SHELBY
SHELBY
CARROLL SHELBY
Army Air Force pilot. Chicken farmer. Race car driver. Car builder. Le Mans champion. Big-game hunter. Car builder again. Over his eighty-nine years, Carroll Shelby lived a full and exciting life. He rubbed shoulders with celebrities, courted beautiful women, and traveled the world. For Carroll Shelby, the Mustang was a small slice of a life well lived. But for Mustang, Shelby was a major contributor to its performance legacy.
Shelby’s name is widely recognized for Ford race cars, Cobra sports cars, and fast Mustangs. But before that, in the 1950s, he was a successful race car driver, competing internationally for sports car manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, and Maserati. Sports Illustrated named Shelby its Driver of the Year in 1956 and 1957. He then capped his driving career by winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, after the 1960 season, the 37-year-old Shelby retired from driving due to a heart ailment.
Shelby then turned his attention from driving cars to building them, running full throttle with an idea to power a European sports car with a small American V-8. Through his contacts, Shelby learned two timely and important facts: England’s AC Ace was losing its engine supplier and Ford was introducing a compact and lightweight small-block V-8. By the end of 1962, Shelby was building, selling, and racing the Ford-powered Cobra, which added the sports car piece to Ford’s Total Performance puzzle. Shelby American quickly became Ford’s go-to company for road racing.
In 1964, when Ford’s Lee Iacocca wanted to project more of a performance image for the Mustang, he called Shelby. Although busy with Cobra and racing projects, Shelby accepted the challenge, one that would forever link the Shelby name to the Mustang’s legacy. Shelby GT350s were built from 1965—with GT500s added in 1967—until Shelby himself pulled the plug in 1969. He would return to Ford in 2005 to start a new era of Shelby Mustang performance.
SHELBY
GT350
Conferring with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Carroll Shelby discovered that he could transform the Mustang into the SCCA’s definition of a sports car by removing the rear seat, effectively making it a two-seater. Starting with Wimbledon White 1965 fastbacks equipped with the 289 High Performance engine, Shelby American replaced the rear seat with a fiberglass panel, then enhanced the performance with suspension upgrades and engine modifications, taking horsepower from 271 to 306. Loud side exhaust was part of the fun, and the optional over-the-top Guardsman Blue “Le Mans” stripes would become a Shelby staple for years to come. Only 562 GT350s were produced for 1965, including thirty-three Competition versions, also known as “R-Models,” that would help Shelby American win the SCCA B-Production championship.
Looking to increase sales, Shelby American tamed the 1966 GT350 by eliminating the side exhaust and locking rear end, retaining the back seat, and offering more exterior colors and an automatic transmission. Side brake cooling scoops and plexiglass windows in place of the fastback’s C-pillar vents helped differentiate the Shelby from the standard Mustang. Bolstered by Hertz Rent a Car’s order for one thousand GT350H models, second-year Shelby sales jumped to 2,378.
Restyled on the larger 1967 Mustang, the revamped GT350 looked more like a Shelby and less like a Mustang with more extensive use of body fiberglass, grille-mounted high-beam headlights, and wide Cougar taillights. A big-block GT500 joined the GT350, which continued with the Cobra version of the 289 High Performance. For 1968, the Shelby transitioned from all-out performance to more “Road Car” luxury with a plush interior and power from a smooth 302-cubic-inch small-block rated at 250 horsepower.
For 1969, the Shelby once again adapted to the Mustang’s new styling, this time with even more fiberglass for a totally unique and fresh look. The GT350 was powered by the 290-horsepower 351-cubic-inch Windsor small-block.
SHELBY
GT350 HERTZ
The 1966 GT350 got a boost, both in sales and in promotion, when Hertz ordered Shelby Mustangs for its Hertz Sports Car Club, which had rented out Corvettes and other two-seaters before switching from GM to Ford in 1965. Shelby American sales manager Peyton Cramer approached Hertz with the idea of a GT350H, thinking it might result in a few extra sales. Building the prototype in black and gold, the Hertz corporate colors, didn’t hurt the sales pitch. Hertz initially implied it would order five hundred to seven hundred cars. Eventually, it would take delivery of one thousand.
Prequalified Hertz Sports Car Club members could rent a Shelby GT350H for $13 a day and 13 cents a mile. Renters spent the weekend with a Mustang thrill ride that included the usual GT350 performance amenities—a 306-horsepower 289 Cobra engine, adjustable Gabriel shocks, a fiberglass hood with scoop, a dash-mounted tachometer, competition seat belts, 14-inch Magnum 500 wheels, metallic brake pads and shoes, and rear quarter windows. Most were equipped with an automatic transmission. To warn renters about the brake feel, especially when cold, a small decal was placed on the instrument panel: “This vehicle is equipped with competition brakes. Heavier than normal brake pedal pressure may be required.” Shelby American worked with Hertz to solve the brake feel complaints, adding a power booster to some cars and later replacing the hard racing pads with softer versions.
The Hertz Shelby GT350s are generally recognized by their black-and-gold paint scheme. However, approximately two hundred were built in red, green, white, and blue, all with gold stripes.
After approximately a year in the Hertz rental fleet, the Shelby GT350H Mustangs were returned to Shelby dealers, reconditioned, and sold as used cars. Due to their interesting history, the Hertz Shelbys are among today’s most desirable collector cars.
SHELBY
GT500
The availability of the 390 engine in the 1967 Mustang presented Shelby American with the opportunity to offer a big-block version of its Shelby Mustang. While the GT350 continued with the “Cobra” 289 High Performance, the new GT500 took a step in the muscle car direction by replacing the Mustang’s 390 with a 428 Police Interceptor—but not just any 428 PI. The Shelby version was topped by an aluminum medium-riser intake with a pair of 600-cfm Holley four-barrels, making an impressive sight under the fiberglass hood along with the oval finned aluminum air cleaner and tall “Cobra Le Mans” valve covers. Horsepower was rated at 355. Both four-speed and automatic were available, as was air conditioning for the first time in a Shelby.
For 1968, the mildly restyled GT500 lost its dual-quad induction, replaced by a single four-barrel version that was strangely rated at 5 more horsepower than the previous year’s twin Holley engine. Like the GT350, the 1968 GT500 was available as a convertible for the first time and included a unique roll bar. In April 1968, the 428 PI was replaced by Ford’s new 428 Cobra Jet, resulting in the GT500KR name.
The 428 Cobra Jet continued as the standard powerplant for the 1969 Shelby GT500, which was available in both SportsRoof and convertible. As an R-code CJ, the single Holley carburetor drew cooler outside air from the center hood duct, while the other four openings contributed to lower underhood temperatures. When ordered with the optional Drag Pack, the GT500 came with 3.91 or 4.30 gears, and the 428 was upgraded to Super Cobra Jet status with an oil cooler and strengthened bottom end.
SHELBY
GT500 SUPER SNAKE
When Goodyear requested a 1967 Shelby GT500 for a high-speed tire test, Carroll Shelby asked his chief engineer, Fred Goodell, to prepare a special test vehicle. Choosing a white production GT500, Goodell instructed Shelby American technicians to prepare and install a medium-riser 427 with aluminum heads, a solid-lifter cam, a 780-cfm Holley four-barrel, GT40-style headers, and an oil cooler. A four-speed and Detroit Locker 4.11 rear axle completed the package. To differentiate the specially prepared Shelby, the Guardsman Blue Le Mans stripes had a triple narrow-wide-narrow pattern instead of the usual dual stripes.
The unique 427-powered Shelby Mustang would become known as the GT500 Super Snake.
For the tire test, the Super Snake was delivered to Goodyear’s 5-mile oval test track in San Angelo, Texas, and shod with Goodyear’s new Thunderbolt tires. With both Time and Life magazines covering the event, Carroll Shelby showed up to take journalists on rides topping 150 miles per hour. Later, Fred Goodell established a new record by averaging 142 miles per hour for 500 miles.
Record set and purpose over, the GT500 Super Snake was shipped back to Shelby American and offered for sale to Shelby dealers. However, the 427-powered Shelby Mustang sparked an idea in Don McCain, a former Shelby American western sales representative who had gone to work as performance sales manager at Mel Burns Ford. McCain wanted to market a special 427 Super Snake GT500, similar to the 427-powered Camaros offered by the Yenko and Nickey Chevrolet dealerships. McCain proposed building fifty Super Snakes, but the idea hit a roadblock when he realized that the costs of the 427 would send the sticker price soaring to over $7,500.
Although Shelby American built two other 427-powered 1967 GT500s, the Goodyear test car would go down in Shelby history as the only 1967 GT500 Super Snake.
SHELBY
GT500KR
In April 1968, the Mustang’s new 428 Cobra Jet big-block replaced the GT500’s 428 Police Interceptor. To differentiate the updated CJ-powered cars from the earlier models, “KR” was added to the GT500’s side stripes for “King of the Road.”
Carroll Shelby came up with the name. He told the story many times, including this version: “Lee Iacocca had an assistant named Hank Carlini. And Hank was kind of the spy who kept on what Chrysler and General Motors were doing. And he said, ‘Did you know that Corvette is coming out with a King of the Road? They’re fixed to announce it in two weeks and here’s the brochure.’ So I called my trade-dress lawyer in Washington—it was about three o’clock in the afternoon—and said, ‘I want to know if King of the Road has been copyrighted.’ He said he’d find out in the morning. I said, ‘I’ll have another trade-dress lawyer by the morning. I want to know now.’ He called me back in about an hour and said it wasn’t taken. I said, ‘You better be there in the morning to take it.’ He did. I called 3M to make the decals with GT500KR.”
In addition to the 428 Cobra Jet engine, the GT500KRs were updated with braced shock towers. They were available as automatic or four-speed, with manual transmission cars also equipped with staggered rear shocks to dampen wheel hop during hard acceleration.
Today, the Shelby GT500KR fastbacks and convertibles are highly prized by collectors. Restored and survivor models command well over six-figure sale prices, placing them among the most valuable of all Shelby Mustangs.
In 2008–09, Shelby American revived the GT500KR name for a 540-horsepower Shelby Mustang that was sold through Ford dealerships.
SHELBY
MODERN GT500
Three decades after Carroll Shelby dismantled his Shelby Mustang program in 1969, the rumor was intriguing: Carroll was once again roaming the halls at Ford Motor Company. In 2005, the gossip was confirmed when Shelby appeared onstage at the New York International Auto Show to introduce the 2007 Shelby GT500.
Based on the S197 Mustang with its retro styling, the modern GT500 was actually the latest iteration of the SVT Cobra, rebranded as a Shelby to rekindle the legacy of the top performance Mustang from the 1960s. Only it was better than the 1960s. SVT touted the 2007 Shelby GT500 as “the most powerful factory-produced Mustang ever” thanks to a Roots-style supercharger atop a thirty-two-valve 5.4-liter engine. The 500 horsepower added true meaning to the GT500 name. SVT engineers also enhanced the new Shelby with a six-speed transmission, a race-tuned suspension, and Brembo brakes. Externally, the GT500 combined styling cues from both SVT and Shelby, including an aggressive front end that mimicked the 1968 Shelby.
For 2010, SVT updated the GT500’s styling and increased horsepower to 540. But they saved the best for last. While the 2013–14 Shelby didn’t look much different from the previous 2010–12 models, it was what you couldn’t see that made the latest GT500 the most impressive production Mustang ever. Under the hood, the 5.4 was replaced by a 5.8-liter topped by a higher capacity supercharger for 14 pounds of boost. At the time, the 2013–14 GT500’s 662 horsepower made it the most powerful production V-8 in the world. With 3.31 gearing, the GT500 also avoided the gas guzzler tax with fuel ratings of 15 miles per gallon city and 25 miles per gallon highway.
SHELBY
MODERN GT350
Speculation ran rampant when Ford introduced the all-new 2015 Mustang without an SVT variant. Would the Shelby return later as an even more powerful GT500? Or would SVT debut something totally different?
The answer came in December 2014 at Carroll Shelby’s warehouse and office facility in Gardena, California. “Here we are in Carroll’s house,” said Ford Executive Vice President Jim Farley as he introduced the white-with-blue-stripes 2016 Shelby GT350.
Taking a name from Shelby’s past and breaking from the previous GT500’s supercharged reputation as a high-horsepower road car, the modern GT350 was developed as the most technologically advanced Mustang ever offered and, per the press release, was “capable of tackling the world’s most challenging roads and race tracks.” To that end, the 2016 Shelby GT350 was powered by an all-new 5.2-liter V-8 with a flat-plane crankshaft, as used in racing exotics such as the Ferrari 458, Porsche 918 Spyder, and McLaren P1. Combined with cylinder head and valvetrain improvements, the new engine redlined at 8,200 rpm. It was rated at 526 horsepower to go down in history as the most powerful naturally aspirated Ford ever offered to the public.
With handling already advanced thanks to the S550 Mustang’s independent rear suspension, the GT350 took another step forward with the first-ever use of MagneRide dampers, which utilized wheel-positioning sensors to change stiffness and dampening characteristics within milliseconds. The package also included Brembo brakes and 19-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. A wider front track mandated reshaped front fenders, which incorporated vents to draw out turbulent wheelwell air. To increase downforce at speed, the GT350’s front bodywork was 2 inches lower than the regular Mustang GT.
As expected, the 2016 Shelby GT350 was popular with Mustang and track-day enthusiasts. It continued into the 2017 model year.
GLOSSARY: SHELBY
Eleanor: A Shelby-look 1967 Mustang fastback created for the 2001 movie Gone in 60 Seconds.
GT350: The original Shelby Mustang, powered by small-block 289, 302, or 351 engines from 1965 to 1970. It returned in 2015 as SVT’s track version of the Mustang.
Gas guzzler: A vehicle that is perceived to use a lot of fuel and a description that came into common use when Congress established a Gas Guzzler Tax in 1978 to discourage fuel-inefficient cars.
GT500: A Shelby Mustang produced from 1967 to 1970 with 428 big-block power, then returning from 2007 to 2014 as a high-performance model from Ford SVT.
KR: King of the Road, a name originally slated for a performance Chevrolet but copyrighted first by Carroll Shelby for the Cobra Jet–powered 1968 GT500KR. It returned in 2008–09 as a more powerful version of SVT’s GT500.
MagneRide: An adaptive automotive suspension, as used on the 2015 to 2018 Shelby GT350, that utilizes magnetically controlled dampers to immediately change suspension settings based on input from steering, acceleration, and other factors.
Plexiglass: A transparent plastic material used as a lighter-weight alternative for glass. Used for the unique rear quarter windows in the 1966 Shelby GT350s.
Rent-a-racer: The Shelby Mustangs produced for and rented out by Hertz Corporation in 1966, 2006, and 2016.
R-Model: An unofficial name coined by enthusiasts for the 1965 GT350 competition model.
Road car: A marketing description for the 1968 Shelby Mustang to support its new appeal as a high-end sports car with luxury, as opposed to the “boy racer” image of the earlier Shelbys.
SCCA: The Sports Car Club of America, a race sanctioning body formed in 1944 that supports road racing and autocross. Over the years, Mustang succeeded in its B-Production and Trans-Am classes.
Super Snake: A special 1967 GT500 powered by a 427 and built as a high-speed vehicle for a Goodyear tire test. A proposal to make it a unique model was turned down when the retail cost was deemed too high.