1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 Hardtop

Due to a heart defect, Carroll Shelby retired from racing in the late 1950's. One of his greatest racing accomplishments was winning the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1958 in an Aston martin. After his departure from racing he used his reputation to form the Carol Shelby High Performance Driving School. Later, he worked out a deal with Ford to place potent V8 engines into British cars. The result was the Shelby Cobra and Daytona. The Cobra cars would go on to win the GT class at LeMans, a testament to their capabilities. When Ford introduced their Mustang in 1964, Shelby was there to make it even better. His formula included larger engines into small, lightweight vehicles and the Mustang was an excellent candidate. The Shelby GT350 was introduced in 1965 with the GT500 following a year later.

SCCA Homologation rules stated that at least 100 'street versions' had to be produced in order for a car to qualify for racing. The result was the Shelby GT350 which was a barely street-legal vehicle. The suspension was stiff and the engine potent.

This 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 Fastback finished in Wimbledon White with two Guardsman Blue racing stripes running the entire length of the vehicle was offered for sale at the 2006 Worldwide Group Auction on Hilton Head Island. It was expected to sell between $350,000-$400,000. This high price tag was due to its low production number. It was one of the first 100 vehicles delivered to Shelby's Venice, California facility. It bares chassis number 41 and is believed to be one of the oldest surviving Shelby Mustangs in existence. It retains its original all-fiberglass hood with round hole and correct wire mesh, 289 Hi-Po K-Code motor. The Borg Warner T-10 transmission with aluminum housing is also original. At the conclusion of the sale, this vehicle was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2006