Let's face it, some like their performance cars raw, some like
them with a healthy dose of seasonings and side dishes. And
sometimes a machine's recipe evolves from one style to the other.
That was certainly the case with one of ex-racer Carroll
Shelby's most famous cars. For 1965, he began production of
hopped-up Mustangs at his shop in California. For those first
couple years, his 'Stangs, called GT-350s, were barely-disguised
competition tools.
With a road-racing suspension setup, high-strung small-block V8,
and lack of a backseat on which to haul buddies, those original
GT-350s weren't a popular pick with the burger-joint crowd. And
that was fine with Ford, at least at first -- Shelby's
cooperation on the Mustang was initially sought to give
competition credibility to Ford's pioneering ponycar, which
GT-350s did handily by winning sports-car races.
But starting with the '67 model year, Ford began expecting
Shelby's machines to speak to a more mainstream performance
crowd -- the typical muscle-car buyer.
Signaling this shift toward street appeal over race-track
prowess were mandatory power steering and power brakes, along
with a number of optional comfort and convenience features,
including air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, and tinted
glass.
And, perhaps most importantly, a backseat was now standard.
But despite the added weight of such amenities, Shelby's
machines hadn't lost their bite. Although the base GT-350's V8
was now somewhat tamer, that model for '67 was joined by the new
GT- 500, powered by a torquey 428-cid big-block V8 rated at 360
hp.
For '68, the GT-500 packed an even bigger wallop, with the
midyear introduction of the GT-500KR "King of the Road," which
had a 428 that was some 40 hp stouter yet. Also that year, the
Shelby Mustang's fastback bodystyle was joined by a convertible,
to further appeal to the boulevard cruising set.
Development and production of Shelbys continued along similar
lines into the next generation of Mustangs, ending in 1970.
Today, muscle-car fans are divided on which of the Shelby
Mustangs are the greatest -- the almost race-ready early
versions, or the punchier, plusher, more street-appropriate
later ones. Regardless, any flavor of Shelby Mustang is counted
among the great performance cars, a fact clearly reflected in
the hefty prices these cars command nowadays.
For more articles on muscle cars and vintage sports cars, along
with drive-test articles on today's hottest performance cars, go
to http://www.autiv.com/
|
Categories 
