CAPTURING A MOMENT IN TIME: Once-Lost Shelby Prototypes Reborn As Timepieces
December 29, 2020
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by Barbara Toombs
Once lost, now found and restored to their original glory, a pair of historic experimental Shelby Mustangs – “Green Hornet” and “Little Red” – took the collector car world by storm in 2018. Many car fans were sure these cars had been destroyed decades ago and lost forever; even more people questioned they had ever existed. But exist they did. The painstaking restoration of the Green Hornet, which began in 2017, led Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson and his team to the discovery of the near-mythological Little Red in a Texas field in March 2018. The only Mustang notchback coupes ever produced to wear the Shelby nameplate now stand fully restored, side by side, taking their rightful places in automotive history.
Now, discerning individuals can own a piece of these near-mythological Shelbys, as excess sheet metal from both cars has been carefully built into the design of an extremely limited Swiss-made timepiece collection. The company behind the concept is the Denmark-based REC Watches, standing for Recover, Recycle, Reclaim.
“REC Watches has gone to extraordinary means to find unique artifacts and put these into a brand-new timepiece,” said Jackson. “They keep the patina and build the watch to represent the vehicle. There wasn’t much excess sheet metal to work with … but there was enough to build these unique watches in very limited numbers.”
Just 318 Little Red and 282 Green Hornet timepieces will be made.
“The Little Red and Green Hornet watch project has been more than a year in development, as we wanted to make sure that we did justice to the pedigree and story of these two incredible vehicles,” said REC Watches co-founder Jonathan Kamstrup. “We knew these two cars were special ‒ but it was only through working with Barrett-Jackson on developing these timepieces that we truly understood exactly how special. I am very proud that we have been a part of making the story of Little Red and Green Hornet come back to life!”
Both cars once belonged to and were driven by legendary automotive designer and race driver Carroll Shelby, who developed them as experimental prototypes. The timepieces not only incorporate a piece of metal from the two legends, they also captivate the unique design of each car in many fine details.
The affordably priced watches will be available for pre-order beginning on January 14, 2021. To be first in line, simply sign up on the Rec Watches website.