The Shelby Mustang is a performance muscle car first built in the 1960s. It was originally a series of Ford Mustangs which were specially modified by Carroll Shelby's company and sold as a series. The program was factory-sponsored and production was eventually moved in-house.
In 2002, Carroll Shelby sold a license to a company called Unique Performance in Farmers Branch, Texas, to produce the GT500E, a Shelby based on the "Eleanor" 1967 GT500 featured prominently in the 2000 movie Gone In 60 Seconds, starring Nicolas Cage. Other new Shelbys followed, including the GT350SR and GT500SR. Each of these new Shelbys is given a Shelby VIN number and all are eligible for inclusion in the Shelby American World Registry.
On October 5, 2007 Shelby’s licensing branch announced it has taken steps to sever the relationship with Unique Performance after numerous complaints and several lawsuits filed by customers who had paid money for “Continuation” Shelby GT-350SRs and GT-500Es (Eleanors) but not received cars.
On November 1, 2007, Unique Performance was raided by the Farmers Branch Police Department due to VIN irregularities and subsequently declared bankruptcy, which effectively ended the Shelby continuation "Eleanor" production