55249, The Sports Car Graphic 1965 Test Car
This 1965 GT-350 is the car used by Sports Car Graphic magazine in 1965 when they road tested the “new” Shelby Mustangs. Later, High Performance Motors and Pirelli Tires sponsored #249 when it entered a 24 hour road rallye through Mexico, the IX RALLY INTERNATIONAL DE LAS 24 HORAS. The driver for this event, well known rally driver Bob McKay, wrote an article for Road Test Magazine featuring #249, its preparation and transformation to a Class A – GT rallye car, and the event itself. Notice the Lucas Flame Thrower driving lamps, originally installed in 1966 for the road rallye so the “Piloto” could see where he was going at night! McKay and his navigator Paul Martel gave the car a rave review. McKay was quite sure had #249 not had been sidelined due to a battery cable failure 15 hours Into the rallye that he could have held on to his First Overall standing set to that point, as well as being the only Glass A GT car to finish, as all had already dropped out prior to #249 loosing electrical power.
McKay had this to say of using a GT-350 as a rallye car:
“…the Mustang’s superior acceleration, brakes, and cornering ability let us gobble up the narrow, 2-Iane highway at a great rate. We could pass several cars at a time and safely make maneuvers which less agile automobiles simply couldn’t match. On the initial stretch we quickly moved past the Pontiac GTO which had started 2 minutes ahead and repeatedly demonstrated that the GT- 350 could out-perform it on any type of road. The road from Mexico City to Tamazunchale (where it seems there isn’t a single stretch of straight road 100 yards in length), was built for the GT-350. 1 have never been so confident, or had such precise controllability, in a car on this type of road before.” …as an enthusiast, you’ll have a hard time to find a GT machine that will perform as this one does”
#249 was Sold new at Carroll Shelby and Lew Spencer’s Hi-Performance Motors dealership in Los Angeles, and still wears its original 1965 California license plates (and unobtainium Hi- Performance Motors plate frames) issued by them. Amazingly enough, and a testament to Ford and Mr. Shelby’s engineering, #249 still retains its original drivetrain, sheet metal, and interior. #249’s unique history is also listed in the 1997 Shelby American World Registry. In the late-1960’s a correct Shelby/Paxton Supercharger was fitted to #249, but later removed. Upon my purchase of #249 in early 2005 I rebuilt 249s original engine and re-fitted a correct original 1965 dated Shelby/Paxton setup. With the engine prepped to “Mr. Paxton” Craig Conley’s specs, and the blower specially rebuilt by him to “high boost” (6psi@6000RPM) the engine made 467HP on the engine dyno and similarly HUGE torque numbers. Needless to say, but 249 back in “blown” configuration is one wild ride! It pulls like a freight train and can smoke the tires of the wheels in the first 3 gears if one so desires. Nothing sounds like a Paxton-blown K Code motor, it isn’t the typical supercharger whine Roots-style blowers make, in fact they are quite quiet in operation, Thats, except for the jet engine intake noise they make. Under boost it sounds like the car is trying to suck the road through the grille, and on decel it lets out a fantastic whistle. Add in the solid-lifter cam noise and the exhaust sound going through the factory tri-y headers and side exhaust and you’ve got yourself more than enough music to compensate for the lack of a radio!
To date, in the nine years I have owned it it has accumulated another 20,000 miles on its. ‘odometer, 3,000+ on 1,000 mile road rallies alone and countless miles around Road America and my favorite Wisconsin backroads. The rest are from more mundane tasks, such as getting groceries or driving back and forth to work. #249 is my favorite GT350 and we all consider it a member of the family.
