A true icon of the late-1960s muscle car era, the 1968 Shelby GT500KR is among the most desirable high-performance Mustangs ever produced. Built for just a single model year, the “King of the Road” edition elevated Carroll Shelby’s already potent GT500 into a legendary street and strip machine powered by Ford’s fearsome 428 Cobra Jet V-8.
While the standard GT500’s 428 cubic-inch engine already delivered serious performance, Shelby took things further by introducing the Cobra Jet-powered GT500KR in April 1968. Developed during the height of Detroit’s horsepower wars, the Cobra Jet engine quickly earned a reputation for dominating Super Stock competition after its breakout performance at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals.
Officially rated at 335 horsepower, the engine’s true output was widely believed to be substantially higher, delivering brutal acceleration and immense torque that helped cement the KR’s reputation as one of the fastest American muscle cars of its time.
According to records from the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC), only 518 GT500KR Convertibles were produced during the brief three-month production window from late April through July 1968, making surviving examples exceptionally rare today.
This is a matching-numbers example finished in elegant Wimbledon White with signature GT500KR side stripes and a black convertible top. The car is further equipped with a Black Décor vinyl interior, roll bar, wood-grain trim, Philco AM radio, auxiliary oil-pressure and alternator gauges, rear spoiler, and classic Shelby 10-spoke alloy wheels. Power is delivered through a numbers-matching 428 Cobra Jet V-8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission.
The convertible is currently offered for sale on Bring a Trailer with an Elite Marti Report, Shelby Registry certificate, build sheet copies, service records, and additional documentation.
1968 Shelby Mustang GT500KR Convertible For Sale – Image Gallery
Source: Bring a Trailer
