At Mustang’s highly anticipated debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, Ford’s then-vice president Lee Iacocca made a point to state the Mustang would be “a sports car suitable for street use or competition.” Knowing full well that modifications were needed to accomplish the latter, Iacocca turned to Carroll Shelby. Initially balking at the idea, Shelby eventually came around, with his team at Shelby American creating one of the most iconic American sports cars of the 1960s: The Shelby GT350.

Starting with Ford’s already exceptional “K-code” Mustang fastback, Carroll Shelby and his team at Shelby American loaded the GT350 with numerous suspension upgrades, also improving safety equipment and the engine—adding approximately 35 horsepower over the standard “Hi-Po” 289 V-8. The result was a production class-racing powerhouse that easily met the challenge from other cars of the day, including the Sunbeam Tiger and Jaguar E-Type, as well as Ford’s archnemesis, the Chevrolet Corvette. For 1965, Shelby American produced a total of 562 GT350s.

This Shelby GT350, chassis number SFM 5S137, was completed on 27 April 1965. Two days following completion, the car was shipped to Turner Ford in Wichita, Kansas. Shelby American billed the dealership $3,929.60, which included $220 for Cragar wheels and $63.60 for freight. On 6 December 1966, the car was purchased by William Barker of Norman, Oklahoma. In 1967 the car was sold to Lee Jennings of Texas, who later traded it for a 1967 Shelby GT350. It was acquired in 1990 by Morris Kuehl of Waco, Texas, and later passed through an owner in Utah and one in Spokane, Washington, before being purchased by Mark Jacob of Calabasas, California, in January 2004. According to the SAAC Registry, Mr. Jacob had the car restored by Jim Cowles’ Shelby Parts and Restoration in Wisconsin. In December 2011, it joined a Pacific Northwest private collection, from which it is now offered.

Today, this Shelby GT350 offers a wonderful entry into the Shelby community. Finished in the traditional American racing colors of the day, SFM 5S137 dons the iconic Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue Le Mans stripes. It features a fiberglass hood, side-exit exhaust, and rides on Goodyear “blue dot” tires mounted on Cragar wheels. The interior is trimmed in black featuring bucket seats with Ray Brown lap belts and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. It retains early GT350 features including the Shelby gauge pod, which houses the tachometer and oil pressure gauges, a horn toggle switch just left of the radio-delete plate, a fiberglass package tray which houses the spare, a delete plate covering the rear seat latch, and a trunk-mounted battery. A sticker on the ashtray informs the driver of the car’s NoSpin Differential. The rear axle features overriders and is equipped with the limiting cables found on early cars. Each window features the CarLite logo etched into the glass. A true racecar, this GT350 is a heater-delete example, with plates covering the firewall and the area where the control panel would have been located in the cabin.

The confidential Ford serial number on the driver-side fender has been verified by SAAC registrar Howard Pardee, with documentation on file. The engine block exhibits the car’s confidential Ford serial number, and the cylinder heads feature castings “19” and “20.” It is fueled by a Holley 715-cfm carburetor (List 3259). The engine is mated to an aluminum Borg Warner T-10 four-speed gearbox (casting code T10M-1). Power is sent to the rear axle via a NoSpin Detroit Locker.

One of 562 Shelby GT350s built for 1965 and documented in the SAAC Registry, SFM 5S137 is accompanied by select copies of early Shelby paperwork, including warranty work, as well as the car’s SAAC GT350 Serial Number Verification.