Kansas YouTuber buys cheapest fire-damaged Mustang GT500 and works magic on it

After buying the cheapest Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 on the market, thanks to an engine fire, this Kansas YouTuber has worked his magic to bring it back to life.

The Shelby Cobra range is one of America’s finest automobile creations.

And one of the highlights of this beloved fleet is the Mustang GT500, blessed with a 5.2L supercharged V8 predator engine and over 750 horses kicking mud under the hood.

So when this Shelby Mustang went up in flames, it needed expert hands to simmer the heat and turn this burned-out banger back to the burnout king.

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Burned Shelby Mustang GT500 needed a massive revival

In pristine condition, some Shelby Mustang GT500 models have sold for over six figures.

There’s no denying that they are beautiful cars, and if you can own one, even for just a year, it’s worth the punt.

But with a budget, that’s quite a tall order.

So, in a bid to get one of his dream cars, Kansas-based YouTube car-wizz Westen Champlin snagged a fire-damaged Shelby in the hope that he could get it back to beastly working condition.

After getting it delivered, the red and white-striped Mustang was immediately ripped apart to see the extent of the inferno that erupted in the engine, and at face value, it looked to be a horrid sight.

But, despite the wires being completely singed and the majority of the upper engine bay being torched, further investigations found that they’d actually bought a Shelby Mustang GT500 in pretty good condition.

The transmission, motor, exhaust, fuel system, and intake all proved to be in working order, which was music to Champlin’s ears.

Repairs to the upper engine bay were rather straightforward for the Ford. After cutting away the burned parts, a new wiring harness, coolant tank, and ECM were all added, and it was time for the big test: would it start?

Never write off a Ford Mustang

Many people have tried to restore Mustangs before, knowing how popular they are to sell on, but not every rebuild of the tricky engine has proved successful.

And that appeared to be the case for the Mustang GT500, too, after initial attempts to get it up and running were immediately shut down.

However, after forcing some oil pressure, the behemoth engine roared back into life like a dragon whose fire was contained in its chest again.

A quick detailing job later, and the Ford Shelby was in wicked form, throwing its weight around in a test drive and series of donuts.

The Shelby Mustang range is set to be back and better than ever in 2025, with a new mystery model set to be announced later in August.

So while the trend is hot, at least Champlin knows that his new Mustang GT500 can withstand any heat.

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