Sold for $572,000
443 bhp, 289 cu. in. supercharged V-8 engine,
four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with
unequal length A-arms, coil springs, and a stabilizer bar, live rear
axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and hydraulic front disc and rear
drum brakes. Wheelbase: 108 in.
One of two 1965 Paxton-supercharged
prototypes
Factory-installed Shelby-Cragar mag wheels
Highly original, including its original
engine
SAAC-documented ownership history
Featured in numerous books and magazines
Used as a factory demonstrator
When Ford executive Lee Iacocca asked Carroll
Shelby, in Shelby’s words, to “turn a mule into a race horse,” a real
race horse this Mustang would become! It was relatively straightforward,
but spot-on modifications, upgrades, and component deletions made the
289 “Hi Po”-equipped Mustang 2+2 Fastback into Carroll’s own particular
brand of “sports car.” Shelby American built just 562 of those rough and
ready ’65s, which were universally considered the “best of the real
Shelby Mustangs.” They were not only the first iteration, but they were
also the most clear and committed example of Shelby’s original sporting
vision for the car.
Most of the
production 1965 Shelby GT350s are fundamentally the same. Some of the
production cars were delivered with the rare and valuable Shelby-Cragar
five-spoke mag wheels, while others had hubcapless steel wheels. Most of
the cars wore stripes on the hood and rear deck, while all had manual
transmissions and naturally aspired, 306-horsepower, 289-cubic inch
V-8s, except for a few. |