This particular Shelby Mustang GT350 was ordered in
Guardsman Blue with the optional stripes, special wheels and rear
seat. The 1966 model is considered to be the
best of the GT350
series and was essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Although delivered as a street car its owner wanted to make this Shelby
much better than the average GT350. He wanted a more powerful, lighter,
better handling car that he could take to club track days or
race and smoke the competition but still drive on the street.
Unlike most owners in search of speed who toss the original
parts, as this car was upgraded the factory parts were saved. Using
the Shelby GT350R racecar as inspiration, this car was upgraded with
many new “R” parts. These include the
all fiberglass front hood, front valance, roll bar, and Plexiglas
rear window. The rear bumper and rear seat were removed to save weight
and the “R” fiberglass package shelf added. The battery
was relocated to the trunk as on the race cars to improve weight distribution
and a Fuel Safe fuel cell replaced the stock tank. Three Moto-gage
instruments were added under the dash to monitor oil temp, pressure
and water temp. For added safety Simpson 4 point racing seat belts
and a fire extinguisher were installed.
Looks are nothing without the horsepower to back it
up. The 289 V8 has been upgraded with a large competition oil pan,
a very rare Ford “X” intake manifold, and four
Weber 48mm down draft carbs (as used on the Ford GT 40).
Windsor heads replace the stock units and Hooker headers have been
installed for better breathing. The engine has been totally balanced
and blueprinted and is running a solid lifter competition cam and produces 370+ horsepower. The engine has only 5,000
miles of use mainly on the street and a few SAAC track days since
the rebuild and upgrade.
To get all the new power to the ground a limited slip
differential was installed along with Torque Thrust alloy wheels and
BF Goodrich Comp TA R1 235-60ZR15 tires. Competition shocks, stiffer
springs, and bigger anti-roll bars were installed to improve the handling.
At home on the track for vintage racing or SAAC track
days this unique Shelby is also a spectacular streetcar perfect for
cruising or participating in today’s great automobile tours
like the Colorado Grand.
The original Shelby Factory parts that come with the
car include: gas tank, glass rear window, carb, springs and shocks,
heater, back seat, front splash pan, and copies of the original Shelby
sales documents.
This low mileage Shelby is in excellent condition and
has even been personally signed by Carroll Shelby.
History of This Car
The car was ordered by Webster Ford of Caruthers California on March
30 1966 in Guardsman Blue with the optional Wimbledon White stripes,
alloy wheels and rear fold down seats. The car was shipped to Webster
on April 14 and then returned to Shelby American in Los Angeles on
April 16th. The car was then re-ordered by Stark Hickey Ford of Royal
Oak Michigan on July 18th 1966. The car was purchased new by Marv
Line of Grand Rapids Michigan. Subsequent owners are: Minus Carr (MI)
Ted Baird (OH) Ken Hunt (PA in ‘92), Mark Smith (MA in ‘02),
Richard Aten (FL in ‘05) — Shelby World Registry
About the 1966 Shelby GT350
There were only small changes made to the GT350 for the 1966 model
year. Peter Brock, Shelby’s designer, came up with some simple
modifications that slightly changed the aesthetics of the car but
improved its capabilities. Air-intake scoops were added to force cooling
air to the rear brake. The C-pillar sail panel louvers were removed
and replaced with triangular windows. Four colors options were added
to give the Mustangs a little extra flavor. The rear seats could now
be installed as optional equipment and were given the functionality
and flexibility of folding down. This allowed the car to continue
to qualify for sports car racing in SCCA while providing versatility
while not at the track. These new options aided Shelby in selling
2378 examples in 1966. Stock Performance: 306 Horsepower, 330 Ft-Lbs
@ 4200 RPM, Weight: 2789 lbs
