One of world’s best muscle car collections is full of rare Shelbys, but there's also an unsolved mystery
- A mystery lies behind this impressive US muscle car collection
- It’s full of rare Shelby models
- It includes one of the rarest Shelbys ever – and it has a secret
Published on Sep 17, 2024 at 7:12 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Sep 18, 2024 at 7:37 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A mystery lies behind this impressive US muscle car collection that’s full of rare Shelby models.
This YouTuber hopes to help the owner solve it once and for all.
The Styles Collection is arguably one of the world’s most impressive car collections.
However, despite featuring the rarest Shelbys to have ever existed – it’s what we don’t know about one car that’s most intriguing.
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The muscle car collection
The Styles Collection features some of the rarest Shelbys to ever exist, including the only 1967 GT500 Convertible ever built.
Its owner, Brian Styles, has explained a little to classic car hunter, Wes Eisenschenk, via the Lost & Found Muscle Cars.
He explained the extensive research necessary to verify the rarity of each of these vehicles in the fleet.
He has a particular passion for collecting rare convertibles, many of the limited-production and unique models he collects were built to order with expensive performance upgrades. that only bumps up their rarity.
The mystery Shelby
However, Brian needs the help of our muscle car fans to investigate the history of a truly unique Shelby: a 1967 GT500 convertible.
No ordinary model, it was built on the very last production day at the factory in San Jose, California.
Not niche enough? Get this – the car’s black finish makes it even more rare.
While Bryan is desperate to find out the car’s full history, he has a few clues.
Originally intended as a prototype, it was part of a tumultuous year for Shelby production.
He bought it at a 2009 auction.
However, there’s a gap in the car’s ownership history.
He only knows that one previous owner was called, Don Johnson, and another was a drill instructor named Steve – but many details remain unclear.
The video posted back in June sees Brian and Wes appeal to viewers to help fill the five-year gap.
They’re looking, in particular, for muscle car enthusiasts from North Carolina or those who served at Camp Lejeune to come forward and help solve the mystery.
Other unicorn muscle cars
In other rare car news, this owner wanted something special and ended up with a Ford Shelby Mustang so rare it’s a ‘one-of-none’.
Plus, nobody knows what happened to the last muscle car designed by Carroll Shelby – the GT500 Super Snake was built to promote Need for Speed and later put up for auction.
Meanwhile, this rare 1967 GT500 Shelby was hidden in a Nebraskan barn for 40 years but previously had a past as a drag racer.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
