1965 Shelby GT350 R – Today’s classic racer Tempter

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 05.05.2017

Faithful recreation of one of Carroll’s best

Arguably the greatest racing Mustang of all time, the GT350 R was and is still an amazing car. Shortly after the Mustang’s debut in 1964, Ford got in touch with the godfather of American muscle, Carroll Shelby, and commissioned him to create a performance-oriented version of the Mustang.

Shelby came up with two models; The GT350 which was designed to be a high performance road-going version of the ’Stang, and the GT350 R, a stripped out racing version of the pony car, specifically designed for the track.

What was so unique about the R is that it was the first time an American car manufacturer had offered a purpose-built, strictly-for-track version of a road car that was SCCA B/Production compliant.   

In addition, the GT350 Rs had some pretty good results when they hit the track;

"They were immediately successful in achieving their intended purpose, dominating SCCA B/Production racing in their first season and nearly obliterating other marques and models from the annual SCCA runoffs, then known as the American Road Racing Championship, for the next three years," says the Shelby American Automotive Club.

Only 36 were ever made and they are as rare as… well as rare as a 1965 Shelby GT350 R.

Yes, this particular example is not the real thing, because a real ’65 Shelby Mustang GT350 R costs around a million US dollars. At least that’s what the last one sold for at auction, but that was over a year ago, so who knows what they’re worth now?

Anyway this Mustang has, according to the owner, been meticulously recreated to exact specification, or as the owner put it; "a complete nut and bolt tribute restoration."

One can only imagine how much fun this awesome car would be on track at Phillip Island or Winton, and for anyone keen on vintage racers, this ‘Stang is a must see.

You can view the full listing here.

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