US collectables make mark

The Shelby, (top) had the original paint work restored while the T-bird has the trademark features. Photos / Supplied

A low mileage early Shelby GT350 Mustang up for auction in Melbourne in October has attracted interest from both sides of the Tasman.

The matching numbers car, chassis 6S263, was built in late 1965 and, being an early Shelby, has several important features later phased out to keep costs down. These include lowered front control arms, traction over-ride bars, the axle-limiting cable and the deletion of the bonnet latch, enhancing its collectability.

One of only 2377 1966-model Shelbys, the car was delivered in the classic Shelby racing colours of white with blue Le Mans stripes and spent 30 years stored in the shed of an American Ford dealer until his death in 2001, when it was discovered with just 40,950 miles on its odometer. The Shelby then underwent a comprehensive restoration back to its original factory specification and factory colour scheme in the hands of a subsequent owner.

The exhaust was changed to 1965 side pipe system and the transmission was changed to a T-5 five-speed gearbox for improved highway driving. The car arrived in Australia with 41,600 miles on the clock shortly after the restoration was completed in mid-2004, and has since covered a further 1600km. Because of its excellent provenance - including Shelby American Club verification - low mileage, and its important status as an early Shelby, auction house Shannons expects the car to sell in the $275,000 to $300,000 range.

Meantime, eight left-hand-drive American cars spanning 15 years from 1956 until 1971 go under the hammer in Melbourne next Monday.

One of the most desirable is a restored 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible, fitted with all the trademark 56 Thunderbird features including the removable hardtop with its distinctive "porthole" side windows, the Continental kit, which relocated the spare wheel on to the back bumper to improve luggage space and windscreen-mounted wind wings to reduce cockpit buffeting with the hood down.

With just 15,631 examples built, the 56 T-bird remains one of the most collectable American cars of the 1950s. Shannons expects it to sell for this excellent example to sell in the $77,000-$85,000 range.

The 1958 DeSoto Fireflite four-door hard top sedan is one of the last models of the marque built before Chrysler dropped the then-53-year-old nameplate in 1961. Shannons expects the DeSoto to fetch about $50,000.