Vehicle Description
Powered by a Pete Hood 289ci 8-cylinder engine and 4-speed manual
transmission, this Shelby, 5R 538, is one of 33 factory competition
models built in 1965 and is documented as the winningest Shelby
race car ever. It was purchased new by Roger West and raced until
1967 with great success, including an SCCA Southwest Division
Championship. He also raced at Sebring and Daytona, where he shared
seat time with Bobby Allison. In late 1967 he sold the car to
Charlie Kemp, who was impressed with the car's performance - as was
someone very special: Pete Hood, the R's mechanic. They went to
work on the suspension, weight and horsepower, and by March had won
the SCCA Regional at Daytona with the famous pass in the grass of
Robert Gray in his Corvette. This was soon followed with a victory
in the Nationals and followed with the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Division
Championships. At Riverside, Charlie set a top speed record for
GT350Rs, then at Daytona set the highest known speed for a
289-powered Shelby Mustang or Cobra, 184 mph. Through 1971 Charlie
would enter 54 races, finish 42 and win 32, including a streak of
17 in a row. Charlie sold the car and moved on to Can-Am, but in
early 2000 he and Pete bought it back and returned it to its full,
as-raced condition. The suspension was freshened up and it has
recently had the engine completely rebuilt by Hood. Due to
Charlie's driving skills 538 retains most of the original sheet
metal, including the inner fenders, with numbers verified by SAAC.
This Shelby is well-documented, including copies of the MSO and
factory order, notes of further upgrades by Lew Spencer, factory
invoice to Treadwell Ford and Kemp's Bill of Sale. Priceless
photographs, video race footage and event artifacts have been
collected in an aluminum-covered book that go with the car. The
opportunity to own a GT350R is rare, but there is only one that has
had the most wins of all time, and this is it.
