Ford Mustang: 1964-1966

Enter Shelby
For an even hotter package, Cobra-charmer Carroll Shelby introduced his version of the Mustang in 1965. The Shelby-American GT350 used a seriously modified version of the hi-performance 298 belting out a muscular 306 hp. The brakes and suspension were radically upgraded and wider wheels helped the GT350 to perform on par with more expensive 327 Corvettes. For racing, the GT350R model was lighter than the street car by 300 pounds and was pumped up to 360 hp. The GT350R won the SCCA B-Production national championships from 1965 to 1967.

Market Share
The Mustangs pretty much had the sporty sedan market to themselves. Even though the Plymouth Barracuda was also introduced in 1964, it was obviously a mere facelift on the Valiant compact and only 88,039 were sold in 1964 and 1965. The Mustang had sold 680,989 cars in the same time, which broke all records for new model introductions.


For 1966, Ford wisely did not mess with the winning formula. The single grill bar in front was replaced with several thin bars, except for the GT package which kept the '65-style grill with rally lights. Inside, the flat, boring standard dashboard of the '65 model was upgraded with the five-gauge dash from the old GT. The engine choices were reduced, with a single six and three 289s available. Sales were again off the charts, with 607,568 cars sold. The GT350 was made more streetable (and, unfortunately, slower), although it would sell 2,380 cars versus 562 the year before.


The following year would be much tougher for the Mustang when GM released their Camaros and Firebirds to do battle. We'll see how the Mustang fought back in our next installment.