Craigslist Find: “Rare” ‘96 Shelby GT350 Mustang

Craigslist, much like eBay, is one of those places where you can find pretty much anything for sale. Yet unlike eBay, which charges a fee for its auction, Craigslist is free and open for all too use. This naturally attracts a different sort of crowd, and as such for every great deal on Craigslist, there are about half a dozen scams, sketchballs, and skeezers lurking behind the next link.

Now we’re not saying that the owner this “rare” and unique 1996 Mustang Shelby-R GT350 is either a scammer or a sketchball. But the ALL CAPS posting for this never-existed Mustang in the Wilmington, N.C. Craigslist raises a few eyebrows to say the least.

The ad in question is for a “96 Mustang Shelby-R GT350 Convertible” and the asking price is $9,000. A $9,000, mid-90’s Shelby? Pinch me, I must be dreaming. The seller is the second owner of this car, and there’s a lot of talk about the $4,000 paint job, new vinyl stickers, and a functioning Shaker hood. But nowhere in the ad does the seller mention the fact that Shelby never produced a 1996 Mustang.

In fact, Ford only revived its relationship with Shelby in 2004. Back in 1996, the hottest Mustang on the lot would be the Cobra, not a Shelby. Perhaps Shelby offered a package back in the day? If so, we never heard of it. More likely, this guy was sold a car he thought was a Shelby…but is really just a bunch of stickers on a ho-hum Mustang GT. This is, at best, a one-off Mustang that pretty much offends all the senses.

If we’re missing something here please, let us know, because something doesn’t smell right with this Mustang.