Last week, a pair of historic experimental Shelby Mustangs were unveiled at the 49th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Little Red and the Green Hornet were the only notchback coupes ever manufactured with a Shelby nameplate. Once thought to be lost forever, the prototypes now have a new lease on life.
Little Red is a 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 EXP Prototype. In March 2018, this "Holy Grail of lost collector cars" was found in rural North Texas. Most believed the car was destroyed, but it turns out that the same owner had it stored (albeit outside) for more than 20 years. The Green Hornet is a 1968 Shelby GT500 prototype.
Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, unveiled the cars. The Team that discovered Little Red included classic car restoration specialist Jason Billups, who led the restoration of the Green Hornet.
At the unveiling, Little Red and Green Hornet idled beside their modern-day descendants, including a one-of-one Candy Apple Green and a Rapid Red 2020 Shelby GT500.
The independent rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and electronic fuel injection connect Green Hornet to the 2020 models, while the new supercharger is similar to what was under the hood of Little Red.
The 2020 Green Hornet car was the first model to roll off the line at Flat Rock Assembly Plant last fall. Jackson paid $1.1 million at auction for the vehicle to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
