This $3.5 Million Shelby GT350R Prototype Just Became The World’s Most Expensive Mustang

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R prototype known as “R5002” sold for a staggering $3.5 million over the weekend, beating out the $3.4 million original “Bullitt” to become the most expensive Mustang ever sold.

This car was Shelby’s competition prototype, designed to transform the Mustang’s image from a pedestrian, mass-market car to a race-bred marque. It was the first Shelby Mustang designed for racing, the first to be entered into a race, and the first to win, per Mecum. It was a rolling factory test bed for new ideas, components, and bits that would eventually be fitted to the 34 customer GT350Rs.

Its track performance made it a nationwide star, jumping a crest and appearing as the “Flying Mustang” in one of the most iconic motorsports photos to ever feature a pony car. This exact car even appeared on the May 1965 cover of Road & Track, helping to popularize the view of the Mustang as a true performance vehicle.

Plus, like the Bullitt Mustang, RM002 has some big-name cred. Ken Miles, Chuck Cantwell, Bob Bondurant, Peter Brock, and Jerry Titus all put in serious time behind the wheel. Especially in the wake of the phenomenal 2016-present GT350R and the new interest in Shelby and Miles following Ford v. Ferrari, it’s no surprise that someone was willing to put up a record-setting figure to get RM002. Include buyers fees and it’s even more staggering: $3.85 million for a Mustang.

Article by: Mark Hogan, MSN