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A HOT
’68 GT500 Eleanor tribute, powered by a Shelby
licensed and supercharged ALUMINUM 427CI big block? A Tremec TKO transmission in the tunnel,
competition suspensions front and rear, a killer interior, real knockoff wheels
and a just-so exhaust note make this car a blast to drive and one of the
ultimate head-turning rides of all time!
Start
under the hood: That’s a Gessford
Machine (Hastings, NE) built, 100% new, all aluminum FE 427 with a Paxton NOVI 1200
blower hanging off the side. Gessford
not only builds huge horsepower motors they’re licensed by Shelby and their motors receive CSX numbers
upon completion. You want a real Shelby mill? Gessford can build you one from stock to
insane, which is about the end of the spectrum where this beast lies. The foundation is a Shelby
aluminum block, stuffed with a Shelby
billet crank, H beam connecting rods and low compression (for the boost) forged
pistons. The heads are Shelby pieces as well, styled after the
“medium riser” Ford pieces but with larger 2.25/1.75 valves and more efficient
ports. Up front, you’ll find a Shelby cast aluminum timing cover and water pump while a
single plane Shelby
intake resides on top. While that would
be enough power for most, this isn’t a car for the masses, so Gessford added a
Paxton NOVI 1200 supercharger hanging from custom billet engine brackets for
even more go power. We figure the
motor’s worth better than 700HP, and Gessford’s tab was north of $40,000. Supporting pieces include the MSD 6BTM
ignition box and billet distributor, a set of ceramic coated headers, a mega
dollar AVIAID dual kickout fabricated aluminum oil pan and Florida Central
Machine spark plug wires. There’s an SFI
damper up front and an SFI aluminum flywheel inside the scattershield in
back. The polished blower, discharge
piping and the fabricated and Shelby-logo’d valve covers handle the show
duties. The headers dump into 2.’5”
pipes with Magnaflow mufflers before exiting through the rockers-you have to
hear this car to believe it. This is a
serious sounding and running engine with few equals on the street.
The
rest of the drivetrain is up to the task, with an aluminum crossflow radiator
and dual fans handling the cooling, a hydraulically operated heavy duty clutch
sending power to the TREMEC TKO500 transmission and a custom driveshaft leading
back to a FAB9 3.70:1 9” rear axle with Strange axles and a Detroit
Locker. There’s no hack job here,
either-Exotic Concepts in Longwood,
Florida, did the work. Sure, some cars look the part, and some even
have huge engines, but how many do you see with ALL of the proper supporting
equipment?
Stay
underneath and see the chassis is all there, too. An ABS master cylinder with electrically
operated Hydroboost powers Wilwood four piston calipers with two piece drilled
rotors. There’s an adjustable
proportioning valve for fine tuning and aluminum rotor hats for less unsprung
weight. Total Control’s front suspension
setup with coilover shocks, fabricated control arms with Heim joints, rack and
pinion steering and a billet strut tower brace.
Out back you’ll find a fully adjustable four link suspension with
coilovers and a Panhard rod. Again, many
pretenders but very few cars go this far!
The
visuals are all in place, too. The
already beautiful fastback body looks downright deadly in its Eleanor body kit
and Super Snake bulge hood. There’s a
racing style fuel filler in the C pillar, big PIAA driving lights in the gaping
grille, full rocker panels with aluminum exhaust tips, hood pins, stripes and
all new glass and trim. New chrome
pieces from the door handles down add sparkle while the “wow” factor gets
turned up to 11 with the Compomotive 17” TRUE knockoff wheels and tri-bar
center caps, wrapped in Dunlop 275/40/17 front and 315/35/17 HTR Z tires. The body is perfectly smooth, the work of
known Shelby expert Dave Miller in Florida. All of the Shelby pieces are in place from the big
snakes to the sequential taillights out back.
Is there any wonder this car took down the best of show trophy in its
only outing?
The
cockpit is an excellent place to while away the miles, or to be a complete
hooligan-the car does either with aplomb.
You’re sitting in very comfortable leather racing seats and held in
place with RJS camlock harnesses. Your
left hand is on the Moto-Lita wood wheel with Shelby center cap (all atop a tilt column)
while your right hand finds the shifter with the awesome “GO BABY GO” shift
knob. Look over your right
shoulder-that’s a 10lb NOS nitrous bottle hooked to the Ny-Trex wet system in
the engine bay. It’s jetted for a 125hHP
shot, for those just-in-case moments!
The center console features a new Shelby
armrest pad, a custom stainless insert with power window switches, fuel pump
and nitrous arming switches, and three of the Auto Meter Phantom series gauges
you’ll find everywhere you look. ’67
Door panels were tapped for duty (they’re a cleaner look) with wheel center cap
logos over the holes where the window cranks would normally poke through. How’s that for detailed? A four point rollbar, the nitrous bottle and
a fiberglass rear seat delete ride behind you, while a fire extinguisher rides
shotgun. We wouldn’t want you to be
uncomfortable, either, so there’s an Old Air Products heating and air
conditioning system installed. And yes,
it’s as cool to be in here as you’re thinking.
Few
cars get everything right, and this is one of them. We’re no stranger to customs and pro touring
cars, and we can honestly tell you this beast is a standout. From ozone depleting burnouts to taking down
trophies everywhere to cruising in style and comfort this car does it all!
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