Introduction

Introduced in 1965, the Shelby GT350 was the high performance variant of the Ford Mustang. Built at the San José Ford assembly plant, the all white bodies were then transported to the Carroll Shelby at his operation at Los Angeles International Airport. All of the 562 cars made in that first year of production were painted Wimbledon White with Blue Shelby rocker stripes on the sides. All were fitted with the Windsor 289 cubic inch V8-engine and were fitted with a 4-speed Borg-Warner manual gearbox. The 1965 GT350 had a full size spare tire mounted in place of rear seats, making it a 2-seat-only vehicle (to be allowed to race under SCCA regulations as a “sports car”). Both the 1965 and 1966 cars are considered the smallest and lightest of the 350GT models and because of their rarity are sought after by collectors.

This 1965 Shelby GT350

This Shelby 350GT was used by Shelby American as a prototype for the 1966 GT350 according to the accompanying Shelby Registry report. It was delivered as a PR car in October 1965 to the well known US sportsman Les Richter (1930-2010). Having been a professional football player for 9 years starting in 1954, Les Richter became involved in auto racing and served as president and general manager of Riverside International Raceway from 1962 to 1983. In July 1966 the car was sold to Southeast Rambler of Huntington Park (CA) as a used vehicle with a 25% discount on the list price of $ 3,761.00 After several owners the car was finally restored to R-Model specs in 1988, the R-Model being the full racing version of the 350GT which dominated its class for 3 consecutive years in the SCCA. The Shelby then found its home in Holland in the late 80-ies where it was internationally raced extensively by a well known owner in classic racing circles. It competed in several Historic Grand Prix races at Zandvoort, Spa Summer Classics, Hockenheim Historic, Velodromloppet in Sweden and the Carrera Panamericana. In recent times the car was prepared for rallying and it competed successfully in the 2022 Targa Florio Classica. With almost 400 BHP on tap from the freshly rebuilt engine, this is a seriously fast car and it’s ready for a next custodian.

This 1965 Shelby 350GT is for sale. Please, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.