Learn The History Of The 65 Shelby GT350

It’s a legend for all the right reasons, but most people don’t really know how the 1965 Ford Shelby GT350 came about. Sure, Carroll Shelby took Ford’s popular pony car, which was a decent performer, then transformed it into an explosive GT racer. His formula made the GT350 a dominant force in SCCA B-Production racing for the space of three years, frustrating the competition. The video below helps bring to life the history of this car’s origins so you have something to talk about at your next cocktail party.

With the 2020 Shelby GT500 reveal recently and its supercar-like performance specs revealed, everyone is talking about Shelby Mustangs lately. What you might not realize is the ’65 Shelby GT350 started it all.

Lee Iacocca, the man credited with making the Mustang a reality, approached Shelby about transforming it into a true-blue GT racer. This move would help change the image of the Mustang, which at first was pushed as a fun but not too threatening car. By breathing more life into it with a hard-hitting powertrain, Shelby proved that the vehicle he had at one point referred to as a “mule” could become threatening on the track.

Characteristic of Shelby, he put some real flair on the exterior of the ’65 GT350. All of them came in Wimbledon White, with Guardsman Blue stripes optional. He stripped all the mustang badges off the car, except for the gas cap and a small Pony and Bars badge on one side of the front grille. Simplification was definitely beautiful in this case.

In the end, the Shelby GT350 wasn’t built for comfort but instead performance, first and foremost. It’s not a car for people who just want to cruise around. There aren’t too many hardcore cars like this today, delivering a track experience on the road, and that’s really too bad. But, this unique quality makes the 1965 Shelby GT350 that much more special.

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