Near-perfect Shelby GT500KR Found in New Jersey Orchard

The holy grail of classic Shelby Mustangs, Hot Rod found this dusty GT500KR has only 22,910 miles and still wears its original paint.

For classic car enthusiasts, stumbling upon a long-hidden barn find is the mountaintop. It’s the ultimate dream, a sort of automotive Indiana Jones fantasy. The discovery of the 21st century equivalent to pirate’s treasure is alluring and intriguing, which is exactly what Hot Rod did when they found this 1968 Shelby GT500KR in Southern New Jersey. The fact that you get to rescue the princess (in this case, your derelict dream car) from a terrible fate for a decent price helps, too.

There’s two sides to every story, though, and often, the other side is pretty sad. In this case, the long-hidden gem only saw the light of day due to the death of its second owner, Art Winner. He purchased the Shelby GT500KR in 1976 and stashed it away in his peach farm.

With barely 21,990 miles in its long life, the Shelby GT500KR still wears its original paint and maintains its original interior, albeit dirty and dusty. However, it’s complete, and should clean up remarkably well.

Winner loved his Shelby and took it on many short trips on country backroads near his home, always returning it to its pampered spot in the garage, far away from the prying eyes of flippers and speculators.

While we think that participating in the car community is the best way to enjoy the hobby, we understand and respect Winner’s desire for secrecy. Besides, he can’t be at all bad — in addition to preserving this loud, proud piece of Mustang history for the next generation, his last will and testament dictates that proceeds from its sale will help local charities.

Winner, we salute you, wherever you are. We’re sure your Shelby’s next owner will take good care of it.

Photos: Hot Rod Magazine

Join the Mustang Forums now!

Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.
When he's not busy working on his Harley-Davidson bike, the vastly experienced writer has covered an array of features, reviews, how-tos, op-eds and news stories for Internet Brands' Auto Group and is also a co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast Cammed & Tubbed.

Check him out on Instagram at: Camvanderhorst.

Instagram