Pictures: Bangshift

There are few places as hot or as desolate as the Death Valley desert in Southern California. Not many people call this place home, and those who do are constantly contending with dry heat that more often than not soars past 100 degrees F. Though this land is inhospitable for humans, it is a nearly ideal location to store an old car.

That is the only reason a 1967 Shelby GT500 survived a quarter of a century exposed to the elements of Death Valley. Bangshift reports that this incredible survivor Shelby has been found and rescued, and we can only imagine the stories this old Mustang must have to tell.

No light is shed on why a ‘67 Shelby GT500 was left outside for 25 years in the Death Valley desert, but as these pictures show, the fiberglass hood and trunk lid had their paint literally sand blasted off of them. The doors were half-filled with sand as well, but otherwise this ‘67 Shelby is a real survivor and still wears its legit VIN tags. Even better, it has a tow hook. Why, we don’t know it has a tow hook, but it adds a lot of character to an already-cool car.

The collector, a Ford fan from Massachusetts, bought up the car as soon as he heard about it. Even better, he intends to keep this survivor as-is. While some necessary repairs are being made (like new shocks and fixing the brakes) this Shelby will be left alone. It’s not often that we get to write about Mother Nature preserving, rather than ruining, a classic car, so this was a really uplifting find for once. Check out Bangshift for even more pictures of this Shelby survivor.