Shelby GT 350

The first Shelby version of the Mustang appeared in 1965. All '65 Shelbys were painted Ford "Wimbledon White", with (optional) "" (called Le Mans stripes) from nose to tail. Although most of the 1965 Shelby's you see today have Le Mans stripes, less than 40% of the 1965 GT 350's came factory equipped with them. All GT 350s featured rocker panel stripes with the GT350 name. The engine was a modified K-code 289ci Windsor V8 with special "Cobra" valve covers, tri-Y headers, a special intake manifold and Holley carburetor increased power from 271 to 306 hp (162 to 228 kW). Approximately the first 300 GT 350s produced were "rear battery" cars, meaning the car's batteries were trunk-mounted. Customer complaints of acid-fumes led to the creation of the Cobra Battery Caps, which vented the acid fumes outside of the car by way of hoses exiting through the trunk floor panels. An estimated 50 1965 GT 350s (around serial number 200) came equipped with the very rare Cobra battery caps. Vehicle production changed shortly thereafter, leaving the battery in the engine compartment. Today, the most desirable of the 1965 GT 350s are the units with factory installed rear batteries.