Ford never made the SAAC Mustang, which is a Fox-body Shelby. The Shelby American Automobile Club came up with the idea for the SAAC Mustang, not Carroll Shelby. This prototype was one of about 60 that were made to show off the car. When the early 1990s came around, the front-wheel-drive Dodge Daytona was the muscle car of choice for anyone who wanted a touch of Shelby magic. The Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) said that you had to be a member to get a Shelby engine for your Ford. If so, you can find a Mk 1 SAAC Mustang GT. This car was made to be the Fox-body version of the first Shelby GT350. That might be a big difference, especially for SAAC members, who might be very picky about Shelby facts. Still, this concept Mustang is definitely one of a kind. You can buy it on Bring a Trailer, which is affiliated with Hearst Autos, as well as on Invoice Pricing. There are several “Shelby” stickers on this prototype Mustang. The finished cars were only labeled as SAAC to avoid legal action from Chrysler. Ken Eber and Richard Kopec, two execs at the club, came up with the idea for the car because they thought the SAAC could do something that Ford couldn’t at the time. They talked to David Wagner, who is in charge of Ford’s Power Products Operation Group. Carroll Shelby gave his full support to the scheme, and the cars were only available to members. The changes were big. They included aluminum GT40 intakes and cylinder heads with a little more compression. Headers with ceramic coating, underdrive pulleys, and a 2.5-inch exhaust all help to lower parasitic losses. There were now 295 horsepower from the V-8 on the scale, which is about 70 horsepower more than a stock 5-point-oh. Every car had a manual transmission, and the clutch on the T5 engine was made better. The handling got better with Koni shock absorbers and Eibach lowering springs. All of them got disc brakes added. The roll bar made the frame more rigid. People who grew up building Fox-body Mustangs would know all of these tricks, but as a package for a made car, it was really well done. Also, these cars were very popular because they were hard to find, and Shelby backed them. Also, they were very expensive at the time; without extras, they cost $39,995, which is more than $90,000 today. In the end, only 62 cars were made by the SAAC. It’s good to see that this prototype, which has 55,000 miles on it and was used for advertisements and press events, is not being kept in a museum. Even though they are very expensive, a lot of Shelby owners drive their cars a lot. The bond between Shelby and Ford stayed alive with this enthusiast-built car until it was renewed with the Ford GT and the modern GT350. This is one of the most sought-after Fox-body Mustangs, so it will be interesting to see what it brings. You don’t have to be a member of the Shelby Club to bid on it. Bids must be in by this Sunday, December 3.
