Two rare classic cars left in an old urban barn for 17 years are now set to sell for high six figure sums.
The Ford Mustang Shelbys were covered in such layer of dust that it ‘preserved the paint’ and ‘kept them nice,’ Classic Cars of Sarasota told DailyMail.com.
They purchased the raven-black GT500 and lime-gold GT500 KR from an 87-year-old owner in Tampa Bay, Florida, who wanted to donate the money to charity.
The gentleman bought them as used-cars in 1980 while in Colorado and described them as he and his brother’s ‘dream cars.’
Sadly, seven years later buying them he became sick and could no longer drive them, according to Christopher Zlamal Snr. of the company.
He kept them in a garage from 1987 until 2002, when he moved them into permanent storage where they have remained gathering dust ever since.
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 KR was discovered in a storage unit in Tampa Bay, Florida, caked in dirt so thick that it ‘preserved the vehicle’
After a good clean and a few minor repairs, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 KR already has bids over $108,000 as of Friday
The second car discovered in the storage lot was in fact a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in raven-black, which was sold privately for an undisclosed amount
Since purchasing them, Zlamal, 58, has already sold the first, a raven black GT500, for an ‘undisclosed’ six-figure sum.
To make the vehicles roadworthy, he said he only needed to put new gas and fuel tanks, change the batteries, service them and few other small changes – as well as giving them a good clean.
Now he’s selling the second vehicle, a GT500 KR from 1968, on eBay with biding at $108,100 as of Friday, and five more days to go.
The classic car carries an online reserve of $135,000 and boasts its original manuals, documentation, and components.
The vehicle has a Cobra Jet V8 under the hood, power-steering, power-disc brakes, tilt-away steering, tinted glass and only 12,000 miles on the clock.
Zlamar told DailyMail.com: ‘I’ve been doing this for 30 years and found some nice stuff in garages, but never two Shelbys and especially not a KR.
‘The KR is extremely rare to find especially with original paint.
‘The car runs, drives and everything works, even the air conditioning.
‘Believe it or not the dust was so thick it preserved the paint and kept it nice… later we gave it a great scrubbing.
‘The reason the former owner sold was now was because he is 87-years-old and wants the money to be donated to charity.
‘He has no family or kin, never married nor had children.
‘These were cars he always wanted, they were him and his brother’s dream cars.’
The Ford Mustang Shelby above hadn’t been driven by the owner since 1987 and was transferred from a garage to a storage unit in 2002
In a video unveiling the impressive classic car (above) a thick layer of dust could be seen coating the vehicle
Upon first seeing the car, Zlamar described the vehicles as ‘once in a lifetime finds’ in a YouTube video unveiling them.
‘This is absolutely a true time capsule,’ he added.
‘When you talk about chasing classic cars, this is one of those cars. It takes a lot for me to get out of my chair and drive an hour north of my location.’
Zlamar revealed that it took him half a day to get inside the storage unit that was near to a chemical plant in Florida.
‘The door to the garage had to be unscrewed, it took half an afternoon to unbolt the door as it was closed for 17 years and all the hinges were rusty,’ he told DailyMail.
Despite initially appearing blue in the garage, one of the Shelby cars was in fact an ultra-rare raven-black vehicle.
‘It was one of 184 cars built with four speeds and one of six cars built with the options it had, it was very rare,’ Zlamar added
He hopes the second, the GT500 KR, will close for ‘in excess of six figures’ on eBay too after bidding ceases on July 17.
Hagerty, who value classic cars online, estimate that if everything was original and well preserved it could have been worth up to $200,000.
Described as a ‘time-capsule’ and ‘once in a lifetime’ find, the vehicle (above) is due to draw in a six figure sum – bidding ends on July 17
The classic car has been given a clean and is now looking to sell for a high fee