Shelby GT-H convertible #088. 33,691 miles. Completely original except for tires and battery. All options. Beautiful, collectable, and lots of fun to drive. A genuine Shelby with lots of upside for not a lot of cash.
The Shelby GT-H models only came in black with gold stripes, just like the original 1966 version, making them some of the most iconic and recognizable of all high-performance Mustangs. Ford delivered black ragtops to Shelby’s Las Vegas facility for the upgrades and this is among the very last cars that Carroll Shelby himself developed before his passing. Exterior upgrades include a special hood with locking pins, a billet grille with offset Mustang emblem, just like the original GT350, and a deeper chin spoiler with fog lights and cooling ducts for the front brakes, plus the side scoops on the quarters. Of course, the gold stripes, rear wing, and SHELBY block letters on the trunk were added, but nobody really needs to be reminded what kind of car this is. The paint shines up beautifully, there are no critical dings or signs of neglect, and even as a rental, it seems that buyers took the care of this Shelby seriously.
The interior received its share of upgrades as well, starting the moment you open the door with special aluminum Shelby GT-H step plates with the car’s serial number engraved on their faces, and including the special light bar that looks like the original GT350’s roll hoop. Everything was standard on the GT-H, including cold A/C, power windows, locks, mirrors, and seats, leather upholstery, cruise control, and a robust Shaker 500 AM/FM/CD stereo system. The gauges are beautiful throwbacks to the ‘60s and Ol’ Shel himself put his signature on the plate in the center of the dash (and yes, it’s actually signed, not printed with the rest of the plate). Everything works, of course, including the black canvas power top, which stows itself in seconds and folds itself in such a way that the removable boot is completely optional. There’s even a reasonably-sized trunk that can carry your luggage for a fantastic performance-oriented road trip.
Most of the GT-H improvements are under the skin, making this much more than a Mustang GT with some special stripes. Shelby balanced performance and reliability with this combination, adding a 90mm cold air intake, special mufflers and X-pipe, and a custom calibration on the ECM to make it easy to drive (rental, remember!). None of that compromises reliability or the bulletproof nature of Ford’s 4.6 liter OHC V8, which stomps out a very entertaining 325 horsepower and 320 pounds of torque with the most wonderful V8 soundtrack this side of Lagua Seca. The engine bay is further dressed up with a custom strut tower brace that makes a noticeable difference in front-end rigidity.
Obviously, a quick-witted 5-speed automatic transmission was the only option in the GT-H, but you won’t suffer for it, as this sucker is also equipped with a Ford Motorsports 3.55 rear gearset to get it off the line with authority. The suspension is lowered 1.5 inches compared to a standard GT and uses the Ford Racing Handling Pack (FR3), which includes custom dampers, sway bars, and the aforementioned strut tower brace. 4-wheel disc brakes were standard and are plenty powerful for the GT-H, although the Shelbys did receive custom silver paint to make them stand out a bit. The undercarriage on this car shows about 33,000 miles worth of road grime, but exactly zero time in the snow and salt, so it is extremely clean and solid with no issues at all. All the original decals, markings, and other little things that detail-oriented Shelby fans expect are still intact. It has never been wrecked, raced, or otherwise modified, and it drives like a new car with a tightness that you might not expect from a 11-year-old ragtop. The GT-H sits on special 18-inch wheels that look very much like vintage Torque Thrusts, and they’re wrapped in 235/40/18 performance radials, perhaps only the second set of tires this car has ever worn.
This is a shockingly affordable piece of Shelby history and if the original GT350H is any indicator, its day will come. GT500s are a dime a dozen, but this is a genuine limited-production car with an awesome story to tell, and that’s what makes some cars more special than others. That, plus the fact that it’s just a blast to drive. We can’t remember the last time we had this much fun behind the wheel of a late-model car, and that says a great deal about how special this Mustang truly is. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
