differential and "competition suspension." Was the reserve too much money, or should they have painted it resale red? Lately old car owners have been saying, rightly, “I’m not the owner of this car. I’m the caretaker of it for the next generation.” Let’s hope the caretakers give the public a chance to see them someplace other than the next auction.
5. 1972 MACH 1
Look at that roof! It's almost a shooting brake/2-door station wagon. And those stripes, scoops and spoilers! If this car didn't have them you'd put them on. Lift the hood of this real Mach 1 and you'll see a 351 Cleveland, generally accepted to be the best-breathing small block of the muscle car era. Sure it's big, but a rising tide raises all boats and this qualifies as a first generation boat. People have recently come to not only appreciate, but prefer some of the larger yet somehow sleeker and more modern early 70's Mustang variants. This example of the breed is equipped with an automatic, power brakes and power steering, and it was had for the bargain sum of $22,000, less than the cheapest Toyota Prius. But back to that roof—the SportsRoof could be called the fastest back of them all with a near horizontal rear window.
6. Modern Shelby Rental Racer
The original 1960s Ford/Shelby/Hertz Mustang GT-H rent-a-racer are seriously rare collectibles today, but the modern S197 chassis cars are actually rarer. Shelby produced just 500 GT-H cars in 2006 for the Hertz car rental company (and another 500 convertibles for 2008), all with the 4.6 liter V8 and automatic transmission, and in this black and gold paint. In all likelihood, this car is rarer than the other Shelby Mustangs of this generation, though it doesn't have the supercharger that made the GT500 such a treat. Sold, for the bargain price of just $27,500.
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