Fantasy Junction

Description

1965 Ford Mustang Fastback GT350 Clone
s/n 5R09A168087
Wimbledon White with Blue Le Mans Stripes and Blue Interior

When Ford wanted a genuinely high performance race-ready variant of the already wildly successful Mustang, they knew who to ask. Carroll Shelby had already fashioned a name for himself in the motoring world with the outrageous and legendary Cobra, and by winning some sort of 24-hour race in France driving some foreign car called and Aston Martin. Shelby arranged with Ford’s San Jose, California plant to make nothing but partially complete white on black Mustang fastbacks with high performance 289 cid V8s and 4-speeds for two days straight, and then had the cars trucked to Shelby-American’s Los Angeles plant. Once there, the cars were fitted with special cams, larger intake manifolds and carburetors, tubular headers, and finned and baffled high capacity oil pans. Heavy duty brakes were fitted, along with a limited slip differential and shock tower brace, and the suspension substantially modified (including the fitment of larger front sway bar and Koni shocks). Numerous other modifications were performed, including the relocation of the battery into the trunk and the deletion of the +2 rear seats.

First generation Mustangs were instantly successful in competition. Whether it was in the Tour de France, drag racing, SCCA, or Trans-Am, the cars scored considerable victories from the outset. At the hands of Jerry Titus, Bob Johnson, and Mark Donohue, GT 350’s won the SCCA B-Production Championship in 1965, 1966, and 1967, and Trans-Am in 1966 and 1967.

With such illustrious pedigree, it’s no surprise that 1965 GT350s are worth over $200,000, and therefore, replicas built on genuine Fastback Mustang bases are a popular way to enjoy the legendary Shelby experience at considerably lower cost. This particular car was built with this ethos, and is based on an original 1965 A-Code (289cid 4V) 4-speed facback that was built at the San Jose, California plant, just like the original 1965 Shelby GT350s. While not a perfect facsimile of a 1965 GT350, this car does have a number of authentic touches that recall the original 1965 GT350, including 350R front end, honeycomb grille, correct badging and fuel cap, wood-rimmed steering wheel, pod style tachometer housing (unique to the 1965 GT350), more substantial strut tower brace, deleted rear seats, and battery relocated to the trunk.

The car has been fitted with a host of competition-minded upgrades, including a 302 cid engine built by Ford Performance, which is reported to make 480hp. The engine has an oversize deep aluminum sump pan, high capacity Griffin aluminum radiator, as well as MSD ignition with adjustable rev limited. The exhaust system has an electrically actuated butterfly valve to run the car through the standard exhaust system with mufflers, or through the side exit straight pipes. The transmission is a 5-speed unit with Hurst shifter and linkage, and the car has aluminum flywheel and heavy duty Centerforce clutch actuated by JMC Motorsports hydraulic throw out conversion. The rear axle is a 3.70 ratio with remote oil sump in the trunk. The suspension employs adjustable Spax shock absorbers and heavy duty front sway bar. The tie rod ends and control arms are also upgraded. The front brakes are Wilwood discs with cooling ducts and the master cylinder is a Wilwood item.

The car is cosmetically attractive and purposeful with its Torq Thrust wheels and 350R front end. The car is in great driver condition with a great body and nice paintwork that was done to standards in keeping with the car’s dual . The body has great gaps and is solid throughout, with no corrosion in evidence. The paintwork is glossy and in good overall condition, having been done to standards consistent with the car’s dual purpose street and track use. There are a few chips and small blemishes around the car. The chrome is very good to excellent, with light pitting in a few places such as the passenger’s door handle. The bumper is excellent and the window trims are very nice, with just the typical light scratches. The glass and lights are very good throughout and the car is equipped with H4 headlamps.

The interior is very nice and continues the competition aesthetic with drilled alloy pedals, roll bar, and competition type bucket seats with harnesses. The car has a full host of instruments all of which are the circular CS type. Carpets are of the original type and are in the original interior color of this car, and appear to be original. They are in very good shape considering this. The dashboard and door panels are excellent and original, other than the pod type gauge cluster as would have appeared on original 1965 GT350s. The headliner is in excellent shape, and even the sill plates were replaced with Shelby American ones as part of the conversion to GT350 spec. The car comes with rear parcel shelf with speakers installed, as well as an extra hood.

The engine compartment is very clean and impressive throughout. The motor has the Shelby type Cobra valve covers and a host of safety and performance upgrades from K&N air filter to braided stainless lines throughout. The trunk retains its period plaid liner and has a competition-minded functional aesthetic with its remote reservoir for the rear end and battery tray.

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a GT350 clone that has been upgraded with competition in mind. Highly evocative and thoroughly prepared at a cost of over $75,000, this car has outstanding performance while preserving the ethos of the original GT350. While street legal, the car provides a suitably raw experience and is ideal for an owner seeking to spend some time on the race track.

The above vehicle information is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time it is posted to this website. Corrections or additional information is always appreciated. All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emission testing charge. Vehicles are subject to prior sale. All advertised to be true but not guaranteed. We assume no liability for errors or omissions.

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Fantasy Junction  •  510-653-7555  •  1145 Park Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608