Better than Bullitt? Mustang Shelby GT350 much more bang for buck

So as I write this, the Bullitt Mustang just sold for an astounding $3.4 million hammer price, an amazing result. Would I have spent that if I could? Nope. While McQueen was cool, that kind of money for any Ford Mustang GT seems crazy, especially when you look at an alternate choice: the 1966 Shelby GT350.

The 1966 GT350 is the more-civilized Shelby Mustang when compared with the 1965. It also has the one-year-only quarter rear windows in place of the standard vents, which gives it a more European flair.

The Pick of the Day is a 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, a rare “carryover” example, which refers to how Shelby American continued Shelby Mustang production during a Ford plant shutdown by ordering 250 “K” Code 1965 Mustangs near the end of that model year’s production run.

In that way, they were able to keep building Shelby GT350s until they received their shipment of 1966 Mustangs for conversion. Those 250 cars, and two 1966 prototypes, are 252 cars that started life as 1965 Mustangs, but then were converted into 1966 GT350s.

This also makes them among the rarest Shelby cars as they are different in small ways from either the ‘65 or a ‘66 GT350s.

This GT350 is No. 69 of the 252 carryover cars, according to the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, dealer advertising the Shelby on ClassicCars.com. It carries the VIN SFM6S096, with matching chassis and engine numbers, according to the Shelby registry. It was originally delivered to Max Curtis INC of Lansing, Michigan, on September 30, 1965.

The original invoice on this GT350 shows a new-car price of $3,547, plus $30 for Lemans Stripes, $40 for a rear seat., and $64.75 Freight, for a total of $3,681.75.

This GT350 is apparently a top-notch example, as the seller notes that it received a second place in the Shelby American Automobile Club meet in 2015 and a third place in 2019.

The asking price of $265,000 really looks like a very good deal when compared with the high bid on the Bullitt car.  

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.