Photography by Jan Morgan
Driver’s Notebook: All You Wanna Do Is Ride Around, Sally
October 1, 2004
Collecting a rare car is often an expressway to frustration, a condition that is certainly true for anyone lusting after a Shelby GT350. Only 37 of the special competition coupes were produced; all are accounted for and not one is for sale. And even if you are fortunate enough to put one in your garage, driving it as its designers intended puts both the vehicle and its value in jeopardy.
The very nature of the Shelby GT350 makes it easy to build a replica, and one
alternative to purchasing an original is to build one–much as Carroll Shelby
did–using a Ford Mustang and aftermarket parts.
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ENGINE: 6.7-liter V-8 (in prototype)
POWER: 500 hp,
estimated
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
WHEELBASE: 108
inches
CURB
WEIGHT: 3,000 lbs
BASE PRICE: $99,000 (Click
images to enlarge)
There is a large network of early Mustang and Shelby aftermarket suppliers, and
plenty of ’65 and ’66 Mustangs to choose from. Many collectors have followed
that route, but it is time-consuming and in the end produces a car that is
neither a collectible Mustang nor an actual Shelby.
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The GT350SRs and “Eleanor” GT500Es built by Unique Performance are different.
These remanufactured ’65 and ’66 Mustangs not only have the blessing of Carroll
Shelby, who signs the glove box of each one, but are listed as Shelby cars on
the Shelby Registry. Unique’s creations, though, are not replicas or
continuation cars; they look like they might be the real thing from the
exterior, but under the skin these cars are dramatically different from the
original Shelbys. (Click image to enlarge)
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Unique starts with a stripped Mustang. The body is then painstakingly
refurbished and strengthened. Fenders are smoothed, welds are cleaned up, fit
and finish are brought up to modern specifications, and a new tubular framework
with an integral passenger compartment roll bar is welded in. An entirely new
front suspension consists of fully adjustable unequal-length arms and coil-over
adjustable shocks. One unusual feature of the new front suspension is the
conversion to modern rack-and-pinion power steering replacing the old-style
steering box and pitman arm. (Click image to enlarge)
The rear suspension has an unusual design that appears to use a little bit of
every suspension technology available. Gone are the early Shelby signature
override traction bars and leaf springs. Attached to the authentic Ford 9-inch
rear axle are two trailing arms, a torque reaction link, rocker arms acting on
lay-down, transverse coil/shock units, and an under-axle Watt’s linkage.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The GT350SR includes a vented Plexiglas rear window; on original
cars this feature released the heat that built up in the cabin during races.
(Click image to enlarge)
Of course, power is the thing that enthusiasts want most, and Unique is happy to
oblige. The prototype GT350SR is equipped with a Keith Craft—built 351, stroked
to 408 cu in, fuel injected and breathing through eight separate throttles.
Unique says the test car’s engine tops 500 hp, a substantial improvement on the
original and on par with the Dodge Viper and the Mercedes-Benz SL55.
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