306 hp, 289 cu in OHV V-8 engine, Borg-Warner four-speed manual transmission, coil spring front suspension, rear leaf springs with live axle suspension, and front disc and rear drum brakes. Wheelbase: 108"

• Known history from new

• Fitted with period correct Shelby Cragar wheels

• Original engine rebuilt in 2009, by noted authority Curt Vogt, of Cobra Automotive

In 1965, the Shelby Mustang GT350 was blessed with Carroll Shelby’s modified and upgraded 306 horsepower, 289-cubic inch Ford Mustang V-8. Handling the additional power is a Borg-Warner four-speed manual transmission, Detroit Locker rear differential, metallic rear brake lining and Kelsey-Hayes front disc brakes, Koni adjustable shocks, and cast-aluminum wheels. A fiberglass hood with air scoop and tie down pins replaced the steel hood, and the rear seat was omitted—Shelby’s trick to qualify the car as a two-seat sports car in the Sports Car Club of America B Production cClass. Amazingly, the Shelby-prepared GT350 won the title in its class three years running, from 1965 to 1967! This is one of 562 produced for 1965, and it is painted, of course, the classic combination of Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue Le Mans stripes.

Chassis number 5S479 was delivered to Shelby American as a ’65 Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback on May 12, 1965. Work began on the Mustang on June 18 and by the 24th, it had been transformed into the formidable GT350. The car was then shipped to Herb Tousley Ford in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on August 11 of that same year. It was purchased by its first owner, Dewey Berscheid, from St. Paul, Minnesota, and within two weeks of delivery, the original steel wheels were replaced with a set of chrome Shelby Cragar mag wheels, which remain on the car to this day. They were also recently fitted with a new set of reproduction Goodyear “blue dot” tires.

The car was regularly raced on road circuits and hill climbs. However, following complaints from his wife that the car was “making her go deaf,” and fearful of alienating themselves from their neighbors, he reluctantly sold the car. Its lucky second owner, William J. Hartman, of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Yuba City, California, also raced and hill climbed the car. Ken Kirk, of San Francisco, California, the third owner, purchased the car in 1975. He, too, raced the car, and it was during his ownership that a lifetime ban was placed on the car by the officials of Yellowstone National Park, as he was found to have unlawfully towed a trailer through the park!

After a series of owners, the car was sold to George Sicz, of Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada, in 1987. He called upon the Shelby Shop, now doing business as Legendary Motorcars, to restore the Shelby. It was then sold in 1996 to Mark Brosseau, of Quebec, prior to being purchased in 2001 by its current owner, a well-known car collector. In 2008, he participated in Tom Cotter’s Cobra Tour with 5S479, where the Mustang performed flawlessly. This pristine example, still fitted with its original engine, was sent back to Legendary Motorcars in 2006 for a drivetrain and undercarriage detailing and then to noted expert Curt Vogt, of Shelby Automotive of Wallingford, Connecticut, for an engine-out rebuild in 2009. The engine was blueprinted and balanced and has been driven less than 3,000 miles since.

It is a factory-ordered radio delete GT350 and is also equipped with an original and more desirable Shelby Cobra 16-inch wood steering wheel. In addition, it features a fiberglass hood with steel frame. This fully-documented Shelby, with known history from new, is ready to serve its new owner in racing and hill climb activities, as it has done dutifully in the past. Without a doubt, the late Carroll Shelby is a legend in automotive history, and what began in a small California shop has now become the benchmark by which all Mustangs are judged.