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Shelby Black Hornet is the Perfect Gift for Car Enthusiasts
Dec 02 2008 by Courtney Messenbaugh
Are you looking for a gift for the car enthusiast who has everything? Or perhaps you simply have $100K+ burning a hole in your pocket and want to use it to buy yourself a doozy of a gift and do something charitable at the same time? Look no further, dear reader, because starting today, Dec. 2, you can bid on the one-and-only Shelby Black Hornet from automotive legend Carroll Shelby’s personal collection.
But this auction isn’t for everyone; the opening bid is $100,000. All proceeds from the auction, which ends Dec. 12, benefit the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation.
If you’re wondering who I’m referring to, allow me to fill you in. Carroll Shelby was a World War II aviator and a racecar driver in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he launched his super successful career in the car-manufacturing biz and created the Shelby Cobra, arguably the best sports car ever constructed. And his charitable foundation provides assistance to indigent children in need of coronary and kidney care. He’s totally magnetic in that powerful, rough-and-tumble, I’m-a-national-treasure sort of way (if you’re into that sort of thing, which I am…). He’s definitely not your average Joe — or your average Carroll, for that matter.
As for the Black Hornet, it’s the only approved reproduction of the Shelby Green Hornet, which was one of Shelby’s most innovative and important manufacturing feats. The Green Hornet was a prototype car used to innovate and test fuel injection and an independent rear suspension, among other things. It helped revolutionize American automotive manufacturing (oh, how I bet Detroit is scrambling to find a modern version of the Green Hornet that could help solve some of its current problems).
The Black Hornet began as a 1968 Mustang and was transformed into the fiercest of muscle cars. It has a Cobra Jet 428 V-8 engine that makes 335 horsepower. It is a tour de force of automotive engineering that will make you (or whomever you buy it for) the envy of motorists everywhere. Remember, all proceeds from the Shelby Black Hornet auction go to the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, so bid often and bid big.
One last thing: You do have to “pre-qualify” by filling out an online questionnaire (with basic info), then a follow-up telephone survey before you can bid on the car. I guess they want to be sure that you’re good for the cash, so don’t be shy about where you’re hiding your millions. For more details, click here. Happy bidding!
