One VIN, Two cars !

Will the "real" Shelby, please come forward?"



October 9, 2026



Buying a vintage Shelby is not hard. They are for sale everyday. Now more than ever, people are buying cars and paying record prices for these cars. But, how do you know if the car you are purchasing is real? Looking at some old paperwork may not be enough. Many cars have reproduction identification tags. Sometimes there is a good explanation for a reproduction tag. You really need to have a complete evaluation in order to find a good car. That involves checking the history and seeing the car before you throw out your hard, earned cash.

While scanning the internet, I came across this interesting case. It is not unique. All of this information was gathered from the internet. I have not seen these cars in person and am relying on the information presented and my own research.





This beautifully restored car is at a well known Muscle Car Museum in Florida.



Here's what the say: "SAAC Documented" "Marti Auto Works documented" "original fender tag" "original dealer invoice" "body off restoration" "numbers matching car" .

Well, that all sounds good. So, I did a little research and here's what I found; According to the Shelby American Automobile Club only six cars were built in this configuration. That is a 1968 GT500KR, Convertible, Highland Green exterior, Saddle interior, 4 spd, No AC and a white, convertible top. It checks all the boxes.



That's when I found this:





This car is in a very well known collection in the Pacific Northwest. It is a 1968 GT500KR, Convertible, Highland Green exterior, Saddle interior, 4 spd, No AC and a white, convertible top. It's fully restored and sports a "Marti report". This collection prides itself on having only the best cars.

So, we have found two of the six cars built in this unique configuration!



Not so fast. If you examine the pictures closely, it becomes evident these are not the same car. But, both of the cars are claiming the same Ford and Shelby serial numbers. So which one is real? Are you ready to make a guess? Don't take the information given as accurate, there's always more to the story. There may be a little bit of truth in both of these cars.



Let's recap where we started, original paperwork is not enough to verify a car. People do build cars around original paperwork. Anyone has access to a Marti report. Knowing the history of these cars pre-restoration would go a long way to determining authenticity. Even then, it's extremely difficult even for an expert. I can tell you one of these cars exhibits some features that should not be found on a 1968 Shelby GT500 KR.



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