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This is the third of CM's masterpieces...and possibly its most endearing. The GT350 appeared right on the heels of the intro of the first Mustang. This model has great detail...the engine's completely wired, decals are proper and perfectly placed, the interior is accurate right down to the dials on the instruments...which are legible...quite so!!!. The battery's in the trunk, as it should be, and the vinyl trunk mat is a dead ringer for the original. The car's finished in Wimbledon White with very correctly applied Guards Blue metallic racing stripes. This model is a must for all Mustang fans...it even features folding front bucket seats...and this is a model designed in 1989. The Mints only inaugurated this feature within the past year. (06/30/1998)
CM SHELBY MUSTANG G.T.350, BLACK ENGINE VERSION by Tony Perrone (tperrone@ocas.com). A bit of mystery enshrouds this model. So did my research of the real item. Well into 1964, Ford enlisted Carroll Shelby to administer a vitamin supplement to the Mustang for competition with the Corvette. The basic cars came from Ford's San Jose plant minus rear seats and hoods. Shelby received the 562 Mustangs and equipped 550 for the street and 12 as full race units. The engines for the fastbacks were modified from 289ci 271 hp, to 306hp @ 6000 rpm OHV Cobra V-8's. Above the new aluminum high rise manifold, sat a Holley 715 cfm 4bbl carb. Hand built tuned exhaust, 1" lowered front suspension, and a Cobra battery mounted in the trunk for better weight distribution, gave them a new attitude. A fiberglass hood with functional scoop, 1" sway bar, Koni adjustable shocks and top mounted rear traction bars, were added. A "no-spin" 9-inch rear end and 19:1 quick ratio steering rounded out the configuration. On 1/27/65 the Shelby Mustang G.T.350 was born. With factory installed Shelby aluminum wheels at $273, the car sold through your local Ford dealership for $4,547.
The mystery is of the so-called, "error version" of the CM model. Produced with a black engine, only a few have turned up. The only variation from the standard model is the engine color, the black grill and a slightly longer antenna. The majority have blue engines. Checking with various Mustang and Shelby sites including the Shelby American Automobile Club, seven different members tell me ALL engines for Mustang and the Shelby G.T.350 for 1965 are black! In 1966 and later, all were blue (received images prove this}. The 1:1 Shelby Mustang G.T.350 used for the measuring and photos for the 1965 replica, was owned, Revell-Monogram VP Roger Harney tells me, by a man in Salinas, California. His engine was blue. The black engine version of the replica, in small hard to find numbers, appears to actually be the "correct version"! CM's code number is 8820 on the black engine version and 8865 on the blue. (12/26/1998)
(12/26/1998)
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