1966 Shelby GT350 Prototype #001
While all surviving GT350s are indeed special, this car is particularly important as it’s the pre-production prototype and very first Shelby GT350 built for 1966. A primary Shelby American car used for most of the testing for the 1966 GT350 development program, it was also used to evaluate a vinyl roof treatment, which was ultimately not released for sale. It was also shown by Shelby and depicted in Shelby American brochures and marketing.
It’s powered by a high-performance 289ci V8 engine with a 4-speed manual gearbox. Conceived and built to homologate Ford’s wildly successful Mustang for competition, Carroll Shelby’s original GT350 exemplified Ford’s ‘Total Performance’ mantra and conferred an unbeatable image on the trendsetting new Pony car.
Barrett-Jackson will be offering this very special GT350 at their upcoming Scottsdale auction on the 20th January 2018. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos courtesy of Barrett-Jackson.