I was watching the Caroll Shelby Special series on Velocity the other night…I have to say, the new GT-350 is the most ingruiging “newer” Shelby model I’ve seen to date, purely from an investment standpoint. I"m not in a position to invest in one, I’m simply examining and am curious what others think.
Reasons:
The White and Blue Color scheme is a perfect combination and a tribute to the original True-Race prepped 65s
The production numbers are really low. Like 120 for each type (Supercharged or not).
Coming out the same year that Mr Shelby Passed.
Just a fantastic performing machine for the price of a Corvette Z06 and outperforming it. 624HP is ridiculous. the Coyote Engine supposedly handles power increases quite easily and safely. It also apparently handles extremely well…It outperformed a Ferrari F430 and a Porsche Turbo and a Z06 on their Las Vegas Test Road Course with respect to best lap times, by up to 2 seconds on a 60 second lap!
Great Looks
I’ve never really thought that a Modern Day Shelby is going to appreciate much over time, and have not been too impressed with a Modern Muscle Car that still has a solid axle (that’s a whole 'nuther debate) but these cars seem to be a “buy one for fun and one for investment” kind of a car. Maybe I’m being too nostalgic with Caroll Shelby’s passing. Are these cars going to go nuts? I see they’re already being marked up and offerred for 80K on Ebay, which is about 10-15K over Sticker price. Low numbers might just get it done, though.
My thoughts= History always repeats itself! Lets see, insurance companies will make it almost impossible to insure any performance car, then another oil embargo that will lead to gas rationing again. Then before you know it (10-20 years) the modern day muscle car will take off.
It is definately a cool car…but honestly I would rather have a Super Snake or GT500. After spending 4 days with all of those cars at the Shelby Bash in Vegas…I wasn’t as impressed that much with the GT350 when compared to the other two. Truly a cool car, but there were close to 20 or more at the Shelby Bash and I would rather go for the Super Snake or GT500 first.
I honestly don’t think today’s muscle cars will ever be worth the same price factor as today’s collector car. There are too many “collectors” or “investors” buying these cars and not using them. The current present day collector cars were blown up, drivin into the ground, wrecked, scrapped, motors donated to trucks and boats, and just plain hammered on by a lot of people…hence creating a shortage supply of what the population wants to relive their youth with. When I am 60+ there will be plenty of 2000’s muscle cars because there are so many cars that will be in good shape and not destroyed as the 60’s cars had to go through.
So if you want your “investment” to pay off start a movement to give your cars away to kids and gomers so they can shorten the supply and drive up the demand for when the year 2050 comes around.
Last year at the Mecum auction (I think) they interviewed Carroll Shelby about the GT350. He said it was the new car he was most proud of from the stand point of being like the first cars he built. I think with low numbers and his passing the new GT350 will have a place in the collectible market of “I want that car”.
Steven
I guess I’m getting old and crotchety… I see all these “New Shelby’s” out there with 5-600 HP and traction control and 18 air bags and rubber bands on 20" rims; and I’d rather have an original '65 with a solid-lifter 289. If I decided I need “mountainous torque”, I’d go for a '68-1/2 GT500KR with a 428CJ.
I like the stuff from back when Carroll Shelby and FoMoCo were HUNGRY to “own” racing. This new stuff is like a overdramatically mediocre Hollywood remake of an old classic movie. It’s just wrong.
Low production numbers and the Shelby name will ensure that your investment is as secure as it can be in a modern vehicle.
I guess the real question is: What does Ford and Shelby American have planned for the future of Shelby car production, and how will that affect the value of past and current modern Shelby cars?
Buy it to enjoy it for what it is. Then you won’t be disappointed if it goes down in value
Al, I’d drive a new GT-350, no problem. And from a performance standpoint, it’s about the only thing keeping the “SVT” attitude alive at Ford; which has helped their marketing and brought Ford stock back up to “investment” grade - good for the company and those who’ve been holding their B stock through some tough times. But, remember the “new Thunderbird” ? Was that truly the same car as it was in 1955? How about the Panther-based Mercury Marauder?
Ford’s building some great stuff and that’s very good. Some of their licensing programs are allowing other companies to service owners of their classic “legacy vehicles”; which is even better. But would you actually use your disposable income to buy a Fusion with a performance-tuned Ecoboost and some vaguely “Cougar” sheetmetal that was called an “Eliminator”? Or would you rather throw that money at a '69 or '70 body with the right VIN?
Rent one and drive the crap out of it for a couple of days - oh hay-ell yes! Actually buy one? No. For the kind of premium dollars these new factory hot-rods cost, I could give my rusty '73 to a real bodyman and tell him to make it strong and straight and painted; while also ordering one of three modern “improved” 351C blocks and the rest of the powertrain. Probably have enough $$$ left over to keep it fueled with 93 octane for a couple of cross-country trips.
Mike_B_SVT: My son-in-law had a Crystal White '94; later (after her '96 GT convertible was run over by a 3/4-ton 4x4) my daughter had John DeMolet’s Crystal White '97 vert. Both cars have since been sold to help pay for their “post-Army life”. He made out pretty good on his 17-yr-old car; they ended up accepting about half what they had in the '97.
I drive a Z06 as my daily driver (the GT500 was on my short list before I bought). The Z-car is insane. The new GT500 may have more HP but it can’t get it down to the ground as efficiently as the Z. Mustang still has antiquated solid axle. To say that you would rather have an old 68 GT500 is not a fair argument either. I could not see driving a 68 GT500 as a daily driver unless it had all the new bells & whistles for handling and comfort. I average 22 mpg on my commute with my Z, don’t think you will get close with an older CJ. And if you want a performance car in your garage for the weekend, a nice used Z06 or GT500 can be had for $40k, a 68 GT500 is gonna be close to $100k and you will have waaaaaaay more fun with the new car. Ever since I bought my Z, whenever I get into my Cougar, I just can’t believe how crappy of a car it is to drive. Yes the car it’s a great car and I love it, but it does not compare to my Z on almost any level. I’m hoping that maybe after I get the rack & pinion steering in and with a 5 speed and hydraulic clutch, the Cougar will bring more spirited driving pleasure.
I did not buy my Z as an investment and I try not to look at cars as investments. I don’t want to lose my shorts but I sure don’t plan on retiring on the money made on buying and selling cars.
Sorry if I went all over the place with my response…
I wouldn’t treat a '68 GT500KR as a daily driver either; that’s not the intended purpose of the car, never was. (Ad the “Close to $100K” is maybe close from the high side).
Actually, my daily driver is a 10-year-old F150 4x4, with a “Rhino-Lined” bed (easier to load/unload alfalfa) and a trailering package (easier to haul the alfalfa eaters). It’s my daily driver because my wife and I both believe that we only need ONE EACH daily driver to get us to our respective jobs; and those vehicles should also suit our “recreational needs”. So, we both drive pickup trucks. A 'KR would be a toy, a big, loud, “make your internal organs vibrate and plant a semi-permanent smile on your face” kind of toy. Realisitically, a 2012 GT500 (or even a 6-yr-old Z06) is a toy just as well.
To put it in another way; I own guns. I’m not a “Gun nut” but I believe in the right to keep and bear arms and the ability to put food on my table in a manner that doesn’t require that I wait for a truck to deliver meat shrink-wrapped onto a styrofoam plate. I believe that I can better protect my family than an officer who also has a quota of “tickets” to meet. Rifles? Got 'em. Three (at last count) shotguns. Revolvers, semi-automatic pistols like the venerable 1911… well yeah!
With all this, my favorite “fun shooters” are my Italian replicas of the 1863 iteration of the Remington “New Model Army” revolver. How’s this for “Old School” - you pour a measured amount of powder into the chamber, ram a lead ball into the chamber, do it 5 more times. Put 6 primer caps on the nipples, and you can shoot six times before you start all over again. And since these are not designed to shoot “modern smokeless” propellent, you have to learn to “aim through the smoke” in timed shoots.
Kind of like running through a bunch of twisties in a vintage GT500 (or XR-7G); without the new GT500’s (or C6 Vette’s) traction control.
I have a Kimber “Custom Shop”-tuned 1911 with all kinds of mods, from the barrel pivot to the titanium firing pin; and could run through “the course” with my belt stuffed with extra magazines … it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. The Kimber is great, but it’s the “911 put me on hold!!!” pistol, not the “toy”; the Remingtons are the toys.
You’re comparing apples to oranges. A 42 yr old Cougar isn’t on the same playing field as a newer vette. It really wasn’t the same back in 1970 as the vette was a two seater sports car. If they brought the Cougar back on the Mustang Boss 302 LS platform then you could do the comparison and add in the price differance as well.
I know you enjoy driving a Cougar too so I won’t hold any commets against you at all, even if your daily driver is a Chevy! lol
It is a nostalgia thing when we drive a Cougar. The fact that a new Toyota Camry outperforms most old 428 CJs is a testament to how far cars have come…
I really enjoy BMWs, for their power, balance, refinement handling, and (especially) steering feel.
But for some reason I always smile just a little more when driving a 2 bbl plain Jane Cougar around. It is the feeling I get in my heart…I’m in another “place” and Time…
I can’t do it every day, though. That sort of spoils the fun and novelty of it.
One of my future projects is a J-code 68 XR7 sunroof car. I plan on making that thing into a daily driver down the road. Hopefully all the creature comforts including cup holders. Hopefully it will be the best of both worlds.
my last 2 daily drivers have been Chevy’s. I used to be a die hard Ford guy but realize that life is too short to be married to just one brand. If life holds me to having one wife, then damn if I’m only going to enjoy one brand of car.
… it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. The Kimber is great, but it’s the “911 put me on hold!!!” pistol, not the “toy”; the Remingtons are the toys.
