My Cousin's 1966 Shelby Mustang GT 350

This picture was taken a few years ago at Sebring.  The car now wears narrower stock, steel, GT 350 wheels with period-correct radials, which make it easier to drive on the street.  (They are shown in the picture in my 10/25/12 post.)  I prefer the looks of the American Racing Torque Thrust wheels in this picture, which were a standard option in 1966.

This car is in original, unrestored condition.  It was purchased new in Iowa but spent most of its life in southern California, much of that in storage.  It has clocked 66,000 miles, most of them by two of the four owners, one of which is my cousin.

I love the sound of this car.  Goose the gas three times before turning the key and it lights up into a noisy, solid-lifter clatter.  I turned to my cousin after we'd spent about 20 minutes in it and said "This car is the sound track of our youth!"  Shelby installed low-restriction mufflers on GT 350's, and you get plenty of noise whenever you dip into the throttle.  And at cruising speeds.  My cousin has installed a Tremec 5-speed (the original Borg-Warner T-10 is on a shelf), but the car still makes more revs at cruising speeds than my 2008 Mustang.  The axle gears are about 3.90:1 ratio, I suppose, maybe even 4:11: 1 (my car is 3.73:1).  The Shelby feels 10% higher geared...

It is a beast to drive.  I had the impression that even the early, hard-core, Shelby Mustangs of 1965 and 1966 did not drive like muscle cars because they were small blocks.  Not so.  The clutch requires a hard push, and it pushes right back.  It modulates fine (the car is hard to stall), but the muscles of your left calf will be in good shape if you drive the car frequently.

No power steering or brakes--and I had forgotten how much I take for granted modern power systems with good feel for what's going on at the contact patch.  You have to haul on the high-geared steering to get the car around a street corner.  My cousin says the brakes will stop the car quick if you stomp on the pedal.  I didn't drive it that hard.  But I found myself consistently under-braking and running out of room: I expected a servo to kick in, but of course it never did.  The linearity of the brakes is fine, but you need to push on the pedal if you want to stop.

On the other hand, the M-1 Mustang is noticeably smaller than my S-197.  Visibility in all directions is great--I had forgotten how airy the cabins of 1960's cars feel.  Your eyes are well above the hood line and yes, you can rest your arm on the windowsill.  When my cousin was driving and I was following him, I could see most of his shirt above the back of the bucket seat.  With modern servo assists, a Shelby GT 350 would feel more maneuverable and agile than an S-197.

But not faster, in a straight line.  I believe my Mustang could stay with a GT 350 in a drag race, and probably beat it.  Apparently, overhead cams, 3 valves per cylinder, and port fuel-injection trump solid lifters and a 4-barrel on a hi-rise manifold.  The rated horsepower of the cars is close, 315 vs. 306, and my car is heavier--by 300 lbs., I'd guess.  But it feels faster, even with the taller rear axle gears.

The GT 350's noise is glorious, but a day behind the wheel would leave me frazzled.  It's not an around-town car: parking would be a chore, even if you didn't worry about dents in a very valuable car.  It's not a day-trip car: too noisy.  It's an afternoon on two-lanes car.  Fortunately for him, my cousin lives an hour or so from the mountains of GA, NC, and TN--the perfect environment for a GT 350.

The office: this is the way the car came from Shelby; the tach and its location are standard.  Flanking the speedometer is a full complement of gauges.  The gearshift throws are about the same as a modern car, but felt longer to me.  Everything takes effort.  On the early GT-350's you could get any interior color you liked--as long as it was black.

"Are we having fun yet?  Yes we are!"  My cousin is a big guy--6'-3".  He easily fits behind the wheel.