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It has been a record run for the S197 based GT500. The return of the Shelby name to a Mustang for the first time in almost 40 years began in 2007. The car then made 500 hp, a nice follow up to the sorely missed SVT Cobra “Terminator” from 2003 and 2004. The GT500 evolved into the car we see today. Sitting proudly as the champion of the horsepower war, the 2013 and 2014 GT500 defiantly made 662 hp, an astonishing number, and the most powerful production car Ford has ever built.
Rumors have circulated that 2014 is the last year for GT500 production, and that the moniker will be shelved once again, perhaps never to return as government regulations threaten once again to put a choke-hold on performance. Rumors of a less powerful Cobra , Mach 1, or GT350 model are swirling, although Ford has yet to confirm anything.
Barrett-Jackson, auctioned off the rights to the first GT500 for charity several years ago. The winner got to build their own on the Ford assembly line with whatever options he chose. That car sold for $600,000 as Carrrol Shelby stood beside it and a new chapter in history began.
This past Saturday the rights to the last GT500 droptop were auctioned off the same way the first 2007 GT500 was, with the proceeds benefiting charity, this time at the Barrett-Jackson Hot August Nights event in Reno, Nevada. When the gavel fell the last car went for $500,000, this car will be built later in the year, and once again the owner can choose whatever options they want for a true custom build.
Proceeds from the sale benefit the Brain Injury Association of America, a foundation near and dear to Ford racing legend Parnelli Jones who will personally sign the last car when it’s built. Jones’ son Page suffered a brain injury years ago, and today father and son tell the story, raising money on behalf of the BIAA.
No word yet on who the buyer was. It’s a fitting end for a legendary car, and one we’re sure would have made Shelby himself very proud.
