The
Ford Mustang grew a size for the 1967 model year. Also the car became
more powerful with a 390 cid (6.4 litre) big-block option, which boasted
some 320 hp, considerably more than the racy Shelby GT-350 had to offer.
The power-output of the 1967 GT-350 even was reduced from 306 to 290 hp
to comply to noise restriction regulations. The
1967 Shelby Mustangs distinguished themselves from their more plain Ford
cousins with elaborate use of fiberglass. A larger fiberglass nose was
fitted, together with fiberglass hood, fenders and trunk lid. The hood
featured an intimidating dual air intake scoop and the cut-off rear end
showed an angular spoiler which blended into the rear fenders. The
plastic rear roof windows gave way to impressive air-extraction scoops.
A protruding lower front spoiler was a popular extra. The interior also looked the part. It was racy with shiny metal panels, a large variety of dials and clocks and of course bucket seats. To top it off a large black-finish roll bar with built-in inertia-reel seatbelts was fitted. Remarkably the 1967 Shelby Mustangs
were down-priced from the 1966 models. Where the 1966 GT-350 needed US$
4,600 to change owner, the 1967 GT-350 only took US$ 3,995 to buy (still
35% more than a standard Mustang). The new GT-500 was priced at US$
4,195. For high-performance cars they were unusually affordable. Here
you see the 428 cid V8 engine with the "Le Mans" cylinder heads
and the (1968) "Cobra Jet" air intake of the GT-500 shown on this page.
Really a piece of no-nonsense engineering: there's no substitute for
cubic inches (and oversized fittings) as they say in America. It's all
accessible and relatively easy to maintain for a thoroughbred car. The 1967 Shelby Mustangs can be regarded as the last true Shelbys and are the most interesting of all in my opinion. I love these cars, even without starting the engine you'll feel great in it. Still, production was relatively limited with 1,175 GT-350s and 2,050 GT-500s. Apparently there were a few (less than 50) GT500s produced with the 427 cid Medium Riser engine, which had starred before in the AC Shelby Cobra 427 Mk III. |