1965 Shelby GT350

The 1965 Shelby GT350 is the first and purest expression of Carroll Shelby’s vision to transform the Mustang from a stylish street car into a race-bred performer. Powered by a modified 289-cubic-inch V8 producing 306 horsepower, this fastback is more than just muscle — it’s precision-tuned for speed. Lightweight, stripped-down, and aggressively styled, the GT350 features a Borg-Warner T-10 4-speed manual transmission, side-exit exhaust, and stiffer Koni suspension that made it a track weapon right off the lot.
Painted in iconic Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue racing stripes, the GT350 didn’t just look the part — it dominated it.

In 1964, Ford had a problem: the Mustang was wildly successful, but it wasn’t respected on the racetrack. Enter Carroll Shelby, a Texas-born racer and engineer who had already built a reputation with the AC Cobra. Ford asked Shelby to turn the Mustang into a serious sports car that could win on Sundays and sell on Mondays.By January 1965, the first Shelby GT350 was born. Built at Shelby American’s small Venice, California facility, just 562 units were made that year — each hand-tuned and purpose-built for SCCA racing. The GT350 became an instant track hero, winning the B-Production championship in its debut season. Its raw performance, snarling exhaust, and no-nonsense attitude set the tone for decades of high-performance Mustangs.What made the 1965 GT350 unique wasn't just horsepower — it was soul. Shelby stripped away anything unnecessary. No back seats. No luxuries. Just a roll bar, racing seat belts, and performance that pushed the edge of street-legal. It wasn’t just a Mustang. It was a Shelby.