The legend of this Lime Gold 1968 coupe begins at the Ford Dearborn
plant in late 1967 when it was pulled aside for prototyping. After Ford
engineers modified the body with lights and badging for the California
Special, it was sent to Shelby American. There it was designated EXP-500
and fitted with a 428-inch Cobra Jet engine, C6 transmission,
independent rear suspension, EFI, and a wide assortment of body panel,
lighting, and badging specific to the Shelby GT programs.
Along the way, someone named the car the "Green Hornet," and it
stuck. The car has been public for 50 years and was restored in the
early 1990s. In 2003, Craig Jackson
bought the car, and it has been in his personal collection since. In
2018, the car was sent to be restored using as many of the original
parts as possible, including an era-correct four-wheel disc brake
restoration.
The Green Hornet is one a very few prototypes that
was not crushed by the factory at the end of the project. We found the
car parked at the Shell display outside of the main entrance of the 2019
SEMA Show. This is a great opportunity to see one of the genesis cars
that started the Shelby American cultural juggernaut.
