He Found a Unicorn

Walking the manicured fairways of the Bob O’Connor Golf Course in Schenley Park during the Pittsburgh Vintage Gran Prix Concours event, 3,000 vehicles are all shined up and vying for your attention. One of these vehicles stopped me in my tracks – a white Dodge Dakota with bold black stripes and dark red interior that looked like it just rolled off a showroom floor. This isn’t just any Dakota – it’s a genuine Shelby Dakota sitting on the golf course as if it were frozen in time.

Justin McGee has owned this remarkable piece of Mopar_® heritage for around seven years now, and the story of how he acquired it reads like every enthusiast’s dream. As a 16-year-old attending vocational tech school, McGee wasn’t specifically hunting for a Shelby Dakota. In fact, like most people, he didn’t even know such a thing existed.

“My vo-tech instructor told me he had a truck for me,” McGee recalls. “He said it was a Dodge Dakota Shelby, and I’m like, ‘Get out of here. There’s no such thing. That’s Ford.” His skepticism was understandable – Shelby’s association with Ford products like the GT350 and GT500 made the idea of a Shelby-modified Dodge seem impossible to 16-year-old Justin.

Fast forward to the first time Justin and his father laid eyes on the truck and their realization that this Dodge Shelby was still in its original garage. Negotiations to purchase the Dakota started with a bit of teenage naiveté and quickly turned into a life-changing purchase. McGee initially offered just $500 for the truck, not fully grasping what he was looking at. The seller, showing remarkable patience with the young enthusiast, joked that $500 wouldn’t buy many bricks for the retaining wall he was selling the truck to rebuild. McGee’s father, recognizing both the truck’s value and his son’s limited budget, guided him toward a more reasonable offer. “My dad told me at the time, ‘This man knows exactly what you have in your checking account,'” McGee explains. That amount was $1,000, and it became the final sale price.

The truck came with all original paperwork, including the original bill of sale stored in the glove box. More importantly, it bore the telltale signs of its Shelby heritage: the distinctive serial tag under the hood marking it as production number 1161 of just 1,500 total Shelby Dakotas ever built, and a shipping tag showing its journey to Whittier, California, where Shelby American performed its modifications.

When McGee acquired the truck, it had 117,000 miles on the odometer and was showing its age in some areas, though the original owner had taken decent care and tried to preserve it. Cardboard protected the seats and interior surfaces, helping maintain the red upholstery that remains primarily original. I could not believe how good the interior looked! There was at least a triple-take of the interior to confirm the deep red seats were indeed wearing their original upholstery. The only interior work McGee has performed was replacing the deteriorating headliner.

However, Justin’s restoration went far deeper than simple cosmetic improvements. “There’s not a single nut on this truck I haven’t had my hands on,” he says proudly. He paused for a second and added, “I don’t think I’ve touched the power steering pump. That’s about it.” The truck received a complete teardown and rebuild, including engine and transmission overhauls, rear differential work and a full repaint with the correct Shelby Dakota graphics package.

The original fuel injection system presented challenges, as serviceable parts are no longer available. McGee solved this by installing an Edelbrock fuel system while maintaining the original 318-cubic-inch V8 block and heads. Cracked exhaust manifolds provided the perfect excuse to upgrade to headers – something any 16-year-old would have done anyway, as McGee admits with a grin.

The factory spec sheet says the Shelby Dakotas were good for 175 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. Combined with rear-wheel drive and minimal weight over the rear axle, this package becomes a 16-year-old’s dream burnout machine. “In the rain, it’s everywhere,” McGee notes, describing the truck’s propensity for unexpected tire-spinning adventures.

Today, McGee’s Shelby Dakota serves as a pristine Sunday driver, a rolling time capsule that perfectly captures this unique chapter in Shelby American’s history. Having recently attended the Carlisle event where he saw another Shelby Dakota for the first time, McGee appreciates just how special his $1,000 find truly is.

While future plans may include more power – McGee mentions old-school options like a 440 or 360 – for now, he’s focused on enjoying this remarkable survivor that represents the perfect intersection of youthful enthusiasm and automotive preservation.