From the Classifieds: 1966 Ford Shelby GT 350H

Any car affixed with a Shelby badge is virtually guaranteed legendary status, and the Shelby GT 350 derived from the mid-1960s Ford Mustang is no exception.

Brought up to speed by Carroll Shelby’s operation in the Los Angeles area from a basic, body-in-white Mustang fastback delivered from Ford’s factory in San Jose, the GT 350 received a thorough powertrain and chassis makeover.

Track-focussed and ready to rock from the moment it emerged from the Shelby workshop, the Shelby GT 350 was powered by a worked-over Windsor 289ci (4.7-litre) V8 producing 228kW/446Nm (up 26kW over the original factory engine) with the help of a four-barrel Holley 715 CFM carburettor, high-rise manifolds and free-flow headers.

The Shelby GT 350 was built with the racetrack in mind and the more-focussed 1965 version remains the one that’s most coveted today.

Originally only available in Wimbledon White, the Shelby GT 350 dropped ‘Mustang’ from its title in 1966 and began offering various hues, including black, red green and blue.

The 1966 Shelby GT 350 was more suited to the street and subtly different to look at, thanks to the adoption of functional scoops for the front brakes and the replacement of the vents in the rear pillars with plexiglass windows.

Interestingly, 1966 was the year in which Ford did a deal with the Hertz corporation, which acquired 1000 Shelby GT 350s – titled GT 350H – for its rental fleet with the agreement to eventually return them for refurbishing before being sold to the general public.

The 1966 Shelby GT 350 was less a full-on racer than a tractable road car with underlying track potential.

To better suit the needs of a renter (although many of them were actually raced), the 1966 GT 350 made an auto transmission available as an option over the 1965 model’s four-speed manual gearbox, along with an also-optional rear seat.

And one of those 1000 Hertz cars is this stunning black/gold 1966 Shelby GT 350H which is now offered through carsales, at $385,000 – right at the top end of current GT 350 prices.

A resident of Australia for more than 25 years, the black/gold Shelby is located in Exeter, NSW, and according to its owner is in “impeccable original condition”.

It has under-axle traction bars (the 1965 GT 350 had top-mounted bars), a steel-framed bonnet, plexiglass quarter-rear windows, quick-ratio steering, power front disc brakes, 9000rpm tacho and 14-inch Magnum 500 wheels with Hertz centre caps. The Shelby GT 350 is also fitted with a rear seat.

Listed on the Shelby American Registry, this GT 350 is definitely one out of the box and looks like a solid acquisition for a discerning muscle car collector.

See more of the classic Shelby GT 350 on carsales

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