1966 SHELBY GT350 FASTBACK

Summary

Original red exterior with overrides, lowered A-arms, radio delete, stripe delete, Paxton SC, original Paxton gauge set and numbers matching T10 4-speed. Driven by Carroll Shelby.

Details

Original red, no stripe car with overrides, steel hood, optional Italian wood steering wheel and original date coded aluminum T10 4-speed. Also no radio as all cars prior to April has no radio. Lowered A-arms and Koni shocks. Numbers matching engine with VIN number. Invoiced to High Performance Motors in El Segundo, California, on January 18, 1966, which is Carroll Shelby's dealership. Extensive records of previous owners. The car was painted and restored in 1994. Ken Mann verified the numbers at that time. When Mann saw the car for the first time, he confirmed that it had the original set of Paxton gauges mounted under the dash and the Paxton head unit was in the trunk. Craig Connelly confirmed that the blue Paxtons are the 1965-early 1967 unit and that this car probably had one early in its life. Also in the trunk was an original 1965-style Shelby Cragar wheel with a Goodyear Blue Dot tire. The second owner, Connors, verified that the car had the Paxton installed and working, as well as a four Cragars on it and a Cragar spare in the trunk when he bought it in 1971. The Paxton and Cragar spare were still in the trunk in 1994. In 2002, SCAT (Shelby Cobra Auto Club of Texas) has a parade to celebrate 'Carroll Shelby Day' and Carroll Shelby himself drove this car to lead the parade. 'Mustang Monthly' covered the event and there is a photo of Carroll in the #745 in the July 2003 issue. John Ringstaff owned the car at that time and has provided many personal photos of the event showing Carroll driving it in the parade. The body of the #745 car is very straight, reflecting a past free of any accidents of damage. All of the panels are original except for valances. The front suspension was rebuilt in 2004. The car starts, runs and drives exceptionally well and pulls like a freight train with the Paxton back in place. All the engine components are original (i.e. valve covers, intake, oil pan, distributor and balancer.) The car is running an Autolite carburetor to accommodate the Paxton. Holley 715 LeMans is included. The interior is excellent as is the wood wheel. The 745 was treated to a bare metal re-spray in April 2007. The decision was made to re-apply the LeMans stripes to the car as they were in place when Mr. Shelby drove the car. It seems a fitting tribute. The 6S745 car has been re-shod with newly reproduced Shelby Cragar's sporting new Goodyear Blue Dots, just like she was back in the day. An original 1966 GT350 owner's manual has been located and will remain in the 6S745. The car currently stands as a living biography of her past, bringing elements of her former days into her historic presence of today. A 40-year-old red head with a hard body and a little attitude under the hood. Thank you, Mr. Shelby.