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Unrestored 1969 Shelby GT500 one of many classic barn finds going to auction

We love a good barn find here at Autoblog. We like that there's a palpable excitement and sense of mystery surrounding barn finds. Each case has its own uniqueness to it, and this latest discovery is no different: an unrestored, one-owner 1969 Shelby GT500 with just 8,531 miles on it.
In the case of this particular barn find, many of the typical questions have already been answered. For example, we know who owned it - his name was Larry Brown. He recently passed away, and as he had no wife or children to inherit the estate, the car he purchased at Pennsylvania Ford dealer in May of 1969, will be auctioned off by Ron Gilligan Auctioneers.
The car was fastidiously maintained, having never been driven in the rain. In fact, Brown never even washed it, out of fear of it rusting. According to the auction website, the last time this car saw water was probably when it was detailed ahead of being delivered to Brown. If that doesn't sound like a fanatical sense of maintenance on the part of this GT500's owner, this next part will. The interior has been treated to a similarly painstaking attempt at preservation, with garbage bags covering the seats and two layers of floor mats over the carpets. The result is a car that, aesthetically, is in remarkable shape considering it's spent so long in a barn.

Classic Recreations Shelby GT350CR

If you've got an itch for a classic Mustang Fastback, you may want to give Classic Recreations a call. The Oklahoma-based company, which has made a name for itself building award-winning muscle cars licensed by Shelby, recently handed me the keys to its latest creation - a prototype 1966 Shelby GT350CR (serial number SCR350-00P) with a nitrous-injected 427-cubic-inch small-block Ford Racing engine sending power to its rear wheels through a Tremec five-speed manual gearbox. Yeah, it's the sort of machinery that whets my appetite.
As you might suspect by looking at the company's name, the team starts with a standard stock 1966 Mustang Fastback and then tears it down to the chassis in preparation for a full rebuild into what they call a Shelby GT350CR. This particular restoration includes the fitment of the aforementioned 7.0-liter V8 with BBK Long Tube ceramic-coated headers, Magnaflow mufflers, coil-over suspension and rack-and-pinion power steering. Stopping power is provided by Wilwood brakes, in the form of four-piston calipers over ventilated and cross-drilled iron rotors, and the mechanical upgrades are finished off with four brightly polished 18-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich g-Force T/A tires (245/45ZR18 front and 275/35ZR18 rear).
Inside the passenger compartment, occupants are treated to Carroll Shelby Scat Rally Series 1000 seats, five-point Camlock belts, three-spoke aluminum woodgrain steering wheel with tilt column, a full complement of gauges and full carpeting. An Old Air Products air conditioning system blows ice-cold breezes, and a powerful audio system with external amp and subwoofer ensure a sweet background track to the V8's wild bellow.

1967 Shelby G.T.500CR hides a Coyote beneath its hood

Classic Recreations, a custom coachbuilder based in Oklahoma, debuted its Coyote-powered 1967 Shelby G.T.500CR at the SEMA show this week. Like the company's previous releases, the bright red, silver striped coupe offers classic Ford Mustang styling with today's reliable mechanicals. "If you like the graceful drivability of a modern G.T.500, but prefer the classic Mustang styling, this is the car for you," said company owner, Jason Engel. "Classic Recreations combines modern technology with classic styling to create a best-of-both worlds experience. Now, customers can get a CR car with the same engine offered by Ford for the current Mustang."
The G.T.500CR is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 Ford Racing Coyote crate engine that is rated at 490 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. A Tremec five-speed manual gearbox sends power to the rear wheels, where it can quickly liquidate the sticky high-performance tires. Other goodies include front and rear coilover suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, 17x9.5-inch chrome alloy wheels and a pair of Carroll Shelby signature rally series 1000 seats.
If the 490 horsepower doesn't hold your attention, Classic Recreations also offers a G.T.500CR 900 model packing a mind-blowing 780 horsepower courtesy of an F1-R intercooled ProCharger supercharged engine. In addition to chassis and suspension upgrades to handle the additional thrust, the 900 models get 17x11-inch rear tires to lay wider stripes on the pavement. All Classic Recreations receive an official Shelby serial number, badges and earn a spot in the official Shelby Worldwide Registry.