The Ford Mustang, which debuted in April 1964 as a pony car with average power based on the Falcon, swiftly evolved into a full-fledged muscle car. And Carroll Shelby, who unveiled the GT350 in 1965, is entirely to credit.
A 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) mill of the Windsor variety, the K-Code already delivered a solid 271 horsepower in the range-topping Mustang. But that wasn’t enough for Carroll Shelby, who fitted the V8 with a four-barrel Holley 725 CFM carburetor, a high-riser intake manifold, and new headers.
The upgrades increased output to 306 horsepower, about 13% percent more than the regular K-Code Mustang.
The GT350 remained in production all the way until 1969, when Ford and Carroll Shelby parted ways. All versions are considered rare and desirable nowadays, but the first-year GT350 is by far the scarcest. That’s because Shelby put together only 562 cars. And not all of them were street-spec models.
As a result, buying a 1965 GT350 is a difficult and expensive t ask nowadays. Not only that, but these cars are also hard to spot in the metal since not too many of them are being paraded at local car shows. Not surprisingly, some enthusiasts who can’t afford to park a 1965 GT350 in front of their houses have created their own replicas based on first-gen Mustangs.
What’s wrong with it? Well, while Shelby offered various colors for the 1966 model year, the 1965 GT350 was restricted to just one hue, Wimbledon White. The options list also included Guardsman Blue stripes, but that was it in terms of color combos.
Now picture the scenario in which Shelby built a unique 1965 GT350 in dark blue and with white stripes. It would probably be worth millions nowadays, right?
Well, this Shelby is definitely a replica and no Shelby left the factory in blue for the 1965 model year, but it’s an interesting thought. Especially since this pony car comes with almost all of the cool Shelby goodies, including the rocker panel stripes with “G.T.350” letting, the Shelby badges, the hood pins, and the louvered quarter windows.
That’s far from impressive by modern standards, but it’s notably more than the stock Shelby GT350. More importantly, this engine sounds fantastic when the pedal hits the floor. Check it out in the video below.
