1965 Shelby GT 350

The marriage between Carroll Shelby and the Ford Motor Company began in early 1965 when Ford wanted to take a shot at the performance market dominated by GM’s Corvette. Unveiled by Shelby on January 27, 1965, the modified Mustang fastback had a few subtle exterior changes: a fiberglass hood with functional scoop, a clean-looking grille and a tri-colored running horse on the driver’s side of the grille. All Shelbys in 1965 were Wimbledon White, with a blue GT 350 side stripe below the door. Le Mans stripes running down the center of the body were available as a dealer option. The interior was available in black only and featured a roll bar and a flat-rimmed, three-spoke wooden steering wheel. A special instrument panel in the center of the dash held a large oil-pressure gauge and tachometer. The GT 350 also featured competition seat belts.

A special aluminum intake manifold increased the solid-lifter, Hi-Po 289’s horsepower from 271 to 306. Exhaust...