Following Shelby American’s successes of 1965—becoming the first U.S. manufacturer to win the FIA World Championship with the Cobra Daytona, highlighted by a class win at Le Mans, and dominating SCCA B-Production with the Shelby GT350 R—Shelby American’s contract was extended for 1966 to continue producing the celebrated GT350. The new 1966 Shelby GT350s became a more civilized car with numerous changes made based on customer feedback, in addition to those instituted by Ford and Shelby American to make production easier for a planned ramp-up in volume.

To be prepared for the new 1966 model year Ford needed to ship a batch of Mustangs to Shelby American prior to the San Jose plant shutting down in the Fall of 1965 for model year changeover. So, 252 late-1965 Mustangs were shipped from San Jose to Shelby American so they could begin converting Mustangs to GT350s, ensuring they would ready for the 1966 model year release.

Shelby American’s first order of business was to upfit the Carryover cars to a 1966 look. This meant installing the new 1966 horizontal-barred grille, replacing the quarter vents with quarter windows and fiberglass interior inserts, installing the side scoops just aft of the doors, swapping out the standard Mustang gas cap for a Cobra GT350-branded one, and the installation of the K-Code Ford Mustang’s dual exhaust, which routed all the way past the rear axle, dumping just below the rear valence. Additionally, 1966 Shelby GT350s transitioned from the standard Mustang’s horizontally stretched speedometer to the better-looking five-gauge circular instrumentation from the Mustang GT. Certain features on the early Carryover cars would remain 1965, including the black painted 289 hi-po engine, the earlier style hood, larger 15-inch wheels, 1965-style full vinyl seat pattern and door panels with vertical pleats, overrider suspension with axle-limiting cables, Koni shocks, and reverse lights remaining absent.

All 1966 Shelby GT350s, including Carryovers, received a simulated woodgrain steering wheel borrowed from the Mustang’s DeLuxe “Pony” interior, as well as the much easier-to-install Cobra-branded dash-mounted 9,000-rpm tachometer. While a radio and rear seats would become standard for 1966 Shelby GT350s, they were optional for the early Carryovers, with most opting for the rear seats. All 1966 Carryovers were finished in Wimbledon White with four-speed manual transmissions, while later 1966 GT350s were available in a more diverse color array which included the addition of Raven Black, Sapphire Blue, Ivy Green, and Candy Apple Red. Later 1966 Shelby GT350 buyers were also given a choice at transmission, offered with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic with a “C” servo for quicker, firmer shifts.

While only 252 examples are considered to be true 1966 GT350 Carryovers, Shelby American went through rolling production changes for the subsequent GT350s, meaning that some later cars may exhibit some, but not all, of the Carryover features, as Shelby American slowly whittled down parts inventory and moved towards a more standardized production for the 1966 models.

SFM 6S187

This 1966 Shelby GT350 is one of the celebrated Carryover examples. SFM 6S187 was sold new through Koons Ford of Falls Church, Virginia. The dealership was invoiced $3,547 plus $30 for Le Mans stripes, $214 for Cragar wheels, and $93.70 for freight. It was sold new to Robert Mykelbust of Mt. Pleasant, Maryland. Second owner Carl Auston Vosloh of Mt. Airy, Maryland, acquired the car in June of 1974, restoring it in the late 1970s. On 4 March 1983 the Shelby was acquired by its third owner, John Woodie of Mandill, Oklahoma, who supposedly displayed it in his dealership showroom. It was subsequently bought by Ford dealer Wayne Blue of Stephenville, Texas on 7 May 1985.

From there the car would travel in March of 1989 to New England, purchased by Dan Fitzgerald of Laconia, New Hampshire. A prominent Dodge Viper dealer through his Fitzgerald Motorsports, Dan Fitzgerald was a close friend of Carroll Shelby and even co-created the Carroll Shelby Edition Dodge Viper RT/10, of which 19 were produced. By 1994 this Shelby GT350 was under the ownership of Robert P. Cipro of North Andover, Massachusetts. It was later owned for less than a year by both Dean Carlage of Woodstock, Connecticut, and later Don Swanson of Woodstock, Illinois.

In January 2006 this Shelby GT350 was acquired by The Boeckmann Collection. At time of acquisition, it was believed to be the second most expensive publicly transacted GT350 Carryover at nearly $200,000. Since then, it has been on display in the collection, having benefitted over the years from minor cosmetic restoration and mechanical servicing by their very own dealership group.

The car’s Shelby tag on the driver side fender covers its Ford confidential VIN, which according to Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) matches their records. A SAAC serial number varication letter is on file and included with the car. Additionally, SFM 6S187 can be seen stamped on the passenger side fender. Under the steel-framed fiberglass hood, the car retains its numbers-matching 289 “hi-po” engine, correctly still painted black, with the Ford confidential VIN stamped on the block. The engine features correct 21 casting codes on both “hi-po” cylinder heads, “open-letter” aluminum valve covers, dual-point ignition, S1MS 9424A high-rise “Cobra” intake, Holley List 3259 carburetor, C5AE-8509-B single-groove water pump pulley, and finned cast aluminum Shelby Cobra “T-pan” oil pan. The engine is mated to a Borg-Warner T10M-1 aluminum gearbox (April 1965 casting) with T10M-7 aluminum tailshaft housing (June 1965 casting). While Ford and Shelby never stamped gearboxes or tailshaft housings to match a specific car, the casting dates on each of these align with them being original to this Shelby GT350. The rear axle is a standard, open 9-inch, with 3.89:1 gears. The rear axle third-member tag features a 5FE date code pointing to an end of June 1965 build, which also aligns with the gearbox and tail shaft housing dates. Being a Carryover example, this GT350 features the overrider traction bar suspension, with Koni shocks, and limiting cables at both ends of the rear axle to prevent the rear suspension from overextending. The Shelby rides on 15-inch Cragar wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza tires.

The interior features the five-gauge layout with the 1966 dash-mounted Cobra-branded 9,000-rpm tachometer, as well as a Ford push-button radio. The bucket seats feature the 1965 full vinyl styling, with correct Ray Brown seatbelts, and the door panels exhibit the 1965-style vertical pleats. Carryover buyers had the opportunity to option rear seats, though for this example they chose to stick with the rear-seat-delete fiberglass rear shelf (package tray), like all 1965s. This car retains the Shelby GT350-specific seat latch cover, neatly concealing what would be an open, unused latch point.

Shelby American famously secured the SCCA B-Production championship again in 1966 with the GT350 R, cementing the model’s legacy as a true racing icon. The 1966 Shelby GT350 perfectly bridged the gap between track dominance and street usability. Early Carryover models are highly sought-after by collectors today because they retain the raw, race-ready DNA of the original 1965 GT350 while introducing what was a more civilized, comfortable car for 1966.

Honest to the way it left Shelby American 60 years ago, this GT350 Carryover offers its next owner the opportunity to experience a truly legendary car—a racecar for the road.