Northeast Texas Community College and the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program will be featured on the national stage at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. this week. A fully-restored 1968 Shelby GT350 Convertible will be sold on NTCC’s behalf at approximately 6:30 p.m. CST this Friday, Jan. 26th in Barrett-Jackson’s no-reserve charity auction. One-hundred percent of the proceeds of the hammer price will provide scholarships and unique learning opportunities for students in the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program. Aaron Shelby will be introducing the car on behalf of NTCC and the Carroll Shelby Foundation.
“We’re excited that Barrett-Jackson agreed to auction the Shelby gifted to us by Barry Smith and Legendary GT,” said Jon McCullough Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Northeast Texas Community College. “This beautiful car will help fuel studies by students who want a career in the automotive industry. Carroll Shelby would have been 101 years old in 2024. We’re continuing his rich legacy by teaming with the Shelby Foundation and Barrett-Jackson to raise money for the automotive technology program he approved. We are very appreciative of Aaron and everyone at Shelby who helped make this possible.”
The 350GT was built for and donated to NTCC by Barry Smith, owner of Legendary GT Continuation Cars. The body is finished in Wimbledon white with all new fiberglass panels including reinforced shock towers and Shelby specific parts. The engine is a 302 Ford small block with a 4-speed top loader manual transmission. New old stock, refurbished, original or remanufactured parts were used including the differential, brake system, suspension, fuel system, cooling and wiring harness. Beth VanDyke, an alumni of the Shelby automotive Program, was on the build team for this car as part of an internship experience at Legendary GT Continuation Cars. Click for Video of Beth!
The Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale is a week-long event that is being televised on the History Channel and FYI network. Those wishing to watch the sale of NTCC’s car live can view it on FYI or on the Barrett-Jackson website.
