Этот уникальный «пони» председатель правления и гендиректор Barrett-Jackson Крэйг Джексон приобрел на торгах собственного аукционного дома в Скотсдейле в январе нынешнего года, выложив за купе с VIN 001 1,1 миллиона долларов – примерно в 10 раз больше номинала. Машина сошла с конвейера в конце октября, а теперь ее решили показать широкой публике.
Галерея: Первый новый Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Первый серийный Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 нового поколения окрасили теми же оттенками зеленого – Lime Green и Candy Apple Green – что и прототип Shelby EXP500 1968 года, находящийся в коллекции Крэйга Джексона. Это один из самых редких «Мустангов», известный под прозвищем Green Hornet («Зеленый шершень») – в честь вымышленного американского супергероя. Последний, к слову, разъезжал на автомобиле с разнообразным встроенным оружием задолго до Джеймса Бонда – персонаж появился еще в тридцатых годах прошлого века.
С историческим прототипом современный Shelby GT500 также роднит белая надпись EXP500, нанесенная вручную на нижнюю часть кузова. Кроме того, этот экземпляр получил зеленые корпуса зеркал, тогда как у всех прочих товарных машин они будут черными. Увидеть результат «вживую» можно будет на следующем аукционе в том же Скотсдейле, где его выставят вместе с другими примечательными Shelby из личного собрания Крэйга Джексона, включая прототип GT500 EXP 1967 года по прозвищу Little Red, обнаруженный в Техасе в 2018 году и недавно отреставрированный.
Вам также может быть интересно:
Мировая премьера нового Mustang Shelby GT500 состоялась в январе уходящего года на Североамериканском международном автосалоне в Детройте – последнем в истории, который проводился зимой. Специально для этой модели был разработан 5,2-литровый V8 на 771 л.с. и 847 Нм, благодаря чему новинка стала не просто самой экстремальной версией «Мустанга», но самым мощным автомобилем среди всех серийных «Фордов».
Источник: Barrett-Jackson
TAKING DELIVERY: The very first 2020 Shelby GT500 rolls off the assembly line
December 24, 2019
Craig Jackson and the team from the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant, with the 2020 Ford Shelby GT500 VIN 001 and its ancestor, the Green Hornet.
When MotorTrend’s Chris Walton took the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 for a first drive, he was clearly impressed: “This isn’t the best Mustang ever, nor even the best Shelby ever. It’s one of the best sports cars in the world right now.”
Employees at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan put it more simply: “This is the coolest car we have ever built!” They couldn’t contain their enthusiasm as the much-anticipated 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, bearing the special Shelby plate proclaiming it as CS0001, rolled off the line at the end of October, headed for the garage of Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson.
Jackson himself was no less enthusiastic about his new acquisition. He and his wife Carolyn Jackson traveled to Flat Rock, Michigan, to watch the momentous event, having had the winning bid of $1.1 million for the car at the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, with Edsel Ford II on hand to cheer on the bidding. The entire sale price went to JDRF, to help the organization create a world without type 1 diabetes.
To date, more than $6.8 million has been raised on the Barrett-Jackson auction block for this important cause, and while the Jacksons were at Flat Rock, they learned just how much Ford employees themselves are committed to helping JDRF. In 1998, employees, families and friends came together to create the Ford Global Action Team, led by National Manager Gael Sandoval. By bringing together tens of thousands of volunteers, the FGAT has combined passion and power to raise more than $3 million annually – over $70 million to date – to help eradicate type 1 diabetes.
“Carolyn and I are grateful to be a part of helping JDRF find a cure, and being there to take delivery of this exceptional car was incredibly special,” said Jackson. “Getting in there and watching all the hard work the Flat Rock team put into this car. I’m the one who pushed the button and fired it up; the first person to ever start it. It was pretty extraordinary.”
Jackson has long had a love for Shelbys; one of the prized examples in his collection is the legendary 1968 Shelby EXP500 prototype known as the Green Hornet, one of the rarest and most remarkable Mustangs of all time. Jackson’s vision was to have this new GT500 pay homage to the ’68, so he asked for it to be painted just like the original, with a Lime Green base topped with Candy Apple Green. “In making this request, I truly had no idea what an extraordinary undertaking it was, but BASF and the paint specialists at Penske went above and beyond to make that happen,” said Jackson. “The entire team at Ford went out of their way to help my dream become a reality, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Hand-painted on the car’s side is “EXP500” – exactly like the original Green Hornet, and the only Shelby to have this distinction. The vehicle is also the only one to have mirrors painted to match the body (the others will sport black mirrors).
Visitors to the 2020 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction will be able to see this “new Hornet,” as Jackson calls it, on display alongside the original Green Hornet and other noteworthy Shelbys from Jackson’s collection, including the just-restored “Little Red,” the historically significant 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 EXP Prototype found in a Texas field back in 2018. It will be the first time Little Red and Green Hornet will be displayed together, and a rare opportunity for guests to view Shelby history come to life before their very eyes.
For more images of the very first 2020 GT500 coming to life, check out the gallery below: