1968 Shelby EXP 500 “Green Hornet” To Go Under The Hammer

Lime Gold ’68 hardtop with matching Deluxe interior. Its VIN was 8F01S104288 and was fitted with a 390 V8 engine coupled to a C6 automatic transmission. At the time the cars performance was immense registering 0-60 times in the 5.7 second range and top speeds of 157 mph. Though for unknown reasons the car and its features never made it to production and from there it was thought the car was crushed. Not so explains Jeff Koch of Hemmings.

“Rather than being scrapped, it was sent to Ford’s Employee and Auction Resale Lot in Dearborn. By the time it was in the yard, it was just an old Mustang: The special independent rear had been stolen and replaced with a bog-standard Fairlane axle, and the Conelec EFI had similarly been swiped and replaced with a police interceptor intake and four-barrel carb. The yard supervisor, Robert Zdanowski, bought it for $3,000 as a family car–he knew that it was the only Shelby notchback of its kind–but he sold it six months later when, as he wrote in a letter, “the Green Hornet proved to have too much power to be a ‘safe’ family car. (On rainy days, the rear end would slide off the asphalt roads near our home.)”

Zdanowski then sold the car on to Don Darrow and his son Randy, who held onto the car for over two decades not realising what they had until they saw it in a book and after contacting the author they confirmed they indeed had a special car. From here they managed to inform Frank Goodell who, as you can imagine, was over the moon it was still around. Fast forward a handful more years and Martin Euler of Classic & Muscle Mustang Restorations had managed to restore the car ground up with help from Goodell and we are left with what we have today. A great piece of Mustang and Shelby automotive history. Hemmings have a great in-depth write up of the history of the car. Head over there and give it a read. The car will go under the hammer in January of 2013 at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. [gallery] Owner’s View On rainy days, the rear end would slide off the asphalt roads near our home.–Fred Goodell PROS + Documented Shelby prototype + Groundbreaking ideas still not used + Virtually impossible to even clone one CONS – Not actually drivable at press time – Would you take the chance if it was? – Virtually impossible to even clone one Specifications Price Base price: N/A Options on car profiled: Conelec fuel injection, independent rear suspension Engine Type: OHV V-8, iron block and heads Displacement: 428 cubic inches Bore x Stroke: 4.13 inches x 3.98 inches Compression ratio: 10.5:1 Horsepower @ rpm: 355 @ 5,400* Torque @ rpm: 420-lbs.ft. @ 3,200rpm* Valvetrain: Pushrod operation, hydraulic valve lifters Main bearings: 5 Fuel system: Conelec electronic multiport fuel injection, electric fuel pump Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump Electrical system: 12-volt Exhaust system: Dual exhaust Transmission Type: Heavy-duty Ford C6 three-speed automatic with Lincoln torque converter Ratios 1st: 2.46:1 2nd: 1.46:1 3rd: 1.00:1 Differential Type: Ford 9-inch center section Ratio: 3.00:1 Steering Type: Recirculating ball, power assist Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.0 Turning circle: 37 feet Brakes Type: Four-wheel disc, hydraulic activation Front: 11.3-inch Kelsey Hayes vented discs Rear: 11.3-inch Kelsey Hayes vented discs Chassis & Body Construction: Unit-body construction Body style: Two-door coupe Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive Suspension Front: Independent, upper wishbones, lower control arm with drag strut, 0.94-inch anti-roll bar, coil springs, telescoping shock absorbers Rear: Fully independent; lower control arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers; lateral links; anti-roll bar Wheels & Tires Wheels: Shelby aluminum 10-spoke Front: 15 x 7 inches Rear: 15 x 7 inches Tires: Goodyear Polyglas Front: F60-15 Rear: F60-15 Weights & Measures Wheelbase: 108 inches Overall length: 186.6 inches Overall width: 70.9 inches Overall height: 51.6 inches Front track: 58.0 inches Rear track: 58.0 inches* Curb weight: 3,450 pounds** Capacities Crankcase: 5 quarts Cooling system: 23.5 quarts Fuel tank: 17 gallons Calculated Data Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.83* Weight per bhp: 9.71 pounds* Weight per c.i.d.: 8.06 pounds* Production This Shelby Mustang was a prototype unit for component testing and was not sold through regular dealer channels. It is the only one in existence. Performance 0-60 mph: 5.7 seconds 0-100 mph: 11.4 seconds Top speed: 157 mph * indicates information on (or extrapolated from) a stock 1968 Shelby GT500; prototype data unavailable ** according to previously published sources [Hemmings] [MustangDaily]]]>