Minnesota Man Owns Two of the Rarest Mustang Models In Existence
Imagine owning both a ’66 GT350 H and a ’69 GT500 vert, with only 1,335 ever made between them, with a touching origin story for both.
In the lovely state of Minnesota, two rare Mustangs, a 1969 Shelby GT500 and a 1966 Mustang GT350 sit quietly in a large garage owned by their lucky owner, Greg Adams. West Fargo Pioneer’s automotive segment, Rides With Jay Thomas, let the audience in on the fact that Adams owns a lot more Shelby’s than just the two that are included in the video, but asked Adams about these two specifically. One because it’s incredibly rare and in stellar condition, and the other has a story so rich Adams could probably pitch a movie about it and get it.
The first Shelby in Thomas’ video was the ’69 GT500 convertible with the 428 Cobra Jet engine. Consequently, 1969 was the year that Ford and Shelby were ceasing production of their show-stopping heart throbs. The model that Adams owns was one of only 335 ever made — making the car he bought in the ’80’s worth a truck load more than what he paid for it back then. Despite the rarity, Adams divulged to Thomas that he drives it a lot. Though, only when it’s sunny outside.
The 428 Cobra Jet engine that’s nestled underneath the hood is all original, and Adams only has about 83,000 original miles on it. What’s incredible about the 428 Cobra Jet engine is the history behind it: The engine was created for and used by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), and was fairly successful when it was put into Mustangs meant to roar on the race track. Six Mustangs were fitting with them, four ended up in finals, and one winning a class victory with the Super Stock Eliminator prize. The incredible V8 whipped up a whopping 335 hp, which was a lot for the time, and pulled with 445 ft lbs of torque. Putting an engine this powerful into a car that sat light on a mostly fiberglass body meant one thing: Speed. And lots of it.
It was powerful, no doubt, and had lots of racing potential. What didn’t, though, was the cooling system. After a while of being on the track, they were known to overheat. But, it was the 428 Cobra Jet that paved the way for the Super Cobra Jet engine. As far as maintenance goes, he claims he hasn’t had to do much. He admitted he’d pulled the engine to “tighten things up,” like fresh rings, gaskets and wires, but otherwise it hasn’t been touched. Adams’ wife enjoys driving the Mustang the most, and while he is scared that it might be damaged, he says confidently that a garage is no home for a car like that.
“There’s really nothing special to this car, other than it being special. It is very special,” said Thomas, as he admired the car. “You just don’t see a lot of these.”
The second Mustang featured was this 1966 Shelby GT350. Obviously, just from the screenshot anyone could see that this particular vehicle has certainly seen better days. Though, that’s what makes this car special to both Thomas and Adams. Originally, this car was a rental car – one of 1,000 to ever be rentable. Now, you might be thinking: “Wait, in 1966 anyone could rent one of these kicks in the pants?” You’d be wrong, actually. This is one of those cases where it sounds too good to be true. In order to be able to rent a Shelby GT350 from Hertz, you had to be a member of the Sports Car Club of America.
That small road block for the public didn’t mean the cars were necessarily safe, though. If you were a member of the Sports Car Club of America and had access to a car like this for only $17 a day, wouldn’t you drive the thing like you stole it? Anyone in their right mind did – and that’s exactly what happened. Adams’ car is a shining example as to why the public can’t have nice things.
“What happened is people would rent these out for cheap, and then take them straight to race track or a drag strip, and beat the absolute hell out them,” said Thomas, with Adams nodding in agreement. “And who wouldn’t for only $17 a day?”
Adams also mentioned that most of the rental Mustangs were actually manual transmission, but after taking so many beatings at the track, they started experiencing clutch issues. To remedy that problem, Ford swapped out all manuals with automatic transmissions. It didn’t keep people from beating them into the ground, though, so soon they were pulled from the lots altogether. Now we see why renting a car that’s even remotely fast is more expensive than one that isn’t. Because of the people who took advantage of the GT350s. Thanks, guys.
Now, despite the number 350 being plastered everywhere on the car, how come it’s got a 289 engine? Well, that’s a funny story.
“When Ford and Shelby were trying to name this, Ford was listing off names and Carol didn’t like any of them,” said Adams. “Carol turned to Phil Remington and asked, ‘How far is it from the racing shop to the production shop?’ and he said, ‘Oh, about 350 feet,’ and Shelby said, ‘Cool, that’s what we’ll name it. 350.'”
Adams scooped up this car from a man who originally sought to restore the car, and used the hood as a place to mix paint. Now, the car bears signs of the man’s attempted restoration. The owner before that did work on the carburetor, which ended up being a botched job that turned into a fire. So, around the edges of the hood scoop and on the underside of the hood, the charred paint tells the story.
Adams adopted the idea of restoring it, but changed his mind shortly after. Not even the parts slightly burned by the fire. He says that when he looks at the car, it’s like looking back into 1966 – and restoring that would only take away from the stories that are stitched into the surprisingly clean interior. Or, in this car’s case, also burned, welded, forcefully dented, or spilled onto the paint. Adams enjoys the conversation that comes from the car’s aesthetic, and doesn’t want to bury it with restoration. And who could blame them? It’s like scars on people: Everyone loves the classic conversation opener of, “Where’d you get that scar?” The ’69 GT500 is an instant attraction given its rarity, but the ’66 is one that draws in the most people. Adams loves his Mustangs – but he loves the stories just the same.
Photos: Screenshots
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