One of the few cars that carried a minimum reserve price – Barrett-Jackson auctions are overwhelmingly no-reserve – and did not sell was Jackson’s own car, the famous 1968 Ford Shelby Mustang EXP 500 prototype that was a Carroll Shelby experimental test bed for new engineering, known as “The Green Hornet.” It was one of the marquee cars of the auction.

The crowd looks to Craig Jackson on the podium as his 1968 Mustang Shelby prototype, The Green Hornet, fails to make reserve. (Photo: Bob Golfen)

The Shelby failed to make its reserve price of $2.5 million, and Jackson said he decided not to sell for the lesser top bid. Besides, he has an emotional attachment with the prototype, he said, because of his longtime friendship with Carroll Shelby, the motorsports and performance icon who died last year at 89.

The Scottsdale auction included a high number of Shelby cars for sale plus special celebrations honoring his memory.

“I love that car and it has so many memories with Carroll,” Jackson said, adding that he might yet make a deal with interested potential buyers. “There are quite a few people who want it.”

But he can shrug off the failed sale of Green Hornet, he added, because of the overall success of this year’s Scottsdale auction.

“I’m not sad about it,” Jackson said. “The Batmobile made up for it.”

For full results from this year’s Scottsdale auction, see the Barrett-Jackson website.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at