1967 Shelby GT350 Fastback, Genuine, Documented 1 of 343 built

1967 Shelby GT350 Fastback

VIN: 02126

A Brief History:

The first ever Mustangs were released by Ford on April 17, 1964. Ford anticipated selling around 100,000 models that year, but wound up selling over 400,000 combined coupes, convertibles, and fastbacks. Despite the car’s apparent popularity, most gearheads were unimpressed. Even though Ford had worked hard to disassociate the Mustang with the Ford Falcon, most buyers realized that the Mustang body was placed on top of a Falcon suspension and chassis. Without the promised performance, the Mustang was becoming a “secretary’s car,” something bought to look sporty but not actually driven in a sporty fashion. Following the release of what was deemed the first ever muscle car, the Pontiac GTO, the Mustang was fast losing popularity.

In desperate need of help, Ford paired up with Carroll Shelby, a well-respected and decorated race car driver through the 1950s. Shelby wanted nothing more than to build his own race cars, and had reached out to several manufacturers about using their V8 engines in a car of his own making. He was rejected by both Chevrolet and Austin-Healey, as they were afraid his creation would defeat their models in the races, which it eventually did. Ford, on the other hand, saw an excellent opportunity to team up with one of the most brilliant minds in the racing industry and immediately sent two 221cid V8s to his facility in California.

Shelby had already arranged to use chassis from a place called AC Car Company in England, so he sent the Ford engines to his facility to be bored out to 260cid and fitted to the chassis. The first test car, the CSX-2000, was sent back to California and immediately thrown into street races. It was virtually unbeatable, and later christened the Shelby Cobra, the pride of the Shelby Racing Program. To repay the favor to Ford, Shelby agreed to take on the task of making the Mustang fit to race in the 1965 SCCA season, and dramatically overhaul the Mustang’s public image.

After speaking with the director of the SCCA, Shelby determined the areas in which the Mustang needed modifications to qualify for the 1965 season. He successfully removed the back seats, increased the horsepower to 300, and upgraded the suspensions on 100 Mustangs, all within the window of just five months, and just in the nick of time for the January 1, 1965 judgement day. The result of his effort, the Shelby Mustang GT350, was so wildly popular amongst muscle car enthusiasts that Ford immediately put an order in to have them mass produced for the public. For the 1967 model year only 1,175 GT350s were produced, including VIN 02126.

The Automobile Offered:

Over the years, the Shelby moniker has become widely recognized as one of the most important muscle car manufacturers of the 1960s. The GT350, with its low production numbers and unparalleled SCCA success, is one of the most sought after collector cars in the industry.

This particular GT350 was built in the San Jose production facility for Collingwood Motor Sales Inc in Findlay, Ohio. It was released on April 26, 1967, with a 289cid Hi-Performance engine, a C-4 automatic transmission, black leather interior, and Lime Gold paint. Its engine is identified with the proper 289cid code of C5AE-6015E and the casting date of 7D4, both sequentially correct for a match. It underwent a rotisserie restoration by its previous owner and was finished about eight years ago in the classic Wimbledon White scheme. It maintains its original drivetrain and equipment options, including a shoulder harness, the extra cooling package, the courtesy light group, the sport deck rear seat, power disc brakes, power steering, interior decor, a heavy duty battery, and the tachometer and trip odometer. The original Holley carburetor is included with the sale but it not currently installed. A later model Holley currently sits atop the factory intake manifold. Only 343 examples were produced with the equipment and configuration of this car, making it extremely rare.

Its ownership has consisted of just 2 people for the past 40 years or so, and has had just one owner since 1989, until his passing in 2016. The car is also accompanied by a copy of the original production order, the two previous owners’ information, a copy of the 1989 title, and a Marti Report Elite, dated in 2016. It is a stunning, well-equipped example of an American classic.

Please ask any questions you have prior to bidding. I encourage you to inspect the car in person and willgladly arrange time toaccommodate your schedule. I can also provide you with a live, Skype, video tour of the car in addition to being available to discuss the car by phone at 810-869-4800. The car is being sold "as is, where is", and without warranty of any kind other that clear title. I am a licensed Michigan dealer and will be happy to assist you in any way I can. Thanks for looking and Happy Motoring!!!