7 Fascinating Facts on the History of the Shelby Mustang
3/12/15, 02:03 PM
#1
TMS Staff
Thread Starter
7 Fascinating Facts on the History of the Shelby Mustang
Including fact No. 3: To this day, nobody knows what ever happened to the first two Mustang coupes used to develop the original Shelby Mustangs.
Read the rest on the Mustang Source homepage. >>
3/12/15, 06:04 PM
#2
FR500 Member
That's a great piece of history. I enjoyed reading the article.
I always thought it was a hoot that according to legend, it was called the GT350 because it was 350 steps (or feet) from Carroll Shelby's office to the production floor. It's also said that the GT40 was so named because it was 40" from roof to the ground.
I was 13 years old in 1965 when I saw my first GT350 in my hometown. I had no idea who or what a Shelby was, but it was just the coolest car any kid growing up in the 60's could see. I think I fell in love with the Shelby Mustang before I even kissed a girl.
What left an impression on me most was "Asphalt Angel" painted in Guardsman Blue script on the fenders behind the wheel openings. Now, everytime I see an original '65 GT350, it always seems as if it's missing something.
I always said that if I was ever fortunate enough to own any year GT350 (hopefully in Wimbledon White), I would have have Asphalt Angel II painted on the fenders in tribute, purists be damned. Hmmm....'16 GT350? Well, I can dream, can't I?
I always thought it was a hoot that according to legend, it was called the GT350 because it was 350 steps (or feet) from Carroll Shelby's office to the production floor. It's also said that the GT40 was so named because it was 40" from roof to the ground.
I was 13 years old in 1965 when I saw my first GT350 in my hometown. I had no idea who or what a Shelby was, but it was just the coolest car any kid growing up in the 60's could see. I think I fell in love with the Shelby Mustang before I even kissed a girl.
What left an impression on me most was "Asphalt Angel" painted in Guardsman Blue script on the fenders behind the wheel openings. Now, everytime I see an original '65 GT350, it always seems as if it's missing something.
I always said that if I was ever fortunate enough to own any year GT350 (hopefully in Wimbledon White), I would have have Asphalt Angel II painted on the fenders in tribute, purists be damned. Hmmm....'16 GT350? Well, I can dream, can't I?
Last edited by TripleBlack14; 3/12/15 at 06:05 PM.
3/13/15, 06:22 AM
#3
Legacy TMS Member
Aside from the Mustang badge itself, there’s no name more synonymous with the Ford pony car than Shelby. Especially not when it comes to performance. Just ask Ford, which is why they decided to bring back the nameplate as an addition to the new line-up of Mustangs.
For many, the name Shelby means even more than performance. It’s also a level of deep respect for the legendary Carroll Shelby and everything he’s done to improve the cars over the years.
Yet a lot of people don’t really know the history of how the first Shelby came to be, which is why a recent Hot Rod report struck such a cord with us here at The Mustang Source.
Focused on one of the very first Shelby Mustangs, the piece is loaded with interesting facts about the car that you should really know. But if you’re strapped for time, we pulled seven things from the story that we think every Mustang fan would appreciate.
1. The development of the first Shelby Mustangs began in 1964 with two Mustang coupes sent to Shelby’s shop in Venice, California.
2. The initial team for the Shelby Mustang program included Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, Phil Remington, and Ford’s chief suspension engineer, Klaus Arning.
3. To this day, nobody knows what ever happened to the first two coupes used to develop the original Shelby Mustang.
4. The first two production Shelbys were built as competition models (R-models).
5. The very first Shelby (pictured) was initially identified as “SFM5001” — as denoted by a hand-scrawled marking above the firewall.
6. Later, the first Shelby Mustang’s identification was officially changed to SFM5S003 to be sold as a production model.
7. Mark Hovander is the current owner of the first Shelby Mustang
there ya go the whole article here in one place
For many, the name Shelby means even more than performance. It’s also a level of deep respect for the legendary Carroll Shelby and everything he’s done to improve the cars over the years.
Yet a lot of people don’t really know the history of how the first Shelby came to be, which is why a recent Hot Rod report struck such a cord with us here at The Mustang Source.
Focused on one of the very first Shelby Mustangs, the piece is loaded with interesting facts about the car that you should really know. But if you’re strapped for time, we pulled seven things from the story that we think every Mustang fan would appreciate.
1. The development of the first Shelby Mustangs began in 1964 with two Mustang coupes sent to Shelby’s shop in Venice, California.
2. The initial team for the Shelby Mustang program included Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, Phil Remington, and Ford’s chief suspension engineer, Klaus Arning.
3. To this day, nobody knows what ever happened to the first two coupes used to develop the original Shelby Mustang.
4. The first two production Shelbys were built as competition models (R-models).
5. The very first Shelby (pictured) was initially identified as “SFM5001” — as denoted by a hand-scrawled marking above the firewall.
6. Later, the first Shelby Mustang’s identification was officially changed to SFM5S003 to be sold as a production model.
7. Mark Hovander is the current owner of the first Shelby Mustang
there ya go the whole article here in one place
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