In 1968 Shelby needed a way to test various concepts and parts for their upcoming production vehicles. For this a prototype car was created better known these days as the Green Hornet.
The car began life as a Lime Gold ’68 hardtop with matching Deluxe interior. Its VIN was 8F01S104288 and was fitted with a 390 V8 engine coupled to a C6 automatic transmission.
At the time the cars performance was immense registering 0-60 times in the 5.7 second range and top speeds of 157 mph. Though for unknown reasons the car and its features never made it to production and from there it was thought the car was crushed. Not so explains Jeff Koch of Hemmings.
“Rather than being scrapped, it was sent to Ford’s Employee and Auction Resale Lot in Dearborn. By the time it was in the yard, it was just an old Mustang: The special independent rear had been stolen and replaced with a bog-standard Fairlane axle, and the Conelec EFI had similarly been swiped and replaced with a police interceptor intake and four-barrel carb.
The yard supervisor, Robert Zdanowski, bought it for $3,000 as a family car–he knew that it was the only Shelby notchback of its kind–but he sold it six months later when, as he wrote in a letter, “the Green Hornet proved to have too much power to be a ‘safe’ family car. (On rainy days, the rear end would slide off the asphalt roads near our home.)”
Zdanowski then sold the car on to Don Darrow and his son Randy, who held onto the car for over two decades not realising what they had until they saw it in a book and after contacting the author they confirmed they indeed had a special car.The yard supervisor, Robert Zdanowski, bought it for $3,000 as a family car–he knew that it was the only Shelby notchback of its kind–but he sold it six months later when, as he wrote in a letter, “the Green Hornet proved to have too much power to be a ‘safe’ family car. (On rainy days, the rear end would slide off the asphalt roads near our home.)”
From here they managed to inform Frank Goodell who, as you can imagine, was over the moon it was still around. Fast forward a handful more years and Martin Euler of Classic & Muscle Mustang Restorations had managed to restore the car ground up with help from Goodell and we are left with what we have today. A great piece of Mustang and Shelby automotive history.
Hemmings have a great in-depth write up of the history of the car. Head over there and give it a read.
The car will go under the hammer in January of 2013 at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction.
On rainy days, the rear end would slide off the asphalt roads near our home.–Fred Goodell
PROS
+ Documented Shelby prototype
+ Groundbreaking ideas still not used
+ Virtually impossible to even clone one
CONS
- Not actually drivable at press time
- Would you take the chance if it was?
- Virtually impossible to even clone one
Specifications
Price
Base price: N/A
Options on car profiled: Conelec fuel injection, independent rear suspension
Engine
Type: OHV V-8, iron block and heads
Displacement: 428 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke: 4.13 inches x 3.98 inches
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 355 @ 5,400*
Torque @ rpm: 420-lbs.ft. @ 3,200rpm*
Valvetrain: Pushrod operation, hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings: 5
Fuel system: Conelec electronic multiport fuel injection, electric fuel pump
Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump
Electrical system: 12-volt
Exhaust system: Dual exhaust
Transmission
Type: Heavy-duty Ford C6 three-speed automatic with Lincoln torque converter
Ratios 1st: 2.46:1
2nd: 1.46:1
3rd: 1.00:1
Differential
Type: Ford 9-inch center section
Ratio: 3.00:1
Steering
Type: Recirculating ball, power assist
Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.0
Turning circle: 37 feet
Brakes
Type: Four-wheel disc, hydraulic activation
Front: 11.3-inch Kelsey Hayes vented discs
Rear: 11.3-inch Kelsey Hayes vented discs
Chassis & Body
Construction: Unit-body construction
Body style: Two-door coupe
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front: Independent, upper wishbones, lower control arm with drag strut, 0.94-inch anti-roll bar, coil springs, telescoping shock absorbers
Rear: Fully independent; lower control arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers; lateral links; anti-roll bar
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Shelby aluminum 10-spoke
Front: 15 x 7 inches
Rear: 15 x 7 inches
Tires: Goodyear Polyglas
Front: F60-15
Rear: F60-15
Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 108 inches
Overall length: 186.6 inches
Overall width: 70.9 inches
Overall height: 51.6 inches
Front track: 58.0 inches
Rear track: 58.0 inches*
Curb weight: 3,450 pounds**
Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts
Cooling system: 23.5 quarts
Fuel tank: 17 gallons
Calculated Data
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.83*
Weight per bhp: 9.71 pounds*
Weight per c.i.d.: 8.06 pounds*
Production
This Shelby Mustang was a prototype unit for component testing and was not sold through regular dealer channels. It is the only one in existence.
Performance
0-60 mph: 5.7 seconds
0-100 mph: 11.4 seconds
Top speed: 157 mph
* indicates information on (or extrapolated from) a stock 1968 Shelby GT500; prototype data unavailable
** according to previously published sources
[Hemmings]
[MustangDaily]
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1968 Shelby EXP 500 “Green Hornet” To Go Under The Hammer originally appeared on 67mustangblog on August 27, 2012. Tweet This