Flawlessly Restored 1968 GT500KR Defines Shelby’s ‘King of the Road’

Ken Nagel’s flawless Candyapple Red 1968 Shelby GT500KR convertible.

Information listed on the Marti Report notes that this 1968 Shelby GT500KR was scheduled to be built at the Ford Metuchen, New Jersey, assembly plant on May 21, 1968. The convertible rolled off the line two days late, on May 23. After a trip to Ionia, Michigan, for the Shelby treatment, it was shipped to Jim Aikey Ford in Des Plaines, Illinois.

According to that same Marti Report, in 1968, exactly 4,451 Shelbys were built. Of the total GT500KRs produced, 318 were convertibles (although some sources cite that 518 were produced in 1968); 267 were fitted with four-speed manual transmissions; 43 were finished in Candyapple Red paint; 38 had Black Décor Bucket Seat Interiors; and 25 had white convertible tops. Of those, only six came with air conditioners (all 6 were identical). One of the six was shipped to a dealer in the Midwest. THIS IS THE ONE!

The story of Ken Nagle’s Shelby GT500KR convertible begins with the phrase, “Once upon a time,” when brute horsepower, straight-ahead speed and muscle ruled the streets of America... read more