Auction: 5R212 - Broad Arrow Auctions August 17 & 18

[silverton_ford]

Link: https://www.broadarrowauctions.com/vehicles/jc23_131/1965-shelby-gt350-r




Description:
Highlights
One of only 36 competition "R" models built on the GT350
Powered by a 289 cubic-inch K-code engine with Borg Warner four-speed transmission
Documented ownership from new
Second in class and 18th overall at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona
The rarest and most potent GT350
Eligible for numerous prestigious vintage racing events worldwide
Description
Chassis No. SFM5R212

With a well-established reputation as one of the top American performance brands, by 1965 Carroll Shelby would turn his attention away from his 289 and 427 Cobras that were regularly trouncing the competition at racetracks and stoplights around the world, toward the new Ford Mustang. Prompted by Lee Iacocca who believed that he could increase Mustang sales with more powerful engines and better handling, he approached Shelby to prepare and campaign the new pony car as a B Production SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) racer. Seeking to create the lightest possible Mustang for optimum track performance, Shelby and his team would order fifteen cars for their R version and stripped them even more than the original 100-car run of GT350 street cars.

Per SCCA rules, the steel bumpers were removed from the R version and to further "add lightness" plexiglas windows, a fiberglass front apron and hood, and other weight saving measures such as removing the rear seats and sound deadening made the Mustang nearly unbeatable in B-Production competition. The lower valance and gravel pan were custom designed as a one-piece fiberglass unit by Pete Brock with a large opening to direct airflow through the oil cooler and radiator. The rear quarter window vents were removed and covered to improve aerodynamics while the plexiglass rear window also features a custom vent across the entire top of the window to relieve the air pressure generated inside the cockpit at speed.

Powered by a 289 cubic-inch K-code engine, Shelby benefitted from three years of experience modifying this engine in his Cobra competition cars, resulting in an unprecedented combination of power and reliability. Upon receipt from Ford, the engines were torn down and the heads were sent out to have their ports enlarged and polished before all pistons, connecting rods, crankshafts, and other reciprocating parts were balanced and re-assembled. Topped off with a Holley 715 CFM carburetor and a set of Tri-Y headers, the stock 306 horsepower of the K-code engine was increased to around 350 horsepower on Shelby's dyno. Combined with a lightweight chassis that was around 250 pounds lighter than the street version, both Shelby factory racers and customer cars enjoyed tremendous success and eventually earned the SCCA/B Production title in 1965 and again in 1966. Winning five out of the six highly competitive regional SCCA championships, it is unlikely that any other production-based car built in such small numbers has won as many races as Shelby's GT350 R.

Ordered by Shelby American on 30 December 1964 and later shipped from Ford's San Jose plant on 9 April 1965, Shelby American would begin the process of converting chassis SFM5R212 to a factory-competition car. Eventually completed on 10 November 1965, this example was delivered to Bill Currie Ford of Tampa, Florida where it was first purchased by Michael Reina. Along with co-driver Don Kearney, Reina would prepare and enter his new GT350R in the 1966 Daytona 24 hours where they were photographed on the banking dicing with a mighty Ferrari 250 GTO on their way to 2nd in their GT 3.0 class and 18th place overall with 527 laps completed. Entered at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Kearney driving, it is believed that chassis SFM5R212 served as a backup entry resulting in a DNS to mark the end of a short competition career, with Reina eventually selling the SFM5R212 in 1967. Passing through a series of short-term owners, records indicate this example was acquired by Vincent Sandbridge and Charlie Mallett in 1971, whose racing team was sponsored by "Gourmet Salad." It remains unknown whether the car was ever entered by them to race. Later passing through a series of racers in the mid-1970s and reportedly raced in SCCA and IMSA events at Lime Rock Park, Watkins Glen, Cumberland, and Mid-Ohio, among other tracks, the car was believed to have been included as part of a trade for a wrecked GT40 in the late 1970s.

After remaining in storage for a number of years, records indicate it was purchased by a racer and enthusiast in Oceanside, California in September of 2000, who began a full restoration as an authentic vintage racing entrant. It debuted during the events surrounding the 40th anniversary of the Mustang in 2004 at the SAAC vintage races at Nashville Superspeedway. Subsequently, this GT350R would pass through a series of owners before it was eventually acquired by the consignor in 2020. Complete with the rarely-seen fiberglass brake-duct intakes found underneath the car, this example is one of only 36 cars ever produced and offers collectors a seldom-seen opportunity to acquire one of Carroll Shelby's most successful racing cars and certainly one of the most desirable cars with which to come home victorious from both the concours field and the racetrack.

[FL SAAC]

beautiful

[sfm5]

Sold for $885K.