10 Reasons Why The 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Is The Ultimate Muscle Car

Ever since the first muscle car was released back in 1949 with Oldsmobile’s Rocket 88, American manufacturers have been rolling out their own cars into the muscle scene, all aiming to be the absolute best. As it’s been over 70 years since the world was introduced to the large, heavy, powerful muscle car, some of them are still household names not just in the U.S., but around the world.

Cars like the Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Camaro, and Pontiac GTO have certainly left their mark on the industry, but none have quite managed to top what Ford and Shelby-American were able to produce in 1967, with the inaugural Mustang Shelby GT500. The perfect step up from the GT350 two years prior, here’s why the ’67 GT500 is the ultimate muscle car.

The information in this list was compiled using data from Ford’s website, their historical archives, and other outlets such as Car and Driver, and Mustang Specs to provide up-to-date, accurate information.

10 The Start of Something Special

At the time of the car’s release, the competition was really starting to heat up in the muscle world, with Chevrolet’s Camaro beginning to roll out of dealerships the same year. To keep on top of the rest, Ford along with Carroll Shelby teamed up once again to build a styled-up, higher-performance version of the GT350 model, leading to the GT500 being born.

To this day, Ford still produces some of their most powerful, exciting muscle cars under the GT500 nameplate, all carrying on the legacy of the ’67 version. By still using this nameplate, it shows just how much of a special car the original GT500 was and still is. Although there have been some truly exceptional GT500s that have most certainly honored its iconic nameplate, there’s never anything quite like the original.

9 Highly Sought After And Hard To Find

Among all the Mustang GT500s, especially the older models, none are as sought after as the original. The thought of experiencing that raw, authentic Shelby power is enough for enthusiasts to spend top dollar for a ’67 GT500. Combined with the car’s unmistakable appearance, original GT500’s can go for anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000, depending on the condition.

With only 2,048 models produced in ’67, owning one makes it even more of a privilege. Back in 2017, a ’67 Shelby GT500 sold at the SEMA Show for $219,000, but keep in mind that this specific car had modern amenities installed along with 600 horsepower. Going even further, the only GT500 Shelby Super Snake sold for $2.2 Million at Mecum Auctions in 2019. While it’s even tougher to get your hands on such a machine, a ‘regular’ GT500 will provide equal amounts of thrill that only this model can.

8 Fiberglass Bodywork

Another element that further separates the GT500 from the GT350 is the use of fiberglass for the GT500’s bodywork. This includes the side scoops, hood, deck lid, rear taillight panel, quarter panel extension, and a longer front end to accommodate the beastly 428 V-8 Engine.

By using such a lightweight material for areas so important to aerodynamics allows the car to feel much lighter than it really is, especially with its massive V-8 under the hood. Due to the fiberglass essentially canceling out the added weight through its other various upgrades compared to the GT350, the car has much better handling than you’d expect from a heavy, high-horsepower muscle car.

7 The Last of the Originals

Besides the fact that this car was the first GT500, many collectors and enthusiasts alike feel that this car is even more special as it was the last car to be built in the original Shelby American facility in Venice, California. It’s fitting that the last car to roll out of the facility was one that still has a legacy today, with cars still being produced with the GT500 nameplate.

At the time, this was the most powerful Mustang by quite some margin. Carroll Shelby was behind some of the most groundbreaking cars of all time, with the first GT500 being a car that he was so proud of. With his obvious need for speed, it had to be a fast car full of power that was the last to be produced in his original facility.

6 A Surprisingly High-End Interior

Despite the car’s tremendous power and aggressive look, the interior took a different route. Instead of a more stripped-back, racing interior as one might expect, the GT500 features a more luxury-style interior with wooden trim and a polished metal dash. It even comes with air conditioning.

By opting for comfort over a race car-style interior to match the exterior, the GT500 embodied the feel of a high-end cruiser. The interior also has a great sense of space, another aspect that you might not have expected from a muscle car smaller than its competitors.

5 Its Surprisingly Smooth Drive

At first glance, this GT500 might seem like hard work to keep under control, with its massive V-8 and aggressive appearance. However, the car will rarely struggle for grip no matter how you drive it, whether that’s as your daily car or one that you use for track days.

It’s important to remember that even though the car can seamlessly cruise at whatever speed you need, the power behind the pedal is something to be wary of. You’ll definitely be shot back into the seat if you put your foot down, with the car having no trouble reaching its limits with the standout grip it has for a muscle car. However, if you put all these elements together along with the interior, you have the ultimate muscle grand tourer.

4 Its Incomparable Style

With every Mustang, it’s easy to tell what car it is. With the smooth lines mixed with the classic beefy muscle car body, a Mustang is unmistakably unique. Although there have been some pretty special-looking Mustangs, the aggressive elegance that the ’67 is able to produce will forever be unmatched.

Especially back when the car was released when the Mustang was still respectively new, this car was an instant jaw-dropper compared to the base GT350. The GT350s themselves, especially the ’67 models, are still regarded as some of the most beautiful Mustangs, meaning the GT500 takes everything perfect from that model and simply makes it look so much better.

3 Le Mans Legacy

The same as the GT500 was being designed, Ford was dominating the racing scene with a dominant showing at the most prestigious motor race on Earth, Le Mans. Unsurprisingly, both Ford and Shelby American took advantage of this success, with so much of the GT500’s design being inspired by the legendary GT40. The car that dethroned the champions at the time in Ferrari, which in itself is one of the best rivalries in motorsport history.

Whilst the GT500 didn’t exactly have the same engine, Ford’s marketing along with Shelby once again took advantage of their Le Mans domination, calling the GT500’s engine the ‘Le Mans Cobra’. The idea was to create the feeling of what the GT40 had to entice buyers even more, infusing as much DNA from the GT40 into the GT500 nameplate as possible.

2 The Police Interceptor 428 V-8

Another element of the GT500 that put it above the rest was the ‘Le Mans Cobra’ engine. Again, although it wasn’t the same 427 V-8 engine featured in the GT40 Le Mans winner, the GT500s 428 7.0L V-8 is just as special in its own right. The ‘police interceptor’ engine was a massive step up from the GT350’s 289 V-8 engine, being able to provide the true power that Shelby envisioned.

The engine was something that led to Carroll Shelby himself being so proud of this car. A 428 V8 would have typically been reserved for Ford’s larger vehicles as they could comfortably accommodate the size. For the GT500, the engine had to receive some tweaks to work as intended in a smaller car. By putting a 428 in the GT500, the car’s power was something almost unheard of in a muscle car, perfectly capturing the essence of the GT40 that Ford wanted to achieve.

1 Performance Above the Rest

It isn’t just the engine that led to the GT500 being such a beast when you needed it to be. Although it included power steering and power-assisted brakes, the car will never fail to capture Shelby’s racing DNA. With Charlie McHose, a key Ford designer behind the GT500’s pre-production phase taking so much inspiration from the iconic GT40, the balance of the GT500 is still something to marvel at today.

Specs and Performance

For such a heavy car, especially a muscle, the performance of the engine alone was enough to attract so much attention. Paired with the car’s ability to grip like no other car in its class creating the intended GT40-like feel, the thrill that it provided for the first owners still remains with first-time owners today. Despite the modern Mustangs having all the bells and whistles, the raw, stripped-back original will always embody the authentic Shelby American racing legacy, never failing to make you at one with the car.