Original 1965 Ford Shelby GT350R for sale

The modern Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R may have just been sent to the glue factory, but Mecum's Indianapolis auction, scheduled for May 14-21, will feature the car that inspired it.

This 1965 Ford Shelby GT350R (serial number 5R213) is one of only 34 production cars (and two prototypes). Ford, which had already partnered with Shelby on the Cobra and GT40, commissioned a sportier version of the Mustang, which had just been announced with great fanfare in the spring of 1964.

As with the latest version, Shelby developed both a standard GT350 and a GT350R racing version. The latter is officially known as the GT350 Competition, but is traditionally referred to as the GT350R because of the "R" in the model's chassis code. The car has won three consecutive SCCA B Production championships. The differences between the standard GT350 and the GT350R include fiberglass lower front valance, deleted quarter windows, vented plexiglass rear window, American Racing Torque Thrust wheels, and engine upgrades.

The engine is a 289 cubic-inch V-8 that produces 325 hp in this car and is mated to a BorgWarner T10 M four-speed manual transmission. Shelby initially considered an independent rear suspension, but the idea was rejected after the prototype failed to beat a live-axle car in comparison tests at California's Willow Springs Race Track. A group of former Shelby American employees recently built a small number of remanufactured cars with this independent rear suspension system, but production Mustangs would stick with the live axle for decades.

The cars traveled across the United States on the 1965 Cobra Caravan, a cross-country promotional tour organized by Shelby that included a GT350R, 427 Cobra, GT40, and Cobra Daytona Coupe carried on a 42-foot trailer. and stopped at Shelby dealerships to promote their sales.

After the tour ended, according to Mecum, the car was shipped to Peru on June 28, 1966, as one of five cars purchased by a group whose purpose was to compete in rally and endurance races. It was then repatriated to the United States and passed through several collectors over the next several decades. It was recently fully restored and built to win trophies on the circuit, and is currently winning trophies on the car show circuit. Given the value of these cars, it is now their natural habitat.