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For Sale at Auction: 1966 Shelby GT350 Paxton in Scottsdale, Arizona

Vehicle Description

Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information. Having won the 1965 SCCA B-Production championship and soon to repeat the feat for 1966 with its potent Mustang-based GT350, Shelby American was on a roll at the forefront of Ford's "Total Performance" campaign. Since the first-generation Mustang was slated for replacement in mid-1966, Carroll Shelby decided to celebrate with four GT350 convertibles to end the 1966 production run. None were sold to the public; instead, they were given to friends and key Shelby American employees. Carroll Shelby was known to have particularly enjoyed his car. That is, until the Ford GT40 racing program took him to Europe and his car was sold off in keeping with company policy after six months in the Shelby American fleet. While Shelby eventually terminated his relationship with Ford in 1969 and he followed other pursuits through the 1970s, he never forgot his long-lost GT350 convertible. Since Shelby American, Inc. still existed - at least on paper, and its California manufacturer's license could be renewed easily, Carroll Shelby began considering the idea of building another GT350 convertible around 1979 as a continuation of the original four cars from 1966. Al Dowd organized the project for Shelby and selected J. Brunk's Beverly Hills Mustang to build the car. The project grew with Shelby's desire to give a car to each of his three children. Brunk sensed demand for a few more cars and ultimately, Shelby capped the project at 12 cars in all. Sound, rust-free '66 Mustang convertibles were sourced, stripped to their bare unibodies, and assigned sequential Shelby American serial numbers ranging from SFM6S2381 to SFM6S2392 that immediately followed the last of the four GT350 convertibles built in 1966. Mechanical specifications were the same as in 1966. To power the new cars, Shelby managed to locate a cache of 12 NOS 289 K-Code "Hi-Po" engines at Ford in Detroit and both four-speed and automatic transmissions were available. Exteriors were finished in blue with white Le Mans stripes or Wimbledon White with blue stripes; all cars included upscale "Pony" interiors and most were fitted with roll bars. Four of the cars (6S2382, 6S2386, 6S2387, and 6S2388) went to Carroll Shelby and they remain with his estate today. Eight were sold after they were completed at a basic price of $40,000. Numbered 6S2389, this Wimbledon White GT350 convertible is documented in the Shelby American World Registry as the only one of the 12 continuation cars built with a Paxton supercharger. Built to a contract dated October 28, 1980, 6S2389 was finished in white with blue stripes and further equipped with an automatic transmission, floor console, blue top, white interior, and power steering. Following completion, it was picked up by Len and Laura Hilliard at Beverly Hills Mustang on June 6, 1982 and driven home by them to Seattle, Washington. Keith Thompson of Renton, Washington became the second owner of 6S2389 in August 1995 and the Consignor acquired this very special Shelby in 2010. As offered, 6S2389 remains highly original and as new in specification. The only updates are the addition of a new top-quality Haartz convertible top and the rebuilding of the Paxton supercharger by Craig Conley - both during 2014. While kept in a private collection and very well preserved, the GT350 was driven by the current owner on the 2014 Sun Valley Road Rally, at one point hitting 130 miles per hour. Vividly described by him as being "fast, loud, and awesome," 6S2389 is complete with the dash plaque that was affixed when it was built, stating it was test driven and personally inspected by Carroll Shelby himself. An incredible offering at auction, this 1966 GT350 convertible is complete with the original sales contract and beautifully represents Shelby's long-awaited return to automobile production.

Vehicle Details

  • 1966 Shelby GT350 Paxton
  • Listing ID: CC-926709
  • Price: Auction Vehicle
  • Location:Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Year:1966
  • Make:Shelby
  • Model:GT350 Paxton
  • Exterior Color:White
  • Interior Color:White
  • Transmission:Automatic
  • Odometer:0
  • Stock Number:8003
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