It’s Official… GT350 Production is Ending, But What an Amazing Run

Today may mark the end of another GT350 era, but join us in celebrating this legendary Shelby Mustang by reading about these 10 iconic moments.

It’s official. As of this morning, Ford announced that the current generation Mustang Shelby GT350 will end production in 2020. This leaves available 2021 model year options as the GT500, Mach 1, GT, and EcoBoost. Here’s what Ford had to say:

With the 760 horsepower Shelby GT500 now in full stride, we will finish production of Shelby GT350 and GT350R this fall as planned. This makes the way for new additions to excite our passionate Mustang fans for 2021 model year – including the limited-edition Mach 1.

The great news is that the GT350 is going out with one final swan song, the Heritage Edition package — pictured above — which offers the one-year-only Whimbelton White paint with Guardsman Blue stripes color combo. We actually have one in for review now, so look for that shortly.

“So, Lee, you wanna make a racehorse out of a mule?” — Carol Shelby’s response when Lee Iacoccawas sent to recruit Shelby to make a special Mustang to hang the brand off.

In honor of the end of another GT350 era, we decided to put together a list of 10 amazing Shelby GT350 moments. So, let’s take a walk down history lane by considering ten key facets that have made the Shelby Mustang GT350 such a special part of motoring legend…

Built for Speed, Not Comfort

The story of Iacocca asking Shelby to make the Mustang special was far more than a Ford story. It was in effect the birth of the muscle car — one of the cornerstones of the Great American Dream. But it was built for one thing and one thing only, which was to go faster and win races. So, the GT350 wasn’t quite the user-friendliest tool in the shed when it broke cover back in ’65. There were two versions — the GT350 street car and 35 ready-to-race GT350Rs built to SCCA B-Production rules

Often called Cobras, the 1965 and ’66 GT 350s were small, light and nimble. Shelby, in this picture with the GT350 and a Cobra, slapped a 715 cfm 4-barrel Holley carburetor, a high-riser intake manifold, and Tri-Y exhaust headers onto the good old 289 cubic inch small block Windsor V8 to boost power from 271 to 310 hp at 329 lb-ft torque. The GT350 retained Mustang’s 4-speed manual and 9″ live rear axle, but Shelby also fitted larger Kelsey-Hayes front disc and larger Ford Galaxie rear drum brakes. And so the legend was born.

Click HERE to see 9 more ICONIC Shelby GT350 moments!
(note, you will be taken to our sister site, Ford Truck Enthusiasts)

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Michele Lupini

Once a handy engine and chassis tuner, and a combative racer and rally driver, Michele took up the pen to express his passion for cars, racing and motoring over 30 years ago. He published South Africa’s go-to enthusiast motor magazines Cars in Action and Bakkie — some say against all odds — for a quarter century. In that time, Michele had a hand in nurturing many of today’s SA motoring media leaders. Today Michele keeps himself busy with a variety of motoring media duties.