1965 Shelby GT350 For Sale - SCCA B Production National Champion,
Desirable Two Digit Early Example
The 1965 Shelby GT350 represents one of the most important chapters
in American performance history. Conceived by Carroll Shelby to
transform the Ford Mustang into a dominant SCCA B-Production
competitor, the GT350 was engineered with one purpose in mind:
winning races. The earliest examples, produced at Shelby American's
Venice, California facility, were essentially street-legal
competition cars featuring extensive suspension revisions, a
high-revving Hi-Po 289 V-8, side-exit exhaust, quick-ratio
steering, and numerous weight-saving measures. Their success on the
racetrack quickly established Shelby American as a force in
American motorsport, making these early GT350s among the most
coveted production competition cars of the era.
Offered here is an exceptionally significant early production
example and one of the desirable two-digit chassis produced during
the model's inaugural year. Received by Shelby American on December
23, 1964, the car was completed and shipped on March 8, 1965, to
Ray Hunt Ford in Daytona Beach, Florida. Purchased new by William
Floyd on May 22, 1965 immediately began the career for which it had
been built-competition.
Campaigned by Floyd in SCCA Southeast Division competition
throughout 1965, this GT350 quickly proved itself on the racetrack.
It captured first place in B Production at the 1965 Regional
Daytona Nationals while finishing eighth overall, before earning
another B Production victory in the Paul Whiteman Trophy Race at
Daytona. By season's end, Floyd had accumulated three B Production
victories, finished first in the SCCA Southeast Region, and
ultimately secured an SCCA B Production National Championship-an
extraordinary accomplishment that surpassed the competition record
of many purpose-built factory GT350R models. Its documented racing
pedigree makes it one of the most historically significant street
GT350s produced.
Under the hood is its Shelby-prepared Hi-Po 289 cubic-inch V-8
producing 306 horsepower, equipped with the correct Holley
four-barrel carburetor atop an aluminum high-rise intake manifold,
cast Cobra valve covers, welded tube headers, and signature
side-exit exhaust. Power is delivered through the desirable
BorgWarner T-10 four-speed manual transmission to a narrowed Ford
9-inch rear axle fitted with 3.89:1 gears and a Detroit Locker
differential. Finished in its iconic Wimbledon White paint with
Guardsman Blue Le Mans stripes, it rides on Shelby Cragar wheels
wrapped in period-correct Goodyear Blue Dot tires.
Inside, the black interior remains faithful to its factory
presentation, featuring the Shelby fiberglass rear package shelf
with covered spare tire, roll bar, Cobra wood-rim steering wheel,
auxiliary gauge pod with 8,000 RPM tachometer, racing harnesses,
radio-delete plate, and the correct trunk-mounted battery unique to
these earliest production cars. Adding an especially memorable
finishing touch is the late Carroll Shelby's autograph on the
glovebox door.
Accompanying this exceptional GT350 is an outstanding history file
including a copy of its original invoice, extensive racing
documentation, remarkable period competition photographs, and
detailed ownership history recorded in the Shelby Registry.
Combining early production status, documented period racing
success, comprehensive restoration, and an SCCA National
Championship this Shelby GT350 represents far more than one of the
earliest Shelby Mustangs built-it is an authentic piece of Shelby
American competition history and one of the most significant 1965
GT350s to become available in recent years.
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