Book Review: Mustang Masterpieces
Featuring the Cars of Carroll Shelby
Review by Russell Purcell
There are a lot of books written about the Ford Mustang, but it is easy to forget that the car has been around for the better part of five decades. Author Jerry Heasley’s latest release, Mustang Masterpieces, is different, as he has chosen to focus his attention on those Mustangs that have a connection to American automotive legend Carroll Shelby.
The book begins with a short foreword by Shelby, who has been a personal friend of the author for the past 25 years. From this we learn that Carroll has great respect for Heasley, and acknowledges that he would consider him an expert on Shelby products and automobiles. Jerry’s knowledge is firsthand, and is supported by interviews conducted with all the major players, including Shelby himself.
The book begins with a look at how Carroll Shelby came to prominence on the world stage with his stunning Cobra race cars. The success for Ford, which provided the engines for Shelby-American, helped give the blue oval the high-performance image it needed. When the Ford Mustang debuted in the spring of 1964, Ford brass called upon Carroll Shelby to help them promote their new pony car through road racing. In 1965, the Shelby GT 350 dominated SCCA racing, and a partnership that is still going strong today, was formed.
What makes this book compelling is the fact that it is not just a fact-based, chronological history. Instead, the author fills the book with stories of real people and their involvement with significant Shelby automobiles.
One such story is that of Mark Gillette and his quest for SFM5002. This is the serial number of the first competition Shelby Mustang, a 1965 Shelby GT 350R, that can now be seen on display at the Shelby Collection in Boulder, Colorado. The car was found tucked away in Mexico, where it had been hidden for decades after finishing its days on the race track. The author doesn’t divulge the purchase price, but hints that it was a relative bargain, especially when compared to its estimated current value of one million dollars (even in un-restored condition!)
Another iconic name in the automotive world is Vic Edelbrock. The intake manifold king enjoys spending time with his two daughters vintage racing a pair of “user-friendly” 1966 GT 350s. Daughter Christi says the appeal of the car is that “they are forgiving,” and that “they are safe.”
In 1966, Hertz, the car rental company, ordered 1,000 Shelby GT 350s. Shelby American painted most of them in the Hertz corporate colours (black and gold), but the author’s research revealed that 200 of the cars were painted in four other colours: white, red, blue and green. Due to the size of the order, the cars were given a unique model designation – GT 350H. I was intrigued to learn that it was Carroll Shelby’s ingenious idea to approach the car rental company in an effort to boost his own company’s sales. In short order, he doubled his output! I was even more intrigued by the fact that many of these cars could be bought from the company a year later for a song! Makes you wish time travel was a reality.
Alain Bailey of Hood River, Oregon is the subject of another “barn find” story. The original owner had held on to a 1966 GT 350H for 37 years before selling the tired-looking car to Bailey due to a divorce. Evidently he had planned to keep it forever, as he knew that the car was special, but circumstances change. Heasley mentions that a local tavern owner had offered his business in trade for the car at one point.
The Ivy Green Shelby GT 350 featured mid-book is a special car. In 1966, Shelby-America offered the option of fitting a Paxton supercharger. Only eleven cars were ordered this way, but 6S051 is the only one to receive a special stripe package on its rocker panel that designated it as a GT 350S. A little research eventually revealed that this car was the prototype for the supercharged cars, and was, in fact, the first Shelby Mustang to be painted another colour besides white.
The only 1967 Shelby GT 500 convertible in existence is actually a prototype as well, but its story is shrouded in mystery. The meat of the story is that the car was on loan to a Ford Motor Company executive who was visiting California with his girlfriend. Apparently, at some point his girlfriend took off with the car and did not return. To protect the identity of the executive, no stolen car report was filed. The car would turn up years later and would need the detective skills of both Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby to prove it actually existed!
My favourite tale in this book is called “The Saga of the Shepler Church Road Shelby.” This is the story of a 1967 Shelby GT 350 that sat on the side of a gravel driveway for fifteen years sporting a large sign on its windshield proclaiming, “DON’T STOP. DON’T ASK. NOT FOR SALE.” After polite persistence, the car eventually found a new owner who has restored the car to its original glory. I hope he kept the sign.
There are chapters dedicated to other unique Shelby cars including the one and only 1969 GT 350 BOSS 302, a car that is basically a Boss 302 fitted with Shelby fenders, front grille, hood, and other trim pieces. Also, the 1969 Shelby De Mexico, a line of GT 350 Cobras built from Mustang coupes assembled in Mexico City. A law required that 45 percent of the parts be manufactured in Mexico, so the car featured long rear pillars to mimic the fastback roofline of its American made counterpart, a Mexican 302, and a special hood with three scoops instead of five.
Modern Shelby Mustangs are the focus of the latter chapters of the book and include the 2006 Shelby GT-H program, the supercharged V6 Mustang CS6, 2007 (40th Anniversary) Shelby GT500, 2007 Shelby GT500 Super Snake, and 2008 Shelby GT500 KR, among others. The author also delves deeper into the life of Carroll Shelby, his company today, the enthusiasm of his many fans and Shelby enthusiasts, and the good work done by the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation. If you are a fan of Shelby automobiles or the man himself, this book is worth tracking down.
Mustang Masterpieces: Featuring the Cars of Carroll Shelby
Author: Jerry Heasley
http://www.krausebooks.com/
ISBN-13: 978-0-89689-724-3
Price: CAN $38.00
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