Chassis Number: 9F02R480033
This fascinating 1969 Shelby GT350 race car, serial number 480033, began life as a Silver Jade GT500 sold new in Hayward, CA, on August 28, 1969. Shortly after its initial purchase, the car was stolen and damaged. The insurance company, unwilling to repair what it considered an “exotic” car, cashed out the owner. It was then purchased by Jerry Lecatse.
Lecatse’s friend Lee Fulton had just completed a ‘69 Shelby that was approved to race in the SCCA B Production class. Following Fulton’s example, Lecatse installed a Boss 302 engine, roll cage and competition wheels, and went racing. He competed in B Production races across California from 1973 to 1975 and then sold the car to noted SAAC power couple Gordon and Nancy Gimbel.
The Gimbels continued racing through 1980 at regional and national SCCA events, as well as Shelby Club outings. After two subsequent owners continued racing the car in GT1, Gary Goeringer of Morgan Hills, CA, acquired 480033 in 1982 with the intent of returning it to earlier racing specs. He placed it in storage, began to collect parts, and saved his pennies — until a fire ripped through the storage facility and damaged the car alongside 14 others.
Goeringer did not touch his Shelby again until 1994, after he was introduced to the famous hot-rodder Doane Spencer. Together the pair began a restoration, repairing 48033 with the assistance of a donor chassis over the next 15 months, until Spencer’s passing in August 1995. The restoration was finally completed in April 2012, following two years of outstanding work by the Hayward, CA-based competition-Mustang specialist Dave Mani. A comprehensive photo gallery clearly illustrates the incredible attention to detail Mani paid to bring this special Shelby up to Sportscar Vintage Racing Association Gold Medallion class eligibility. For motivation, Mani fitted a formidable Boss 302 V8 built by Skip Govia Racing Engines.
Under current ownership since fall 2012, this painstakingly restored Shelby has been extensively campaigned in countless vintage and historic competitions. This Shelby GT350 B Production has remained in top racing condition thanks to the consignor’s meticulous maintenance schedule and regular use, as illustrated by invoices on file totaling more than $141,000. One of the latest entries details a $6,400 expenditure to tear down and rebuild the engine, which recent dynamometer tests have shown to deliver a peak rating of 437 horsepower.
