The Ford Shelby GT350 was first released in 1965 as a street-legal track car with a powerful 4.7-liter, 306-horsepower engine. It received upgrades in 1966 but went largely untouched until 2014 when Ford debuted a new performance version, the 2016 Shelby GT350, with a 5.2-liter V-8 engine producing over 500 horsepower along with modern features like multiple driving modes and improved suspension.

1. The Ford Shelby GT350
By Ehsanollah Bayat

2. In the world of classic cars,
few American models evoke a
stronger reaction from
collectors than the Ford
Shelby GT350.

3. The Classic Model
● First released in 1965 as the smallest and lightest of the
Mustang GT350 series, the Shelby GT350 was built
specifically as a street-legal track car, as evidenced by
its 4.7-liter, 306-horsepower engine.
● Due to the high-rise intake manifold, Ford marketing
materials referred to the engine as the Cobra hi-riser,
which led Mustang enthusiasts to dub cars from the
Shelby series “Cobras.”
● In 1966, the GT350 received upgrades, such as a dual
exhaust and rear quarter-panel windows, as well as a
series of cosmetic changes.

4. The New Version
● The Shelby GT350 went largely untouched until 2014,
when Ford debuted a new performance version of its
classic model.
● Known as the 2016 Shelby GT350, the revamped
model includes a 5.2-liter V-8 engine with more than
500 horsepower.
● In addition to paying tribute to its predecessor, the 2016
GT350 includes state-of-the-art features such as five
driving modes and MagneRide dampers for improved
suspension performance.