AFX
1965 Ford Mustang GT350R
Ken Miles White / Blue
Launched in 1964, the Ford Mustang was a trendsetter. Relatively compact, the car was aimed
at young people for its affordability and sporty nature. The product was so popular it was the
most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A and sold a million cars in less than two
years. It even created a class all its own: The “Pony” Car.
Of course, more is always better and by mid-1964, just as the first Mustangs were hitting the
streets, Lee Iaccoca sought out Carroll Shelby to create a racing version of the Mustang.
Shelby had only months to build a better handling, harder-hitting powerhouse if it was to
compete in SCCA's B Production class. A full roll cage was added to meet competition
regulations. For extra drama, qualifying for the SCCA class required production of no less than
100 street-legal examples. Engineered by Chuck Cantwell, Ken Miles helmed the mechanical
development with designer Peter Brock on the graphics. They were completed just in time for
the 1965 season.
The GT 350R’s first test was Valentine’s Day, 1965, at the Green Valley Raceway in Texas. With
Ken Miles behind the wheel, the 289 cubic inch (4.7L) K-code V8 engine, Cobra hi-rise intake
manifold, a Holley 715-cfm four-barrel carburetor, tubular Tri-Y exhaust headers, and glasspack
mufflers, the prototype race won the day. Lap after lap Miles drove it with such ferocity he
launched the car over a rise, getting the entire thing airborne. A photographer caught the
moment where all four wheels floated above the track, earning the monicker “The Flying
Mustang.” Shelby ran with it, promoting their cars with the slogan “See, our Mustangs really
Fly.”
35 years later, the same car would be sold at auction for the price of $3.8 million, making it the
most expensive Mustang ever sold.
AFX brings Miles’ Shelby Mustang to you in exquisite detail, honoring the legend of this iconic
machine.
CHASSIS TYPE: Mega G+ Long (1.7”) Wheelbase
