Five Mouthwatering Mustangs Up For Sale in Scottsdale Auctions
Auction week in Arizona brings hundreds of classic Mustangs, but this handful stands out to us here at Mustang Forums.
Every year, countless collectors turn up to Scottsdale, Ariz. in January, when several major auction houses put up some classic cars. We’ve shown you the stars of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, but we also dug up five more from the listings of Sotheby’s (Jan.18 and 19) and Russo and Steele (January 17 to 21). Naturally, you can find just about any Mustang from a first-year, six-cylinder car to a 2017 Mustang in the listings. However, here are our stars that we’ll be following.
1965 Shelby GT350 #47
This K-Code car rolled out of Shelby American as just the 47th GT350 built. The company would build a total of 562 that year. Of those, 515 were the non-R, non-racing GT350s like this one. It looks particularly clean and should hold considerable value as an early-production version. This one features the high-output K-Code 289. That was the 306-horsepower version that came with the first 100 GT350s. Like the other two Russo and Steele listings, this one’s being sold on consignment.
Auction: Russo and Steele Consignment #2205
1965 Shelby GT350R
Surprise, it’s one of the 36 race-specific versions of the ‘65 GT350! We’ve already seen that another of these will be auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. They both have incredible historical significance coming from such a small batch. However, this one heading to the stage with Sotheby’s participated in the Cobra Caravan promotional tour in 1965. After that, it headed to Peru, where it raced long into the 1970s. Its story is too long to tell here — the listing below has it in detail — but its return to the United States involved dodging the Drug Enforcement Agency, the loss of its sale price in Las Vegas, and two restorations. This should bring seven figures at Sotheby’s.
Auction: Sotheby’s Lot #254
1968 Shelby GT500
If the GT350 was Shelby innovating, then the GT500 was surely Shelby nearing perfection. The updated Mustang received Ford’s Police Interceptor 428 cubic-inch V8. Depending on who you ask, that engine made somewhere between 350 and 400 horsepower. The nostril-style hood scoops and broad haunches make these cars just look aggressive, even standing still. This Fastback, one of about 1,000 built in ‘68, came specially ordered in Wimbledon White with black knit vinyl bucket seats. It comes fully restored and particularly clean.
Auction: Sotheby’s Lot #259
Devil’s Dozen 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
Desert Classic Mustangs built just 13 of these restomod ‘67 Fastbacks. The number of modifications ranges well into the dozens, but a lighted polycarbonate hood section lets you see the stroker Ford 331 V8 without opening it. Custom touches come across everywhere, including a supercar-style active rear wing.
Perhaps more than anything else about it, we love the interior of this car. The “bubble” stainless steel looks magnificent, but nothing could be cooler than the Lightning Rod shifter. That bubbled stainless also adorns the rear quarter-window louvers. It’s all rather over the top, but for a restomod, it looks surprisingly complete in its forethought and fantastic in its execution.
Auction: Russo and Steele Consignment #2248
2009 Iacocca Edition Ford Mustang
The Gaffoglio Family Metalworkers, known for building many custom and one-off concept cars, put together 45 coach-built Mustangs to honor the Mustang’s progenitor. Composites make up much of the construction, but the smooth, almost-featureless exterior really makes it pop. Custom Iacocca emblems dot the car in various places and a 400-horsepower supercharged V8 lurks under the hood.
This particular car has logged just 200 miles, having spent most of its time garaged. We hope whoever buys this one, the seventh built, drives it just a wee bit more. People deserve to see an S-197 Mustang made to look so sharp. The fifth one built sold in 2016 for $82,500 so we’re curious what this one will bring in 2018.
Auction: Russo and Steel Consignment #2177