The Shelby American (Winter 2021)

than the Falcon to give it a sportier look. The Prototype was fitted with Mustang floor pans. And if you’re won- dering, ‘ Was it fast?’ well, it was. We had a ’65 Cobra with a dual-quad 289 here at Owls Head. Having driven both cars, the Prototype was faster .” More Prototype Observations The passenger side inner front fender held the car’s serial number, X 8902-SB-208, with “X” denoting this as an experimental model, and “208” as the sequential number of prototypes developed. The radiator had a date tag of August 23, 1963 and the export brace behind the air filter had a long string of stampings that we could not decipher. The heater core hose has since been disconnected, and the radi- ator hoses and clamps have been re- placed. The Prototype appeared longer than a ’65 Mustang, and it was – by five-inches – but the wheelbase di- mensions are the same. The gauges all look futuristic, including the non-func- tioning 0-120 MPH speedometer and Sun 7,000 RPM tachometer. The glove box door was ‘for show’ only and would not open. The white exterior paint and light blue stripes were like Christie Brinkley – an aged model that still looked good and could turn a guy’s head. We found a few paint chips and body dings, but nothing that dis- tracted from the overall appearance. What’s Mis,ing? The original steering wheel had been replaced with a ’66 Mustang model, and the original pop-off Mustang ll gas cap had also been substituted with a plain cap. The ‘Mustang ll’ and Pony emblems on the front fenders had also been removed along with the ‘F O R D’ letters on the tip of the hood. No one knows what happened to them. Adam and Mark discussed various methods of duplicating replacements to match what was original and have them in- stalled for a future viewing. 2nd Mustang ll Prototype? Jim Westervelt mentioned that while working for Ford in the carbure- tor department he observed a 2nd Mustang ll Prototype that was located in the Tech Center, across the street from his shop. It was a completed car The SHELBY AMERICAN Winter 2021 72