PRE-PRODUCTION PONY: This 2013 Shelby GT500 Was Saved From The Crusher And Is Headed To Las Vegas

June 15, 2022
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Nicole Ellan James

LOT #459.1 – 2013 FORD SHELBY GT500 PRE-PRODUCTION COUPE – NO RESERVE

Ask any serious car collectors, and they’ll tell you that sending pre-production vehicles to the crusher ought to be a crime. This long-standing policy has made obtaining pre-production vehicles from major OEMs, like Ford, a challenging endeavor. But this 2013 GT500 is one pre-production car that was saved.

The 2013 GT500 launch coincided with the 20th anniversary of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT), the internal group responsible for so many of Ford’s best high-performance cars. And the 2013 GT500 was expected to be “the fastest and most powerful production vehicle for 2013.” Ford advertised the vehicle to make 200 mph, so the people at Ford Chassis Design had to reach that mark. Among other tweaks, the team removed the grille to reduce drag and replaced the two-piece aluminum driveshaft with a one-piece carbon fiber unit to accomplish this goal.

According to the consignor, once Ford developed the specifications for the production cars, Ford no longer needed the pre-production vehicle. The consignor was told that when the car left Ford Motor Company, it had 3,500 miles on it; it went to auction, to a broker, to a dealer in Ohio before it found its way to a private owner near Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that the consignor bought it from in December 2014.

It wasn’t discovered that the car was a pre-production model until the consignor requested a replacement Window Sticker as one wasn’t available from the dealer when the first owner purchased it.

According to the consignor, the destination on the Window Sticker typically designates a dealership; however, this one shows the destination as Diversified. Diversified is the location of Ford Chassis Design in Romulus, Michigan. The Window Sticker indicates the car was optioned with Recaro seats, but the car came out of the factory with power sport bucket seats, as seen in photos.

This pre-production car has a VIN that is 6776 numbers lower than the VIN of the CSM 001 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 that was sold at Barrett-Jackson’s 2015 Scottsdale Auction for $308,000. This pre-production GT500 (Lot #459.1) will be offered with No Reserve during the 2022 Las Vegas Auction, held June 30 through July 2 at the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.