The long lost 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 prototype named Little Red was discovered to be hiding in plain sight, and now, it is up to the power of the internet to help restore the historic car.
Little Red had been missing for half a century, with little hope that it would ever be found. The iconic vehicle is now in the possession of restoration experts, with work cut out for them to bring Little Red back to its original glory.
Why Is The 'Little Red' Shelby Mustang An Important Find?
In the 1960s, Carroll Shelby was carrying out experiments on Ford Mustangs while formulating the legendary Mustang Shelby GT500, which changed the landscape for production performance vehicles. Part of the process involved a pair of Mustang notchback coupes, one green and one red, and installing performance parts in them to see which ones would work and eventually find their way into the production models.
When Shelby was done with the two cars, he sent them back to Ford to be destroyed, which is sadly what usually happens to experimental prototypes. The green one, unofficially named the Green Hornet, survived and is now owned by Craig Jackson of Barrett-Jackson car auctions.
It was unclear what happened with the red one, named Little Red, with many believing that unlike the Green Hornet, it was crushed as planned. Jackson, however, was able to track down the vehicle, verifying the discovery in March this year.
Jackson and classic car restoration specialist Jason Billups led the search for Little Red. Instead of trying to look for the vehicle using its Shelby serial number, which countless others have tried, the team looked up its original Ford VIN number. The VIN led Jackson and Billups to the car's original registration, and eventually to its last known owner.
On March 3, Billups, along with automotive journalist Al Rogers and Ford Mustang and Shelby specialist Todd Hollar, were granted access to a property in Dallas, Texas. There, rotting in a field, was Little Red.
What's Next For 'Little Red'?
"Finding Little Red is the discovery of a lifetime," Jackson said, adding that the next step is to restore the legendary car.
The restoration, however, will be a painful one, as much of the front part of Little Red is gone, with no engine and no front bodywork. Restorers are now turning to the power of the internet, asking the public to submit personal accounts, pictures, and stories of Little Red to a dedicated website to give them an idea of what the vehicle looked like in its prime.
