"American Pickers'" host Mike Wolfe and his rotating crew of antiquing pals frequently travel to parts unknown in hopes of liberating even the rustiest and dustiest of treasures from the backyards, barns, and crawl spaces of the world. More often than not, they're successful in that endeavor, though sometimes Wolfe and company hit on a find that even they couldn't have anticipated, such as the infamous Bubble Car they shelled out big bucks for in Season 23.

Wolfe found another super-rare vehicle that same season during an episode titled "Shelby in the Barn," with the series host and "Jersey" Jon Szalay stumbling upon a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 -- a career-defining vehicle for its namesake creator -- that's been withering away in an Alabama barn for the better part of the past four decades. It seems the Shelby was not initially on Wolfe's radar, however, as he'd met up with locals Kevin and Tink to purchase an old Chevy neon sign. The story turns when Kevin claims he's also got a Shelby GT500 stowed away in a nearby barn.

Unfortunately, the vehicle is hardly in pristine condition. But despite its general state of disrepair, as far as barn finds go, the GT500 is one of those that seems too good to be true. According to some "American Pickers'" fans, it probably was, with viewers questioning whether or not Wolfe's "find" was staged. That possibility has indeed become the source of a low-key controversy for the long-running reality series.