It’s not everyday that people stumble across rare gems long forgotten in old barns in the middle of nowhere. What if that gem just happens to be an original 1965 Shelby GT350, the first Shelby ever produced, buried under a bunch of old junk? Not only that, but it has only 44,000 original miles on the odometer making it quite a rarity indeed. It still has the original engine and drivetrain, although “freshened,” original wheels, glass, sheet metal and paint where the stripes have a rustic fade. It even still has the original California black plates. For the most part it’s been left untouched and unrestored.

We already brought you this old Shelby when they found it and were preparing it for this year’s Barrett-Jackson auction. Looks like the bidders in attendance at Barrett-Jackson thought it was quite the gem also, as it fetched nearly $400,000 on the auction block. The final bid was $350,000 and $385,000 after all of the auction fees. The original owner had owned the car until 2009 where just normal basic maintenance was performed to keep it on truckin’. The documentation is available from when the owner bought it back on September 29th, 1965 and also from when they had removed it from the barn property.

After spending that pocket change, do you think the new owners will drive it, restore it, or leave it as is? Certainly it’s appreciated as it fetched a good penny at the auction, faded stripes and all. This can certainly be a nice museum piece with such little miles and such an incredibly interesting history.