1968 Shelby Mustang GT350

The Ford Mustang created a new class of car almost overnight when it was introduced partway through the 1964 model year, catching the U.S. auto industry off guard. It was the brainchild of Lee Iacocca and would become one of the most remarkable automotive success stories of all time. It was as much a lifestyle statement as it was a means of transport, aimed at the affluent young, its sales were in excess of a quarter-million by the end of 1964. This remarkable debut was followed by a staggering 524,791 sales in 1965.

Carroll Shelby of Texas was a man of many talents; he was an accomplished racing driver who teamed up with Ford to campaign the Mustang 'pony car' in North America, winning the SCCA's B-Production title three years running in the mid-1960s. Capitalizing on this success, Mr. Shelby modified Mustangs and sold them as officially sanctioned products through selected Ford dealerships. The first Shelby Mustang was the GT350, arriving in 1965 and powered by a modified version of Ford's 289 cubic-inch small-=block V8 delivering 306 horsepower, with options of a 340-360bhp unit in competition trim or 400bhp supercharged. A four-speed Borg-Warner manual gearbox was the stock transmission on early Shelby Mustangs, though a heavy-duty, three-speed automatic soon became available as an option.

To cope with the increase in performance, the GT350 received up-rated running gear. Its outward appearance was similar to the standard product with little distinguishable features apart from a pair of broad 'racing' stripes down the body centerline.

In 1967, the factory introduced a 390 cubic-inch 'big-block' V8 option on the Mustang. Mr. Shelby pushed the envelope further by installing Ford's 428 cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet V8 to create the GT500. The Shelby Mustang continued to be based on the stock version, receiving the latter's styling changes and mechanical improvements while retaining its own distinctive special features until production ended in 1970.

In 1968, a convertible option was added to the Shelby line-up, available with either a 302- or 428-cubic-inch eight-cylinder engine. The High Performance 289 cubic-inch V8 was no longer offered on the Ford or Shelby Mustang. The 302 was standard on the GT350, equipped with an aluminum intake manifold and Holley 600 CFM carburetor capable of producing 250 horsepower. 1968 also marked the year that Ford took over production of the Shelby vehicles with operations moving to Livonia, Michigan.

The styling modifications for 1968 were minor. The front of the vehicle was restyled resulting in an aggressive appearance. The headlights switched back to the single seven-inch unit configuration with Lucas fog lamps positioned inside the grill. The hood was once again a fiberglass unit with repositioned scoops and air-extraction louvers.

The 428 engine increased in horsepower by 5 over the prior year. This was the result of a single four-barrel aluminum intake manifold in place of the prior dual-carburetor setup. To honor this achievement, the GT500 equipped with the 428CJ now became known as the GT500, or King of the Road. These were the fastest Shelby production vehicles to date and offered superb handling, braking, and most of all, acceleration.

In 1968, 4451 examples were produced. 1253 fastbacks and 404 convertibles made up the GT350 model line. The GT500 was available as a fastback or convertible. There were 1140 GT500 fastbacks and 402 GT500 convertibles produced in 1968. 1968 also saw the production of 933 GT500KR fastbacks and 318 GT500KR convertibles. Only one GT500 Notchback Prototype was produced.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2006