The first-generation Ford Mustang spawned quite a few high-performance models. The Boss 429 and the California Special are my favorites, thanks for asking. But it's the GT350 that has a special place in the Mustang hall of fame.
It wasn't the most aggressive looking and it certainly wasn't the fastest, but it was the first Mustang-based creation by the legendary Carroll Shelby. And unlike its more powerful GT500 sibling, the GT350 was created as a lightweight track-ready pony. They were often called "Cobras" and collected a long list of wins in the SCCA championship.
The GT350 arrived in 1965, only one year after Ford introduced the Mustang, and remained in production until 1968. Shelby made only 572 cars in 1965, but production expanded to 2,386 units in 1966 before dropping to 1,201 in 1967. The final production year saw 1,664 examples leave the Shelby shop.
Come 2022, and the first-gen GT350 is a highly sought-after classic. Granted, it's the race-spec cars, the convertibles, and the coupes that get more attention (because they're much harder to find), but the fastbacks have gotten increasingly more expensive over the year.
Well-maintained, unrestored survivors are far more desirable and thus change hands for a lot more dough, but restored GT350s tend to cross the auction block for $150,000 to $300,000 (again, we're talking about road-spec fastbacks, not GT350Rs or convertibles). This stunning 1967 GT350 is one of those cars.
Restored to original specifications and refinished in its factory Dark Moss Green color, it's one of only 527 units painted in this hue. And it's probably one of fewer than 300 sold in this paint/trim combination with factory AC and radio.
It is, of course, still fitted with the original fiberglass hood, sequential taillights, rear fender scoops, and wood-rimmed steering wheel. Making things that much better, the 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8 engine rated at 306 horsepower is of the numbers-matching variety. And the engine bay is so clean you could eat off it.
Featured by "American Mustangs," this track-ready classic will be looking for a new owner soon. And according to the comments section, it will be listed for $140,000. Far from affordable, but still less than the average value of fully restored first-gen Shelby GT350s.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News