FORD SHELBY GT-350 MUSTANG
“What’s the distance from the office to the shop,” boomed an impatient Carroll Shelby to his employee Phil Remington, “I gotta come up with a name for this thing.” “About three hundred fifty feet,” Remington retorted. “That’s it,” Shelby confirmed, “it’ll be called the ‘Shelby GT-350 Ford Mustang’.”
It was 1964 and Carroll Shelby was under pressure to come with a name for a special race-bred edition of the highly touted 1965 Ford Mustang, a performance version of the Mustang that would ultimately come to bear Shelby’s name for all time. The “office” and the “shop” referred to in his question to master race-crafter Phil Remington were those of Shelby American, the original skunk-works that spawned the legendary Shelby Cobra and soon after the Shelby Mustang.
Originally offered as an extremely limited edition track version of the acclaimed 1965 Ford Mustang, the first lot of 100 “Shelby GT-350” Mustangs were initially developed to meet SCCA homologation rules that would allow the Mustang to legally race within its targeted class of “B-Production.” Of the inaugural 1965 GT-350s, 34 were designated “GT-350R.” The factory-supported Shelby GT-350 competition-version Mustangs were race-spec cars built specifically in accordance with Sports Car Club of America rules. They were highly successful on the racetrack, winning the SCCA B-Production championship for three straight years, 1965, 1966 and 1967.
The 1965–1966 Shelby Mustangs were the smallest and lightest of the GT-350 models that were built over their life span. These were Ford-powered, two-seat hard-top sports cars, produced in Ford’s San Jose, California plant and then shipped directly to Shelby American in Los Angeles, where they were transformed into high performance road cars or full race-spec cars. All 1965–66 Shelby Mustangs were powered by Windsor 289 cubic-inch V8 (4.7 litre) HiPo K-Code engines. Rated at 271 hp, the carburetion of these engines was often modified with the installation of a large 4-barrel Holley CFM carburetor, which boosted output to 306 horsepower at 6000 rpm. All gearboxes were 4-speed manual and fed power to a 9-inch live rear axle. Among the many upgrades performed at Shelby American were “high-riser” intake manifolds, “tri-Y” headers and better brakes. Larger Ford Galaxie rear drum brakes with metallic linings and Kelsey-Hayes front disc brakes gave the cars superior stopping abilities.
Setting the standard for racing, there were initially 34 1965 “GT350R” race-spec cars built specifically for competition use under SCCA rules, in the B-Production class. Shelbys were c champions in this class for three straight years. The 1966 GT350 was more comfortable for casual drivers, including rear seats, optional colors and an optional automatic transmission. This trend for more options and luxuries continued in the following years, with the cars becoming progressively larger, heavier, and more comfortable, while losing much of their competitiveness in the process. The 1969 GT-350s and GT-500s were largely styling modifications to a stock Mustang. By 1969 Carroll Shelby was no longer involved in the Shelby GT program, relegating the Shelby GTs to in-house development by Ford.
For 1967, the Shelby GT-350 Mustang was introduced with a modified body motif. Ford calculated that by this time the buying public wanted more style, yet more comfort in their GT road-going cars. And they wanted bigger engines. The new ’67 Mustang’s measurements and engine compartment were delivered standard with the now classic 289 cubic-inch Ford V8 engine, but with accommodation for bigger engines to come. Although the Mustang product line was only three years old at this point, the 1967 Shelby Mustang included powerful engine options, race-bred transmissions, strong differentials, impressive acceleration, track-proven handling, masculine styling and glorious Ford V-8 engines that sounded and performed with stunning impact.
Whereas the ’65-‘66 racing Shelby GT-350 Mustangs originally began with a high performance Shelby-specification 289 cubic-inch engine. Whereas in the Mustang’s first two years Shelby Mustangs closely resembled the stock Mustangs, Shelby GT-350s in 1967 were more distinctly differentiated. For example, the front end of the car was extended three inches and was formed from fiberglass, which aided reduced weight. In the front grille were two 7-inch driving lights, and the hood was also fiberglass with a built-in functional hood scoop to grab much-needed air for engine cooling. Two manual hood pins on right/left sides were included for securing the special fiberglass hood version. The rear end featured a special cap to accommodate the 1967 horizontally profiled “Cougar” taillights and rear spoiler. Side-scoops were added for airflow to the brakes and also for racing style points.
Mechanically, the 1967 Shelby Mustangs were closer to the stock “GT” Mustangs than the ’65 and ’66 GT-350s were. The cars came from the factory as GT models with deluxe interiors featuring sporty and functional bucket seats. These were accented with a beautiful wood-paneled steering wheel and aggressive 140-mph speedometer, 8000-rpm tachometer and dashboard gauge cluster.
The stock suspension was retained, with minor modifications. The springs used were unique to the Shelby GT-350s. As they compressed under performance and track driving loads, the springs became stiffer. A special more robust anti-sway bar was used, for handling stiffness. Front suspension consisted of unequal-length control arms, coil springs, adjustable tube arms and an anti-sway bar. Rear suspension was based on a live-axel design with multi-leaf semi-elliptical springs and shocks. Special ten-spoke 15-inch aluminum wheels were a signature 1967 Shelby GT-350 feature, incorporating Ford Thunderbird hubcaps with a Shelby insignia insert. Oversized rear drum brakes were complemented with large 11.3-inch front disc brakes, power assisted.
A designated number of 1967 Shelby Mustangs were factory-delivered with the now-classic twin parallel top-stripes, extending from the nose over the roof to tail. All came with special “GT-350” or “GT-500” side-stripes above the rocker panels. Shelby emblems were mounted on the front grille, front fender, deck and on the race-bred pop-open gas cap.
There were two 1967 Shelby Mustang engine options; the GT-350 and GT-500. The GT-350 carryover from 1965-66 featured Ford’s hot 271-horsepower 289 cubic-inch “hi-po” engine with an iron block, fitted with a medium high-rise aluminum Cobra intake manifold and Holley carburetor, generating 306 horsepower and 329 foot-pounds of torque at 6,000 rpm. The 4-speed version of this car incorporated a Holley 715 CFM carburetor, while the automatic-transmission version of the car used a slightly toned down Holley 595 CFM carburetor. A Paxton supercharger was available as an ultra performance option.
Acceleration of the 1967 Shelby GT-350 was impressive, with a published 0-60 elapsed time of +/- 7-seconds at a speed of 140 mph.
Racing defined this car in its deeds, reputation and image. The Shelby GT-350 was the defacto leader among the legendary cars of the American “pony car” era; always followed, forever imitated and uniformly successful on the racetrack during its halcyon years in both professional and club competitions throughout the USA. Today, it is a timeless etching of automotive style, performance, competition success and high performance automotive culture. History notes 1967 as a pivotal moment for the Shelby GT-350 Mustang, as the popularity of this car forced state regulation and DMV requirements that brought about fundamental changes in the car’s manufacture and Ford Motor Company’s relationship dynamics with Shelby American. Consequently, as of 1968 the car was becoming more “Ford” than Shelby, and soon these specially crafted super cars would ultimately become production imitations of their once pure roots.
