Having built lots of race cars, Carroll Shelby knew what to do to take the Mustang’s “Falcon platform” and make it into a genuine racer. He knew what to take out and what to put it. The end result was an instant legend. As if the Corvettes had enough to deal with trying to catch the 427 Cobras, now they had Shelby Mustangs closing in on their rears.

The ‘65 model of the Shelby Mustang can be identified by the lack of the extra rear side windows as seen on the ‘66 Shelby Mustang, but not the production Mustangs. It actually served a a very functional part of the car. The extra side window opened up a large, rear-view blind-spot for the race car driver.

Early Shelby Mustangs had many variations due to parts availability. Shelby and his crew were also sorting out parts that worked better. Plus, you have to factor in the customer’s variations and the fact that some Shelby Mustangs never saw use on street roads, only road racing tracks.

Be it a street or track Shelby Mustang, the cars always had a special aire about them... a unique blend of the Mustang’s inherent good looks and Shelby’s Texas style.

Told ya that Shelby knew what to put in and what to take out.