Swedish title
Chassis n° SFM 5S 070

- Genuine Shelby GT 350
- Rare, one of the first 100 produced
- Continuing Swedish history
- Ex Tom Trana

This Mustang Shelby GT 350 is rare since it bares a two digit chassis number. This means that it was part of the very first series produced with the aim of getting homologation for SCCA competition. This first version is the sportiest of all 350's that responded to Carroll Shelby's radical choices before the model was gradually distorted by the commercial departments of the giant Ford.
This car, one of the first to be imported to Europe, had been ordered new by a director of a construction company called Myresjö Hus located in Kalmar, Sweden. He had been encouraged by his brother living in the US and was immediately seduced by this new Shelby. When the car was unloaded at the port in Göteborg, Tom Trana, a young rally driver, was working there at the time. Talented, Trana had won the 1963 and 1964 RAC rallies as an official driver for Volvo, and also won the 1964 European Championship, finishing first at both the Acropolis Rally and Norwegian Rally. It was therefore naturally his task to deliver the new Shelby to its owner, all the way to Kalmar. He liked the experience so much that he kept on convincing the owner to sell it to him, which he did after a few months.
He kept the car for two years, after which it passed through the hands of several owners during the next two decades before joining a true enthusiast, Lars Rindeskär. He embarked on a partial restoration looking for specific Shelby pieces that had disappeared over time. The original V8 had been replaced by a Code K 289ci engine which was then fitted with Shelby parts like the rocker covers, Shelby crankcase, and intake manifold. Everything has been done to restore the car to its original condition.
In the 1990s the car was purchased from the dealer Staffan Kaiser by the current owner who sold it 10 years later and immediately bought it back from the same Staffan Kaiser. Very active in historic competition at the wheel of prestigious cars, he had the GT 350 prepared to entrust it to his son, but the latter preferred to use other cars among those of his father. So the Shelby GT 350 hasn't raced and is eligible for the world's most beautiful events, with its racing front bumper, special rims and bucket seats. It is of course sold with its original rims, steering wheel and seats which will complement the dashboard modified at the time by Peter Brock to accommodate a rev counter in its specific position. Rare, the first versions are particularly attractive because they present the quintessence of Carroll Shelby ideas to make this car a real sports car, working on its weight and its road handling. Lee Iaccoca, director of Ford, had in fact asked the Texan to help change the image of the Mustang, considered as a "secretary's car". Shelby masterfully accomplished the transformation, the GT 350 then skimmed the tracks to finally convince car enthusiasts of its sporting qualities.
The car we offer is a valuable representative of this significant model with an outstanding Swedish history.

For more information and photos: https://www.artcurial.com/fr/lot-1965-mustang-shelby-gt-350-3980-123

Photos © Peter Gunnars