ORIGINAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1968 SHELBY GT350 HERTZ # 1146
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional example of this original southern California 'Black License Plate' rust free and accident free 1968 Shelby 302 4BBL V8 Fastback built in Metuchen in 1/1968 and sold in 1968 at 'Robert H. Loud Ford' in Pasadena, CA loaded with rare factory options of:
J - 302 4BBL V8 GT350
T - BUILT AT METUCHEN 1/12/1968 SERIAL # 149347
SHELBY UNIT NUMBER SCHEDULED FOR PRODUCTION # 1146
63B - SHELBY 2 DOOR FASTBACK
T - ORIGINALLY CANDYAPPLE RED REPAINTED DARK GRAY
5A - BLACK KNIT VINYL LUXURY BUCKET SEATS
8D2596 - HO RESERVE ORDERING DISTRICT DSO # 2596
8 - 3.50 CONVENTIONAL REAR AXLE
W - C4 SELECT SHIFT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SOLD NEW AT ROBERT H LOUD FORD IN PASADENA, CA
SHOULDER HARNESSES
HERTZ RENT A RACER
VISIBILITY GROUP
WHEEL LIP MOLDINGS
SPORT DECK REAR SEAT
POWER DISC BRAKES
POWER STEERING
TILT AWAY STEERING WHEEL
AIR CONDITIONER - SELECTAIRE
AM RADIO
TINTED GLASS
HEAVY DUTY BATTERY
TACHOMETER & TRIP ODOMETER
THIS VEHICLE IS ONE OF:
613 WITH THIS PAINT CODE
458 WITH THESE PAINT/TRIM CODES
525 WITH THESE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION CODES
1,053 ORDERED AS SHELBY GT 350'S
224 WITH HERTZ RENT-A-RACER
FOR THE 1968 SHELBY 2 DOOR FASTBACKS
SOLD WITH DELUXE MARTI REPORT
CARROLL SHELBY SIGNED
- 302 CI engine block with Ford VIN clearly stamped
- Original transmission and rear end with original axle tag still in place
- Original seat belts with factory tags, headliner, dash, upholstery and carpet
- Rust free, original body panels and Shelby fiberglass parts
- Original trunk and trunk mat
Ford's biggest success of the sixties and the originator of the 'Pony car' concept was essentially a sporty compact car but with a now legendary long hood and short deck proportions, built on Falcon and Fairlane chassis and drive-train components, the Ford Mustang was introduced in April 1964 as '65 models and within a year became the fastest selling car of all time; with these early production cars now carrying special favor! The upgraded V8 from the Falcon six cylinder engine was the 260 c.i. V8 produced on the same assembly line with other 1964 Fords, the early models were titled as 1965 models although they were actually from the 1964 production era. After September 1964 the 260 V8 was dropped in favor of the larger 289 V8 high performance 'A' code 289/225HP 4 barrel V8 or the top--f-the-line 'K' code 289/270HP 4 barrel V8.
In 1965 Carroll Shelby created the high performance SHELBY MUSTANG, the impetus was to win the Sports Car Club of America's B Production road racing title, which it would go on to achieve three years running from 1965-67! What started as a specially supplied White Mustang 2+2 fastback from Fordin Shelby's small Venice, CA shop, was to become the now legendary Shelby GT350 with a warmed up n289 V8, Borg Warner T10 4 speed gearbox, heftier rear axle (from Ford's big Galaxie) metallic linings for the rear drum brakes, Mustang optional Kelsey-Hayes front disc brakes (with metal based pads), Koni adjustable shocks, cast aluminum wheels, and wide rocker panel and topside striping. A fiberglass hood with air scoop and tie downs replaced the normal steel item and the rear seat was omitted - a Shelby trick to qualify the GT350 as a two-seat 'sports car'.
A competition R model was also developed with a tuned and blueprinted Cobra 289 packing 340-360 bhp with an aluminum case transmission, bumperless fiberglass nose with an additional air intake, stripped interior and racing bucket seats and with a few examples having 4 wheel disc brakes and flared wheel-arches. No more than 30 of these very rare R models were built in 1965 along with a handful of drag cars. These days the 1965 model is considered the purest of all Shelby's and therefore is more valuable than the 1966 model although all 1965-66 should be considered 'blue chip' Shelbys. Most '66 GT 350's of which the first 250 or so were left over '65's had Plexiglass side windows instead of the fastbacks louvers, optional rear seat kit, revised grille, new side scoops and more paint/stripe options and 5 cars were fitted with the Paxton supercharger option that lifted horsepower above 400! In 1966 Shelby had 6 convertibles built as personal gifts for close friends.
Also in 1966 a limited production of the now legendary Shelby Hertz rental was introduced, painted Black & Gold, and delivered for Hertz rentals at the major U.S airports. many of these were notoriously abused by their renters and raced on the weekends which led Hertz to abandon the idea as an unprofitable headache! Amazingly fast on both tuns and straights, the GT350 has become one of the 1960's most collectible performance muscle cars.
The 1967-68 Shelby GT350 was to be the continuation of the race winning 1965-66 model but it was heavier and less technically specialized. The highlights continued with aprotruding fiberglass nose, plain 'mouth' grille, housing a central pair of driving lights, scoops applied ahead of the rear wheels and on roof quarters, a prominent decklid spoiler and wide tailights. Inside a thick padded roll bar housed inertia reel seat & shoulder belts and a new Shelby emblem - the coiled Cobra in anodized Gold. Horsepower was nominally unchanged but doubtless less owing to the deletion of the previous steel tube headers.
Also in 1967 Shelby introduced a big block GT500 to the lineup with Dearborns all new 428 Cobra jet engine which boasted 360 bhp along with the new styling features of the GT350. 1968 was also the first year to offer an optional automatic transmission, the continuation of the small block in the GT350 in the form of a 302 V8 and more convenient features with a somewhat huskier version of the 1967 look with a reshaped grille, wide hood nostrils as air intakes, Cougar tail lamps with sequential trun signals, even more scoops, all shared with the GT500 and the Gt500KR model with KR for 'King of the Road'. These KR's packed tuned 428's with big port heads from the racing 427 engine and larger intakes and exhaust systems. Some early production GT500's had 390 V8's installed, the result of a strike limiting 428 supplies and which can be very hard to spot without engine documentation. A convertible GT350 was also offered in '68.
Shelby production was to peak in 1968 with 1967 being the last Shelby built Mustang with Ford now handling the marketing and development and with the 1968 models built no longer at Shelby's California shop but at the A.O. Smith Company in MI.
In 1968, Shelby wanted to rekindle his relationship with Hertz Rent-a-Car in order to resurrect their "Rent-a-Racer" program with Shelby Mustangs as part of Hertz's Sports Car Club fleet. However, with their earlier experience still fresh in their memory, and after ordering only some 999 cars in 1966, they were to cut back even further with their program with Shelby in 1968 and cut 20 cities out of the program and scale back marketing with only 224 cars being known to be delivered according to the Shelby Registry, actually 223 according to Marti Report, and this time they ordered them in an array of colors, not only in Black & Gold as in 1966.
S/N 1146 seen here is one of the 223/4 built with a Deluxe Marti Report to document its build. It was delivered to Robert Loud Ford in Pasadena, CA in early 1968 and delivered to Hertz in March that year. After Hertz was finished with it, it went to an enthusiast who reportedly owned it until 2001 when it then went to the most recent owner who commissioned a rotisserie restoration on the very original car. It had no rust, so all of the original body panels were re-used and the car was stripped to bare metal and repainted in a very striking 'Chrysler Dark Slate Metallic' color with all the correct GT350H side striping and badging with a mixture of Gold paint and Gray metallic, overspray and detailing. Some twenty years on and after being stored in a climate controlled facility since the restoration the car presents extremely well.
The matching numbers engine and transmission were rebuilt and the engine is still mated to the original C4 automatic that all '68 Hertz cars had. It is also equipped with its original 9"rear end with 3.50 gears, power disc brakes, power steering, upgraded Selectaire air conditioning, tilt top steering wheel, AM radio, fold down rear seat, shoulder harness and tinted glass. The car has all new glass, weather stripping, and restored leather seat coverings and original Shelby 10 spoke wheels and original Shelby spare 10 spoke wheel. Caroll Shelby autographed the glove box door.
Included with the car is the Deluxe Marti Report and California Black Plate. The car has very few miles driven since completion and is arguably one of the finest stock examples of this very rare and fully documented and loaded Shelby GT350 'Rent a Racer's' in existence.
