This car has been missing for over 50 years and now it may just have an awesome surprise in store for all of us classic Shelby enthusiasts.
Carroll Shelby made a name for himself over half a century ago for building some of the fastest Ford racing champions to ever the track. Many of his cars were used in autocross, road racing, and drag racing because of their extreme versatility for all things fast. Drag racing has always been a particularly popular autosport in America because of the ease of access and low cost. So it should come as no surprise that the car we are about to show you was exactly that, a Shelby Mustang equipped to kick some severe Camaro tail at the drag strip.
Read about the missing James Bond car here.
This is a 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 which has been very heavily modified to be the perfect drag racing legend by a collection of unknown racers, one of which is believed to be Ron Pellegrini. The reasoning behind this assumption is that the front clip is similar to something Pellegrini would have produced at the time, including a complete tube chassis which is a fantastic addition to this Shelby racer. Every part of this car can trace roots back to Shelby, right down to little details such as the side vents that came off of a green GT350 and other small body panels.
Under the car, you won't find very much rubber, so it is doubtful that this car ran down the drag strip, but we do know that it was featured in the IHRA(International Hot Rod Association). On the windshield, you'll find a sticker that classifies the car as an FF/X racer, which helps trace the car back to its roots in motorsport. Speaking of the windshield, this is one piece of the car that we can say is not stock as the Lexan glass that initially came in the car was broken clean in half for one reason or another. This clear window contrasted the blue back window and made for a relaxed aesthetic.
While we're not exactly sure what engine is resting under the hood of this mighty beast, we can say that it is a smaller V8. Most likely, this is a 289 or a 302 ci V8. Either way, it's still an excellent small block from before the big blocks took control of the drag racing scene. It is worth pointing out that a lot of this is simply speculation, and the guys don't have a bulletproof way of proving that the car is what they think it is, but one significant guess might shock you. It is believed that this is the famous #1444 car that went missing in 1967, which would make it one of the coolest finds ever to be discovered.
