1965-1966 GT350

SPECIFICATIONS:

BODY:

2 door coupe

2 door fastback
2 door convertible

ENGINE:

298 cid V8

TRANSMISSION:

3-speed automatic
4-speed manaual

With a 289 V-8 and four-speed manual gearbox, along with a body borrowed from the Ford Mustang 2+2 fastback, the 1965-1966 Shelby GT-350 was probably as close to a street-legal racing car as ever was offered by an American company.

FEW FACTS

Carroll Shelby, maker of the 1965-1966 Shelby GT-350, was a Texas chicken farmer who drove for Enzo Ferrari in the '50s and retired from racing for health reasons in 1960. He then became America's most charismatic maker of high-performance specialty cars. Between 1962 and 1970 he built or contributed to such blindingly fast machines as the awesome Cobra 289 and 427, as well as the Sunbeam Tiger and Ford's mid-engine GT40 and Mark IV competition cars. The last took Ford to the performance pinnacle with outright victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966-69.

The GT-350 began as a white Mustang 2+2 fastback delivered to Shelby-American's small Venice, California, shop with Ford's "Hi-Performance" 289 V-8 and four-speed manual gearbox options. Shelby applied a "High-Riser" manifold, big four-barrel carb, hot cam, and free-flow exhaust headers, plus trailing arms to locate a rear axle borrowed from Ford's big Galaxie to replace the stock, light-duty Falcon assembly. This brought bigger drum brakes in the rear that Shelby fitted with metallic linings, while Kelsey-Hayes disc brakes were used in front.

Also installed were Koni adjustable shocks, quick-ratio steering box, front anti-sway bar, a stout steel-tube underhood brace, and 15-inch cast-aluminum wheels with high-performance Goodyear tires. Finally, the front suspension's forward mounts were relocated for optimum geometry. The result of all this was near-neutral handling instead of the standard Mustang's strong understeer -- plus ferocious performance with 306 rated horsepower, versus the factory's 271.