One to Buy: Dealer Drag Unit 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350
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In addition to the GT40 and Cobra programmes, Ford commissioned Shelby to create an uprated Mustang to compete in the SCCA B-Production Championship.
The resultant Shelby GT350 was an extensively modified iteration of the massively successful Mustang; every aspect of the base car came in for serious attention.
Thanks to various weight-saving measures, the GT350 tipped the scales at 102kg less than a regular V8-engined Mustang. Performance was further improved thanks to an array of chassis modifications and a tuned 306bhp motor.
Although only 100 examples of the GT350 had to be completed for homologation, demand proved sufficient that over 500 of these 1965 model year GT350s were completed.
33 were to GT350-R competition trim and another four were Drag Unit derivatives.
In addition to the four factory built Drag Unit cars, a further nine dealer delivered GT350s were prepared for drag use, one of which is currently on offer at the Classic Throttle Shop showroom in North Sydney.
Raced by Mike Gray between 1965 and ‘67, chassis 227 was crowned 1966 National Drag Champion of Canada, held records at six venues across North America and was featured in the December edition of that year’s Hot Rod magazine.
Presented in spectacular condition following a ground up restoration to its original specification by Cobra Automotive in 2012, chassis 227 would make a fantastic focal point to any collection of Fords or vintage muscle cars.
