From its inaugural season in 1957, the B Production class of the SCCA had been dominated by Chevrolet and drivers like Dick Thompson and Don Yenko – that is, until 1965, when Jerry Titus and Carroll Shelby teamed up. To beat the competition, Shelby modified the street version of his GT350 with a host of performance upgrades and lightweight parts to make a special “race” model. These race versions were distinguished by an “R” in the CSM number rather than an “S” that was seen on the standard street cars; thus the GT350R was born. The formula resulted in Chevrolet being dethroned by Jerry Titus piloting a GT305R to the championship.
After a successful season capturing the B Production Championship, Shelby felt Ford wasn’t doing enough to celebrate the achievement and took matters into his own hands. He loaded up a 289 Cobra, a 427 Cobra, a GT350 street car, a GT40, a Cobra Daytona and this GT350R with SFM #5R213. Dubbed the “Cobra Caravan,” the cars went on a 12-city tour to promote the racing success of the Shelby cars. After the tour was over in 1966, 5R213 was sent, along with four other R models, to a group of wealthy businessmen in Peru, who wanted to form a spec racing series of their own. The car was campaigned in numerous Alpine-style races, including a Sixth Place finish in the inaugural running of the Caminos Del Inca in 1966.
In 1984, three of the cars were bought back to the U.S. by Richard Cohen and Gary Nufer. They essentially had to be smuggled aboard a Peruvian military plane into Miami to avoid being seized or cut up by the DEA, but, once stateside, all three cars found new owners. In 1998, 5R213 was purchased by Jay Bentley, who commissioned it to be restored and prepped for vintage racing; however, he sold it before completion to Corey Lawson. Lawson then went on to have it restored to concours specifications, with the intent to show it in 2004. It changed hands again before the current owner acquired it and commissioned John Brown of Thoroughbred Restorations to restore it to the highest possible standards in 2017. Once complete, the car took Gold at the SAAC-42 Concours and the 2017 Shelby Mid America Meet, as well as MCA Gold at the Grand Nationals the same year, making it an elusive “Triple Crown” winner in the Shelby world.
With only 20 or so known to exist of the original 36 R models made, these are some of the most prized cars among Shelby collectors. Additionally, being featured in the Cobra Caravan makes this one of just four R models with Shelby factory history. With the combination of a Triple Crown concours winner and extensive history and significance, 5R213 is the definition of a blue-chip collector car.
