Photography by Tom Corcoran
Feature: Shelbyville, USA
October 1, 2004
In the beginning, Carroll Shelby’s version of the Ford Mustang was what one
writer referred to as a “brand-new, clapped-out racecar,” an uncivilized beast
that sacrificed much in the way of civility for maximum speed. By the time the
Shelby-Mustang marriage was over five years later, it had become a high-style
boulevard cruiser, larger, heavier, and slower, and it was being eclipsed by a
new breed of factory-fresh “pony cars,” some of which were Ford’s own
straight-from-the-dealer Mustangs.
One of only 36 GT350 R racing models produced in 1965, is easily
distinguished from its road-going relatives. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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But it was great fun while it lasted, particularly in the early days when
Shelby’s Mustang GT350s were rude and crude. The purposeful nastiness of the
first cars endeared them to the original owners and, ultimately, to present-day
collectors who will happily expend substantial sums of money for the privilege
of having one of these overstimulated beasts in their own stables. They were,
and remain, unique machines.
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Considering the ease with which Ford could sell every Mustang its factories
could crank out in 1964—’65–more than 600,000 between its mid-1964 introduction
and the end of the next model year–it may seem odd that Carroll Shelby was
brought in to add yet another model to the range. The impetus came from Ford’s
heavy participation in motorsports: At the time, factory-supported cars bearing
the company name were competing in virtually every form of racing except
Saturday-night destruction derbies at the local dirt track. But the
Mustang, unlike just about every other car Ford built, did not fit any
competitive niche. (Click image to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
A view of the GT350’s engine–a reminder of the days when a look
under the hood provided a good view of most components. (Click image to
enlarge)
Enter Carroll Shelby, builder of the Ford-powered AC Cobra sports car and soon
to be in charge of the GT-40 international racing effort. Among Shelby, Ford,
and the Sports Car Club of America, it was agreed that a Mustang fastback,
suitably modified and sans rear seat, would be accepted in the SCCA’s B
Production class. If, that is, Shelby could build 100 of them by January 1,
1965, which he did in a former aircraft plant on the border of the Los Angeles
International Airport.
He went much farther, in fact, turning out 562 Mustang GT350s (of which 36 were GT350 R models) by the end of 1965. Unlike the modifications on some later “sport” derivatives of mass-produced cars, changes to the Mustangs shipped from Ford’s San Jose, Calif., assembly plant–already fitted with nonstandard rear axles and larger rear brakes, and minus hoods, badges, rear seats, grilles, and exhaust systems–went far beyond the visible striping (only those on the side were standard; the now-ubiquitous broad stripes running from nose to tail were usually optional dealer add-ons). A high-rise intake manifold with a special carburetor and tubular exhaust headers raised the 289 cu in V-8 engine’s horsepower from 271 to a claimed 306 hp. Suspension changes included revised geometry, quicker steering, Koni shock absorbers, and rear torque-control arms; all required considerable hand labor to install, but paid big dividends in speed and handling.
And there was more. A fiberglass hood (later steel) with a large scoop and
racing-style lock pins, rather than a latch mechanism, covered an engine wearing
“Cobra” valve covers and a huge finned oil pan. The interior received a trim
panel to cover the space behind the front seats; wide seat belts with
over-center latches replaced narrow standard belts; and while the driver was
holding on to the wood-rim steering wheel, he could look over at a special
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A 1966 GT350 H, was one of the cars Hertz rented to its customers
for $17 a day. (Click image to enlarge)
Not that the GT350 gave its driver much time to look at the details. It was a
rapid little beast, reaching 60 mph from rest in about 6.5 seconds. Not being
especially aerodynamic, it wouldn’t get past 120 mph or so. But it was the 60
mph corners taken at 75 (or 40 through a 25 mph turn, or doing 80 in a curve
posted for 55 or 60 mph) that brought out the best in the car. Its handling far
surpassed that of most sporty machinery of its day, even if the effort required
of the driver, the rock-hard ride, and the high noise level made a hard drive on
mountain roads the rough equivalent of going 10 rounds with a ranked heavyweight
boxer inside a foundry.
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