January 27, 1965 – Shelby GT350 goes on sale
The racing circuit changed forever when sales of the 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 launched on this day in 1965. The Shelby GT350 was based off of 1965 Ford Mustang fastbacks that originally left the San Jose Assembly Plant with a 271 HP 289 V8 and a 4 on the floor. Carroll Shelby had the stock vehicles shipped to Shelby American in Venice Beach, California, and later at Los Angeles International Airport, where his team would first strip the cars of weight. Shelby then added performance upgrades, such as high-riser intake manifolds, a four barrel carburetor and custom exhaust headers, boosting horsepower to 306.
Above: Original ad for the Shelby GT350Cover photo: First generation Ford Shelby GT350 by Brian Corey
In 1965 Shelby built 562 GT350s, all painted Wimbledon White with Gua...