A Look At The 1967 and 1968 Shelby GT Mustangs
Let’s face it, some like their performance cars raw, some like them with a healthy dose of seasonings and side dishes. And sometimes a machine’s recipe evolves from one style to the other.
That was certainly the case with one of ex-racer Carroll Shelby’s most famous cars. For 1965, he began production of hopped-up Mustangs at his shop in California. For those first couple years, his ‘Stangs, called GT-350s, were barely-disguised competition tools.
With a road-racing suspension setup, high-strung small-block V8, and lack of a backseat on which to haul buddies, those original GT-350s weren’t a popular pick with the burger-joint crowd. And that was fine with Ford, at least at first — Shelby’s cooperation on the Mustang was initially sought to give competition credibility to Ford’s pioneering ponycar, which GT-350s did handily by winning sports-car races.
But starting with the ‘67 model year, Ford began expecting Shelby’s machines to speak to a more mainstream performance crowd — the typical muscle-car buyer. Signaling this shift toward street appeal over race-track prowess were mandatory power steering and power brakes, along with a number of optional comfort and convenience features, including air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, and tinted glass.And, perhaps most importantly, a backseat was now standard.
But despite the added weight of such amenities, Shelby’s machines hadn’t lost their bite. Although the base GT-350’s V8 was now somewhat tamer, that model for ‘67 was joined by the new GT- 500, powered by a torquey 428-cid big-block V8 rated at 360 hp.
For ‘68, the GT-500 packed an even bigger wallop, with the midyear introduction of the GT-500KR "King of the Road," which had a 428 that was some 40 hp stouter yet. Also that year, the Shelby Mustang’s fastback bodystyle was joined by a convertible, to further appeal to the boulevard cruising set.
Development and production of Shelbys continued along similar lines into the next generation of Mustangs, ending in 1970.
Today, muscle-car fans are divided on which of the Shelby Mustangs are the greatest — the almost race-ready early versions, or the punchier, plusher, more street-appropriate later ones. Regardless, any flavor of Shelby Mustang is counted among the great performance cars, a fact clearly reflected in the hefty prices these cars command nowadays.
Shelby Focuses on Super Snake GT500 and Terlingua Racing Team V6
After successfully finishing the 2009 Shelby GT500KR, Shelby Automobiles is reportedly turning its attention towards the Super Snake GT500 and Terlingua Racing Team V6 Ford Mustang.
2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 at the Upcoming Barrett Jackson
Read the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 at the Upcoming Barrett Jackson Auction blog post, comment and join the discussion in InternetAutoGuide’s auto blog.
Shelby GT500 Eleanor LHD photos
Check this out, super rare GT500, spotted this morning around the corner from my house, this thing is so HOT !! Great that he kept it LHD too! Worth alot of $$$
Car News: First 2010 Ford Shelby GT500
Ford Motor Company will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Mustang by auctioning the first retail 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 and a pair of Mustang GT concept cars during the 7th Annual Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Collector Car Auction
THE VARIANTS : CLASSIC SHELBY 1966 GT350
1966 Shelby GT350 66 Shelby GT350. The 1966 Shelby underwent some minor changes. Most of these changes were because Ford decided that they wanted to make a profit on the cars.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (1965)
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (1965) Wallpapers| 1600×1200|
1969 Shelby GT350 Fastback
Chassis No. 9F02M482086 Beginning with the 1965 GT350, which was essentially a street-legal racecar, Shelby’s cars offered buyers a unique identity, combined with a healthy dose of horsepower.
Author: David Bellm
For more articles on muscle cars and vintage sports cars, along with drive-test articles on today’s hottest performance cars, go to http://www.autiv.com/
David Bellm is a seasoned test driver and automotive historian. His work has been featured in a wide variety of online and print publications
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Tags: 1967 gt500, 1968 shelby gt 500, gt 500 kr, shelby gt350, shelby mustangs
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