Background

The Shelby Mustang is a performance muscle car from the 1960s. It was a series of Ford Mustangs which were specially modified by Carroll Shelby's company and sold as a series. The program was factory-sponsored and production was eventually moved in-house. The spirit of the series continues today in the special Mustang Cobra models.

1965 Shelby Mustang

The first Shelby version of the Mustang appeared in 1965. All '65 Shelbys were painted Ford "Wimbledon White". Although most of the 1965 Shelby's you see today have Le Mans stripes, less than 40% of the 1965 GT 350's came factory equipped with them. All GT 350s featured rocker panel stripes with the GT350 name. The engine was a modified K-code 289ci Windsor V8 with special "Cobra" valve covers, tri-Y headers, a special intake manifold and Holley carburetor increased power from 271 to 306 hp (162 to 228 kW). Approximately the first 300 GT 350s produced were "rear battery" cars, meaning the car's batteries were trunk-mounted. Customer complaints of acid-fumes led to the creation of the Cobra Battery Caps, which vented the acid fumes outside of the car by way of hoses exiting through the trunk floor panels. An estimated 50 1965 GT 350s (around serial number 200) came equipped with the very rare Cobra battery caps. Vehicle production changed shortly thereafter, leaving the battery in the engine compartment. Today, the most desirable of the 1965 GT 350s are the units with factory installed rear batteries.

Production Numbers

Street Prototype 1 unit, Competition Prototype 2 units, Competition Shelbys 34 units, Street Models 516 units, Drag Racing Models 9 units. ** Actually 562 1965 Shelby GT-350s were built including 526 street including (1) prototype and (4) drag cars and 36 R models including the factory prototypes. See Wikipedia, Shelby Mustang.

Shelby was 29 when he first raced in sanctioned competition. In 1954, he turned professional. He was named Sports Illustrated's "Sports Car Driver of the Year" two years in a row in 1956 and 1957 and was featured on both covers. In 1959, Shelby raced to victory in the 24-hour Le Mans race, which he describes as "one of the greatest thrills of my life." His victory, however, was bittersweet. "I won the Le Mans taking nitroglycerine pills," recalled Shelby, who recently celebrated his 82nd birthday. "They told me in 1960 that I had only five years left to live." Luckily, the prognosis was wrong. Shelby's heart ailments would not prove fatal, but they would force him to retire from the sport he had come to love so much.

In a photo from 1963, Carroll Shelby sits at
the wheel of a Mustang production car. Source

The rock star of the automotive industry is a Texan who speeds through life with heart and kidney transplants, precious little vision in his left eye and a crooked right arm, the souvenir of a long-ago Mexican road race in which he missed a turn and struck a boulder. At 84, he roars around the test track at 150 mph as casually as the normal human parks the family sedan in the garage. And Carroll Shelby is still refitting Mustang convertibles and coupes to produce distinctive vehicles that bear his name...[read the LA Times article]

Carroll Shelby keeps classic cars of all kinds at a Carson warehouse. Despite a heart transplant and a kidney transplant, he hasn't lost his nerve on the test track, turning laps at 150 mph as casually as another driver might park the family car. Source

Order your free Child Safety Kit today.

24 pages of guidance for parents. Teach abduction prevention without scaring your child (or yourself). Includes two Fingerprint/DNA ID Documents to record your child's personal information—all in the privacy of your home.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Due to the high cost of international postage we are unable to mail outside the US. If you live outside the US, please click here.

1965 Ford Mustang GT350

1965 Shelby GT 350 Mustang

1965 Ford Mustang GT350

1965 Ford Mustang

1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

1965/66 Ford Mustang GT350



1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350

66 Shelby GT350

1965 Shelby Mustang

1965 Ford Mustangs



1965 Mustang Ford

Ford 1965 Mustang

1965 Ford Mustang Headlight

Ford Mustang Logo

1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT

Powered by Flickr

... you'll automatically be making a donation to the Polly Klass Foundation. As a matter of fact, all of our lenses donate 100% of the earnings to Save The Children or The Acumen Fund.

Doesn't that feel good?

We Squidoo for charity! One of the coolest things about Squidoo is the opportunity provided for lensmasters to designate all or part of their proceeds to charity. Consider creating a lens today for a charitable cause, or just create a lens for fun and profit!

The source for the following Shelby Mustangs can be found in Wikipedia.

Cool Shelby Mustangs For Sale

Real Estate Websites: Tri City Wa Real Estate | Washington Real Estate News

Some of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. All original work, design, and imagery is Copyright (c) 2007 The Lane Real Estate Team.

Consider visiting our Greatest Real Estate Agent In The World lens.
Joe has entered his wife Colleen in a contest to be the Best Realtor®.
Plus, Colleen loves the 1965 Shelby Mustang!

Recycling | World Vision | Flipping Real Estate | Carrie Underwood | Lizzie Stanton | Olevia 747i LCD HDTV | Muhammad Ali | Best Real Estate Websites | Greatest Real Estate Agent In The World | Real Estate Closing | Hillary Duff | Shih Huang Ti | Ford Mustang | Herbert Hoover | Bible Study Fellowship | Aaliyah | How To Hire A Woman | Save The Children | Christmas Forums | Mike Huckabee | Buy Wii Online | Maria Sharapova | Weirdest Photo Ever | Acumen Fund | Evel Knievel | Mother Teresa | Squid Angel

Buy 1965 Shelby GT350 Poster