The most intriguing feature of Shelby’s new-for-1967 Mustang styling was a pair of red marker lights mounted in scoops along the top of the rear sail panels. These lights were quickly ruled illegal in numerous states, though not before 200 or so Mustangs had been shipped from Shelby American’s Los Angeles factory. These so-called “upper scoop light” cars thus represent the earliest and most distinctive LA-built versions of Carroll Shelby’s highly coveted GT350—complete with their telltale features as Shelby originally intended.

Delivered new to Lynch-Davidson Ford of Jacksonville, Florida on 12 December 1966, this exceptionally early, correct, and well-documented example of an “upper scoop light” GT350 Fastback is presented today in factory-correct Dark Moss Green over black vinyl. A copy of its original Shelby sales order shows that it has always been equipped with the host of desirable options still present today. These include power steering, power disc brakes, shoulder harnesses, push-button AM radio, 15-inch Kelsey-Hayes deluxe “mag star” wheels, the extra cooling package, and a four-speed “top loader” manual transmission paired with the signature Hi-Po 289-cubic-inch V-8 engine.

This car is just the 12th GT350 produced for the model year, and in addition to the scoop lights, it exhibits a host of other important “as delivered” features that are distinct—and exclusive to—these very early ’67 Mustangs. At the front—just aft of the steel-framed fiberglass hood—the car’s one-piece grill is a pair of inboard high-beam lights, while the model’s signature flat gas cap bisects the rear fascia. Inside, the correct six-point roll bar is tucked behind the front seats, and the car’s set of 15-inch “mag star” wheels are shod in Goodyear Speedway 350 tires with 1¼-in lettering, befitting an early 1967 appearance. Tasteful improvements made by previous owners are limited to the white Le Mans-style stripes, and a Carroll Shelby-signed glovebox door.

Sympathetically restored to original specifications under previous ownership, the car’s impressive history file demonstrates known provenance from new, alongside a comprehensive suite of Shelby American documentation.

Amazingly, GT350 number 12 remains remarkably correct throughout and exhibits an astounding amount of original sheet metal, no doubt thanks to a comprehensive Ziebart undercoating, which it received quite early in its life, and subsequently being kept 13 years in dry storage.

Now offered for the first time ever at auction, this incredibly early and well-documented GT350 Fastback is surely among the finest examples of its rarified breed. Having been previously restored with an extraordinary attention to detail, the fact that it comes supplied with a trove of important Shelby American documentation and is still powered by its numbers-matching engine are both tremendous supplements to its already-considerable allure.