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1968 REAL Green Hornet up for auction

gt/csj4

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Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
I saw that yesterday, very exciting news! But if I recall, a Shelby Daytona coupe that actually raced at la mans, went up a few years back and couldn't even pull the ten million mark... wouldn't sell either. I am interested in seeing if this one has the same results. Damn the poor economy/market!
 
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sportyworty

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Joined
Aug 25, 2002
Messages
258
Location
Vista, Ca
Craig owns the car and I am sure we will hear him say "people this is way under the money" The car has an incorrect independent rear not sure what happened to the original set up but it is a later T Bird and the Conec fuel injection is no longer correct either. This car is not in the same league as a Daytona Coupe likely have a tough time cracking 500K but hey who knows stranger things have been known to happen in Scottsdale. Its all good publicity for our Mustangs
 

robert campbell

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Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Could not agree more. The word on this car in print, for all to judge for themselves, is it is a shell of what it once was. Most of the original stuff that made it so "special" as sportyworty said, is long gone. Spose you could buy it and try to acquire the parts, but to sell it for the real deal is a stretch. The stuff that made it what it was will be very hard to find. But who knows maybe someone has been waiting for this opportunity and is sitting on the stuff?

Rob
 

dalorzo_f

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Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Conelec fuel injection and the one-off IRS are long gone... nearly impossible to replace the Conelec, very few made, and the IRS was never documented so can never be duplicated. As they tossed the OEM engine and trans a period correct stroked 428 and C6 w/cast iron tailshaft would be "the same".

It is the "same" car it was, in as much as many restored Shelby's (some from a pile of rust) are "real" Shelby's based on the VIN.... (or even a GT/CS that had all its fibergalss lost and replaced?)

A piece of verified history, but the car is a lightning rod for controversy.

I just think it look fantastic, and am making a similar car right now... I'm guessing mid million plus mark... 1.4-1.7... but who knows.
 
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gt/csj4

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Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
Didnt someone restore that car back in the 90`And piece together an. IRS for that car utilizing the coilovers and rear disk brakes from scewed drawings from AO Smith? If memory serves me right that is. I know the conelec FI is not there from pixs I've seen


I Found this while parusing the internet, i guess it does have the conelec FI in it again
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/independent-rear-suspension/
 
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dalorzo_f

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Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Darrow and his son Randy would later confirm the Green Hornet’s identity with Fred Goodell and restore it using a scratch-built IRS built to Goodell’s specifications along with a Holley ProJection EFI system (Goodell rounded up some components of another Conelec EFI system for the Darrows).

Note the "some components", and the mention of the Projection system... been researching this car for a few years and while documented info is scarce (opinons are a dime a dozen) never seen anything to indicate an original Conelec system is currently on the car, but that parts were "available" and displayed beside the car, but maybe that has recently changed to bump auction value...

It was restored in the mid 90's by Martin Euler and he fabricated an IRS, no true engineering drawings were available (as far as I've seen noted) as it was a one-off, what-if, prototype and the restoration came up with something "close". Euler then subsequently tried to market the setup, not many takers.

As it was a prototype formal records of all the aspects of what was done were not kept, a bunch of motor-heads at Shelby with a really cool new toy to tinker with.

The thought that is was built on a line to some specific standard is proposed by some, but I'm not buying it as once it hit the Shelby shop who knows what they really did to it... I'd bet it went through many "hey, I've got an idea..." undocumented changes while at Shelby...

Some interesting info here...

http://www.shelbyforums.com/forums/...related-topics/3084-exp-500-green-hornet.html

If I win the Lotto before the auction I may make a bid... ;-)

A true piece of automotive history.
 

Mosesatm

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Jan 18, 2005
Messages
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Here's the article.
 

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Mosesatm

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Jan 18, 2005
Messages
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Here's another article.
 

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Mosesatm

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Jan 18, 2005
Messages
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And another.
 

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BroadwayBlue

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Apr 26, 2005
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Location
Hudson Valley Area, NY
Is it just me?

In reading the fox news link. Are they saying the Green Hornet was developed because the California Special was so popular that Ford wanted to make a GT/Sport Coupe available for sales nationally?

Seems he got it backwards and sideways - :smile:

Inspired by the success of the “California Special” Mustang, Ford
external-link.png
tasked its design team with styling a similar version of the Mustang for national sales. Called the GT/Sport Coupe, two prototypes were built, including a Lime Gold notchback with an Ivy Gold interior, a 390 cubic-inch V-8 and an automatic transmission.


The car, with a VIN ending in 104288, made the rounds at auto shows, but Ford opted not to pursue the GT/Sport Coupe program. Instead of being sent to the crusher, VIN 104288 was shipped to Shelby American
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to be used as an engineering prototype called the EXP 500. Thanks to its conspicuous paint scheme, the car was quickly dubbed “The
Green
external-link.png
Hornet.”
 

dalorzo_f

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Jan 7, 2006
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Location
Brisbane Australia
Gee.... Fox "news" getting something wrong... amazing! :wink:

...based on the quote... it reads as if the "prototype" was developed after the results! :eek:
 

stangfan

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Jun 12, 2012
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Location
Victoria BC Canada
Let's face it...even Mustang enthusiasts outside of the GT/CS community don't know the facts and minutiae around these cars like the folks on here. :grin:
 
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