Early Shelby Mustang History
#1
Carroll Shelby was a racing legend even before his entry into the history books as a Ford Mustang tuner. His victory at Le Mans and fame behind the wheel of Allards is what drove Ford to turn to him with the effort of turning the sports coupe Mustang into a true racing vehicle.

While the production numbers of Shelby Mustangs is low, the influence these cars had on the industry is impressive. They began a tradition of racing legends and auto manufacturers turning out special production vehicles in low numbers but with great appeal. While Shelby ended his relatonship in the early 70s with Ford, their paths would cross again when in 2005 Ford released the latest iteration of the Mustang legend.

1965 Early Mustang
The first Shelby version of the Mustang appeared in 1965. All 1965 Shelbys were painted Ford "Wimbledon White" with optional Guardsman Blue stripes.

   

Although most of the 1965 Shelby's you see on the road today have Le Mans stripes, less than forty percent of the 1965 GT 350s came factory equipped with them. All GT 350s featured rocker panel stripes with the GT350 name. The engine was a modified K-code 289 cubic inch Windsor V8 with special "Cobra" valve covers, tri-Y headers, a special intake manifold and Holley carburetor increased power from 271 to 306 hp.

Approximately the first 300 GT 350s produced were "rear battery" cars, meaning the car's batteries were trunk-mounted. Customer complaints of acid-fumes led to the creation of the Cobra Battery Caps, which vented the acid fumes outside of the car by way of hoses exiting through the trunk floor panels. An estimated 50 1965 GT 350s (around serial number 200) came equipped with the very rare Cobra battery caps. Vehicle production changed shortly thereafter, leaving the battery in the engine compartment. Today, the most desirable of the 1965 GT 350s are the units with factory installed rear batteries.

1966 Shelby Mustangs
The 1966 was different in body color (non-white versions were introduced - colors included blue, red, green and black, as well as the original white) and trim. The "Le Mans" stripes were continued as an option, as in 1965. It featured special quarter-panel windows and rear air scoops on each side and an optional automatic transmission. A fold-down rear seat was now standard as well. Where early 1965 cars had black engine blocks, 1966 and later cars had the 289 engine painted blue.

The first 252 GT-350s for 1966 were "carry-over" cars. They had the 1965 Ford Mustang Bodies and 1965 Ford Mustang serial numbers under their Shelby serial numbers. They had mostly 1965 features including standard Koni shock and Engines painted black. Blue engines did not occur in 1966 until after these 252 "carry-over" models were produced. 1966 production was 1373 fastbacks including (2) prototypes and (4) drag cars and (252) "carry-over" models with Ford Mustang 1965 bodies. 1001 Hertz fastbacks were produced including (2) prototypes. 4 convertibles were also produced for a total of 2378 units for 1966.

Shelby struck a deal with the Hertz Corporation to produce a special line of GT350s for rent which were subsequently sold to the public after their rental-car lives were finished. These GT350H cars are quite rare and sought-after today, with some examples selling for more than $420,000. Shelby produced 1,000 of these cars: 800 in Raven Black, and 50 each in Candy Apple Red, Wimbledon White, Sapphire Blue and Ivy Green. All Hertz cars featured gold LeMans stripes and rocker panel stripes. Early "Hertz" cars were available with 4 speed manual transmissions until so many cars were returned from rental with burned and broken clutch assemblies that all of the later cars shipped to Hertz were equipped with an automatic transmission. These cars tend to be abused in early life from hard usage in the rental car fleet. Good restored examples can be found.

1967 GT350s and GT500s
The new 1967 Mustang was followed with a new Shelby. It featured a 1967 Mercury Cougar tail light panel minus the chrome trim, a flip-up spoiler, and two sets of air scoops on each side. This was also the first American car to feature a factory roll bar. Surfaces such as the hood and trunk lid were made of fiberglass instead of steel for light weight and ease of manufacturing.

This year also saw the introduction of the GT500 alongside the continued GT350. The new GT500 featured a 428 cubic-inch big-block V8. This is also one of the most famous Shelby Mustangs.

A modified GT500 clone, known as "Eleanor", was featured alongside Nicholas Cage in the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. This modified GT500 body style is incredibly popular today, and is partially responsible for the resurgence of Shelby Mustang prices in recent years.

A convertible prototype of the GT500 was made in 1967, which was designated to be destroyed. Before Ford could destroy the prototype, it was stolen. The car was eventually recovered and sold as '68.

1968 GT350, GT500 and GT500-KR
The Shelby GT350 Mustangs were powered by a 302 cubic-inch V8 while the GT500 came equipped with the massive 428 cubic-inch Police Interceptor engine. In February of 1968, the GT500-KR became available and was considered the ultimate Shelby. Under the hood was a 428 cubic-inch Cobra-Jet V8 which produced 360 horsepower. The name 'KR' meaning 'King of the Road' was a quick marketing move by Carroll Shelby who had caught wind that Chevrolet was about to unleash a marketing campaign that featured the 1968 Corvette as the 'King of the Road.' After a quick copyright search, they found that the 'KR' and 'King of the Road' had not been copyrighted. Stickers, photos, and decals were quickly made by Shelby and his crew and placed on the new GT500.

1969 and 1970 GT350, GT500
Carroll Shelby terminated his agreement with Ford in the summer of 1969. The GT350 and GT500 for the 1969–70 model years received extensive face lifts, the body alone increasing in length by 4 inches. Ford was heavily involved with design and style decisions, with Shelby having very little input. Production of Shelby Mustangs ceased with the 1970 model year. The 1970 models were in fact left over 1969 models. VIN tags from 1969 Shelby's were removed and replaced with 1970 Shelby VIN's with careful supervision from FBI agents.
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Shelby's Formal Oztrailer 12 24,990 11-24-2017, 12:13 PM
Last Post: 1969_Mach1
  Test drive an original Shelby Cobra, 1965 Shelby GT350 and 1970 Boss 302 Mach 1 Club 1 8,989 11-21-2014, 04:19 PM
Last Post: safa100
  Carroll Shelby - The Legend! Mach 1 Club 2 10,524 01-25-2012, 12:04 PM
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
  2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 vs 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Mach 1 Club 4 15,033 01-19-2012, 02:12 PM
Last Post: Steven Harris
  Not a Mustang but bob.harlan 2 10,208 12-15-2011, 10:56 AM
Last Post: Rare Pony
  2011 Shelby GT350 Mach 1 Club 0 6,606 11-12-2011, 05:06 AM
Last Post: Mach 1 Club
  Can a Mustang lover go green? Mach 1 Club 1 8,646 10-22-2011, 11:32 AM
Last Post: Oztrailer
  1987 Mustang GT with T-tops Mach 1 Club 3 13,435 09-19-2011, 12:59 PM
Last Post: 1969jimmach
  Mustang barn finds 1969jimmach 1 9,518 09-19-2011, 12:33 PM
Last Post: Rare Pony
  2012 Mustang GT Steven Harris 3 12,752 08-24-2011, 08:03 AM
Last Post: Steven Harris

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
[-]
Latest Threads
What's One More Iron In The Fire!
Last Post: fram lee666
03-18-2024 06:21 PM
» Replies: 125
» Views: 238146
"Jacobra"
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
06-30-2023 11:13 PM
» Replies: 86
» Views: 150927
My old Queensland Ambulance
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
06-30-2023 11:08 PM
» Replies: 5
» Views: 1706
New member from San Jose, CA
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
05-09-2023 08:39 AM
» Replies: 12
» Views: 3966
Saving Seatbelts
Last Post: Jim
02-19-2023 10:23 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 9114
Sourcing new wheels
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
01-25-2023 02:34 PM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 2003
Shaker Air Filter
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
01-08-2023 02:24 AM
» Replies: 3
» Views: 1467
1971 Mach 1 parting out interior parts -...
Last Post: ylwhrse
12-22-2022 01:38 PM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 640
Painting
Last Post: Rare Pony
12-14-2022 06:24 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 1971
WELCOME ALL NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCE YOURSE...
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-31-2022 01:36 PM
» Replies: 82
» Views: 157078
1970 mach 1 matching numbers
Last Post: Kstweeter
08-31-2022 10:31 AM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 1087
Brake booster/servo hose length
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-23-2022 09:40 AM
» Replies: 7
» Views: 3006
New Member
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-20-2022 11:18 AM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 1501
smooth window operation on 70 Mach
Last Post: CUSTOMMISER
08-15-2022 12:10 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 1482
Blinkers on solid
Last Post: busted21
08-09-2022 03:58 AM
» Replies: 14
» Views: 8729
Blinkers on solid when lights on.
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-08-2022 12:06 PM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 1720
351 cj running hot
Last Post: busted21
08-08-2022 12:13 AM
» Replies: 5
» Views: 3411
Major Winter projects
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
07-09-2022 05:12 AM
» Replies: 49
» Views: 21300
Happy Fathers Day!!!
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
06-20-2022 02:34 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 1686
1969 Raven Black 390 Looking For
Last Post: mason1958
06-11-2022 09:48 AM
» Replies: 10
» Views: 15088

>