Shelby GT350 History
History
The GT350 launched the Shelby Mustang line: the first car, a 1965 GT350 in Wimbledon White, debuted on January 27, 1965. Built from the Mustang fastback with a hopped-up 289 V8 and serious chassis work, it was a barely-civilised racer — 562 were built in 1965, including 34 competition GT350R cars that dominated SCCA B-Production. For 1966 the car softened slightly for the street, and the famous black-and-gold GT350H 'rent-a-racer' was supplied to Hertz (about 1,000 cars).
The original GT350 ran through the redesigned 1967 cars and into the 1968 'Cobra' era before Carroll Shelby ended his Ford agreement in 1969; leftover 1969 cars were retitled as 1970 models under FBI supervision, ending the classic run.
Ford Performance revived the GT350 nameplate for the 2016 model year on the S550 Mustang, powered by the 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank 'Voodoo' V8 making 526 hp and revving to 8,250 rpm — the highest-revving production V8 Ford had built. The track-focused GT350R added aero and carbon-fiber wheels. The modern GT350 and GT350R were discontinued after the 2020 model year.
Generations
-
Original GT350 · First-generation Mustang
The original Carroll Shelby Mustang: a 289-powered fastback racer (1965 GT350R, 1966 Hertz GT350H), through the 1967 redesign to the final retitled 1970 cars.
-
Modern GT350 · S550 Voodoo
Photo: “Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (2016) (52451276203).jpg” by Charles from Port Chester, New York / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
Ford Performance revival on the S550 Mustang — the 5.2L flat-plane-crank 'Voodoo' V8 (526 hp); debuted as a limited 2015 MY (137 cars) then full production 2016–2020 with the track-special GT350R.
-
2015 Photo: “2015 Shelby Mustang GT350R (20993692720).jpg” by Sicnag / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
-
2016 Photo: “2016 Ford Shelby GT350 (20033823472).jpg” by Mustang Joe / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0
-
2017 Photo: “Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (2017) (54206641571).jpg” by Charles from Port Chester, New York / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
-
2018 Photo: “Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (2018) (54092580864).jpg” by Charles from Port Chester, New York / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
-
2020 Photo: “Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (2020) (53994428825).jpg” by Charles from Port Chester, New York / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
-
Body styles
- Fastback
- Coupe
Notable special editions & performance variants
-
GT350R (original)
Competition version of the 1965 GT350, stripped and race-prepped for SCCA B-Production; only 34 built.
-
GT350H (Hertz)
The black-and-gold 'rent-a-racer' supplied to Hertz; about 1,000 built, many returned worse for wear after weekend racing.
-
GT350R (modern)
Track-focused version of the modern GT350 with added aero, no rear seat, and carbon-fiber wheels.
Related models