Carroll Shelby's 1968 Ford Mustang, Black Hornet to Auction

A 1968 Ford Mustang from the private collection of Carroll Shelby will be offered for sale. Nicknamed the Black Hornet, the car will be offered at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, from January 21-29.

In the 1960s, Shelby American worked closely with Ford to develop the new Mustang. Shelby tended to give them color-coordinated nicknames, such as Little Red and Green Hornet. According to the auction listing, the Black Hornet was built as a modern homage to the latter, but in a different color and with some other changes.

Instead of the Green Hornet's 390 cubic-inch V-8 and automatic gearbox, the Black Hornet featured a 428 cubic-inch V-8 driving the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. The notchback coupe features much of the Green Hornet's styling, including the twin-scoop hood and "EXP 500" badging, but lacks the fuel injection system and independent rear suspension of the original car.

According to the listing, Shelby oversaw the car's construction and drove it 213 miles before transferring ownership to "his charitable foundation" on December 29, 2008. Barrett-Jackson claims that the car now has 564 miles on it and is recognized in the Shelby Worldwide Registry as a genuine Mustang owned by Shelby.

What appears to be the same car is listed in the 2020 Mecum auction catalog, which provides a few more details in its listing. According to the listing, Shelby commissioned Legendary G.T. Continuation Cars to build the Black Hornet for an eBay charity auction benefiting the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation, and interior retailer It was donated to Restoration Hardware.

Mecum announced a preliminary estimate of $275,000 to $325,000 for the 2020 auction, but it is unclear if the hammer price fell within that range. Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson had turned down a $1.9 million bid for the original Green Hornet, and while this tribute car is not worth as much as the real Shelby prototype, the Carroll Shelby connection to the right buyer could mean a great deal.