Fantasy Junction

Description

This car is currently not at Fantasy Junction but can be viewed by appointment

1966 Shelby American GT350
s/n SFM 6S342
White with Black Interior

Nothing says American performance like Carroll Shelby. With his legendary Cobra, LeMans winning bravado, and Texas homespun charm, Ford knew they could count on ol’ Shel to deliver a genuinely high performance race ready variant of the already successful Mustang. The production GT350 was fast, loud and exhilarating to drive, a uniquely brawny American GT that was a match for almost any other machine on the road. But the production GT350 was a carefully planned compromise, a streetable allowance toward the car Shelby intended to race – the GT350R, the “R” signifying its racing specification.

The production GT350 suspension, steering and brakes were already outfitted for SCCA competition, but the R-model’s K-code 289 powerplant needed work. R-model engines were built to order, using blueprinting, heads ported and polished by Valley Head Service, Tri-Y headers by Cyclone, a center-pivot-float Holley 715 CFM carburetor on a Cobra intake and flow-through side-exit exhaust. Outputs ranged from 325 to 360 horsepower on the Shelby dynamometer. Differential and engine oil coolers were added, the latter necessitating the distinctive fiberglass front valence that distinguished the R-model. Plexiglas replaced the R-model’s side and back windows, the fenders were flared to accommodate wider Goodyear racing tires; a four-point roll bar was welded in and a quick-fill 37-gallon fuel tank was installed in the trunk. The GT350R was the full realization of Shelby’s plan for a racing Mustang, and it immediately dominated SCCA B-Production racing.

The GT350R instantly became the template for racers hoping to emulate Shelby’s winning formula but unable to buy one of the 34 built by Shelby American. In 1966 Shelby knocked some of the rough edges off the production GT350, requiring more work to convert the street version to so-called “R spec” configuration. Still, independent competition GT350s proliferated, a few even springing up across the ocean in Britain and Europe. One of the most interesting of these is our featured offering, a 1966 GT350 owned and raced by Swiss ace driver Herbert Müller from 1966 through the early 1970s. This GT-350 started life as a European export model shipped to Ford Advanced Vehicles in Slough, England. Once in the UK it was modified with R-Model type racing equipment including a roll bar, oil cooler, 37-gallon fuel tank, fiberglass front valence, and American Racing Torque Thrust “D” alloy wheels. The icing on the cake however was the amazing engine; aWeber-inducted GT40 engine built by Holman-Moody.

The cherubic, friendly Müller was the kind of fearless racer to whom the GT350 had instant appeal. Müller had become one of the most experienced and accomplished drivers in the world of sports and prototype racing by the time of his tragic death at the 1981 Nurburgring. He began his career in 1959 racing motorcycles and advancing to European hill climbs. Driving a series of Porsche GT racers, he became especially successful in the FIA European Hill climb Championship, winning the GT Championship in 1963. While his speed and grace behind the wheel was opening doors into international GT and endurance racing with Porsche, Ferrari and Ford, Müller also kept his hand in hill climbing, often taking his son to weekend events in his 1966 GT350.

After his passing, Müller’s personal car collection sat dormant until 1985, when Ron Randolph, a civil engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers in Frankfurt and an accomplished restorer of vintage sports cars, learned of the Müller GT350 through exotic car dealer Auto Exclusive of Zurich, Switzerland, whom Müller’s son had asked to broker its sale. First Randolph had to convince the young man that he would properly care for the car. Randolph later recounted the occasion: “When I told him I planned to restore it completely, take good care of it and race it in historic events in Europe, he thought it over, then reluctantly decided to sell it. He had an attachment to the car because his father took him to races in it, and then raced it, and then they would return home in it. Those were the days when you could drive your racecar to the track. So the car was part of the family. But Müller’s son obviously liked the idea of the car returning to racing instead of sitting around in the garage.”

After years of storage the car remained solid but needed to be completely rebuilt, a task that took Randolph and his friend Rich Bard over 600 hours to complete. They stripped it down to bare metal, repainting it in the original Wimbledon White with Guards Blue stripes before rebuilding the entire car. Randolph: “We worked in the (USAFB) Rheine-Main Auto Craft Shop right from the beginning, where we disassembled most of the car, went down to bare metal on the underbody, stripped off all the old paint – everything. I rebuilt the engine, reworked the body where necessary, along with the suspension, brakes and everything else. We also sanded the body down for painting; it’s a complete restoration job.”

Randolph completed the car in time for the August 1986 Nurburgring Historic race. Electrical gremlins kept it from lapping the storied German circuit on that first outing, but Randolph subsequently raced the car regularly before displaying it at the Nurburgring Race Car Museum and then lending it to Peter Kaus’ famous Rosso Bianco Collection in Aschaffenburg, Germany, in 1988. It remained there for 18 years before Randolph once again assumed its care and maintenance.

Shelby serial number SFM6S342, the Müller GT350 remains configured as it was when delivered by Ford Advanced Vehicles, retaining the Holman-Moody-built GT40 engine. It is best described as having an honest, top-tier driver presentation inside and out, and is in outstanding mechanical order. Serial number SFM6S342 is officially listed as an Independent GT350 Racer in the Shelby Registry and is offered with extensive supporting documentation, including contemporary news articles, a copy of the invoice from Shelby American to Ford Advanced Vehicles and a copy of the letter from Auto Exclusive to Ron Randolph confirming the Müller estate’s interest in selling the car.

Recent mechanical work has been performed with all parts sources from Cobra Automotive, including new fuel lines with 4 banjos replaced, driver’s seat replaced (former one retained and included with the spares), front brake calipers rebuilt with new wheel cylinders using Porterfield rear shoes and front pads (former pads in spares), engine mounts replaced, new Tru-Trac posi-differential with new ring and pinion, axle bearings replaced with new seals, and new Optima battery. A nut and bolt “Race Prep” has been done on the car and all systems are operating as expected.

Today SFM6S342 remains as one of the most thoughtfully prepared Shelby Mustangs outfitted with R type features and documented period racing history. Cosmetic condition is very nice overall with suitable racing patina echoing use and preservation consistent with dedicated enthusiast ownership. Paint remains very nice overall with some chips due to road use and good chrome overall. Care has been given to retain proper engine fittings and finishes without compromising use. Interior is in excellent condition, featuring Carroll Shelby glovebox signature, fire extinguisher, and rear seat delete panels. Undercarriage is in very nice condition overall with most finishes as originally specified from the factory, allowing some concessions for modern safety and improved use.

SFM6S342 is offered with a massive documentation binder outlining Müller’s racing exploits (mainly in Porsches), photos of the body restoration process showing excellent structural integrity, documentation from Auto Exclusive in Switzerland regarding the sale in 1985 to Ron Randolph, and newspaper articles outlining the car’s history with Randolph and before. It is also offered with a second set of wheels, and an extra engine block and single head, among other minor yet helpful spares.

With its unique racing history, European and American provenance, and highly desirable Holman-Moody built GT40 engine, this Independent Competition GT350 remains a refined and capable example of Carroll Shelby’s vision for building a competitive American performance car. It is eligible for many prestigious events around the globe, and with its interesting early competition history, will surely enjoy heightened acceptability over standard converted street GT350s.

Pricing flexibility exists for offers with a close prior to or during December of 2016.

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