Having built lots of race cars, Carroll Shelby knew what to do to take
the Mustang’s “Falcon platform” and make it into a genuine racer. He knew what
to take out and what to put it. The end result was an instant legend. As if the
Corvettes had enough to deal with trying to catch the 427 Cobras, now they had
Shelby Mustangs closing in on their rears.
The ‘65 model of the Shelby
Mustang can be identified by the lack of the extra rear side windows as seen on
the ‘66 Shelby Mustang, but not the production Mustangs. It actually served a a
very functional part of the car. The extra side window opened up a large,
rear-view blind-spot for the race car driver.
Early Shelby Mustangs had
many variations due to parts availability. Shelby and his crew were also sorting
out parts that worked better. Plus, you have to factor in the customer’s
variations and the fact that some Shelby Mustangs never saw use on street roads,
only road racing tracks.
Be it a street or track Shelby Mustang, the cars
always had a special aire about them... a unique blend of the Mustang’s inherent
good looks and Shelby’s Texas style.
Told ya that Shelby knew what to put
in and what to take out.