Mint 1969 Shelby to be auctioned off

[Sixties Sam]

This 69 Shelby was found in a garage about two blocks from my house, and I never knew it was there! It's mint, with 8,500 miles on it! Should bring six figure price.

http://jalopnik.com/this-is-what-a-mint-garage-find-69-shelby-gt500-looks-1552074641

[jeffs396]

Are you going to enter the bidding war Sam?

[jbwelda]

I very much doubt it is "mint" after sitting for 40+ years. that's why these sort of things crack me up. cars turn to junk just sitting there.

I bid a dollar.

jb

[jbwelda]

I take it that means you bid two dollars?

jb

[Harry P.]

Looking at the photos, it's not exactly in "mint" condition. But if it's just dust and dirt, that's an easy cleanup. If the car is legit, it should bring a pretty good price.

[Sixties Sam]

Apparently, the car was maintained - oil changed, tires kept inflated, engine run periodically, etc., but not driven any distance. There's also a 1974 Ford custom van in the auction, supposedly with something like 554 miles on it.

I write for a small local weekly newspaper, and I plan to attend the auction and write a story about it. My editor asked if I was going to bid on the Shelby. I asked him if I could use company money. He's checking with his boss!

Sam

[Modelmartin]

I really dig the van that is featured right after the Shelby in Jalopnik. I never lusted after later Shelby Mustangs but that van is very groovy!

[Sixties Sam]

The auction for this 1969 Shelby was yesterday. It went for $280,000! Wow! A guy in the next county bought it. This was a huge event in this small town!

http://www.centredaily.com/2014/04/25/4150823/clearfield-county-man-wins-rare.html

[ChrisBcritter]

$22,000 for the van - and I bet you'll have a lot more trouble finding a cherry '70s custom van with 500-odd miles on it than you would finding a Shelby.

[Bill J]

You have to consider that no matter how many oil changes and air pressure checks were done, the car still would have a lot of rotten areas. Most gaskets, boots, bushings and seals would probably need to be replaced. Paint that old usually has surface cracking and fading even it stored inside. A lot of a car just does not age well, considering that they were never meant to last very long.

That's the reason there are so many restorations around the old car world, they just need that replacement of parts and refreshing of finishes and materials.

I'd be afraid to be the one to start up an engine that has not run much in 40 years, it may just implode.