Despite the Ford Mustang’s iconic status, the two-door’s 1964.5 debut brought the world a pony that could be ordered with (Small Block) V8s rather than the full-blown muscle car it quickly evolved into. And, before the Blue Oval itself could handle the transformation, they called in Carroll Shelby to spice things up. That heritage alone would be enough to recommend this 1967 Shelby Mustang GT350 as a standout classic. However, this example has enough history to make for a Netflix production.
While the initial 1965 model year saw Shelby introducing the GT350 as a stripped-out racer for the road, more lavish features were added for the following year. And, with the Mustang’s 1967 facelift, which brought a size increase for Big Block muscle accommodation, the daredevil, relying on the solid financial results of his California-based Shelby American operation, decided it was time to turn things around. In other words, the ’67 Shelby GT350 would be more of his car rather than a Mustang featuring Shelby goodies.
Now, the initial configuration of this vehicle already means it was one of just 45 cars of its type. And we’re referring to it as a GT350 with a four-speed manual, finished in Wimbledon White, with a Black interior, no AC or special emission control hardware, and 15-inch steel wheels.
However, just 36 units of the 1967 Shelby GT350s were built with Paxton superchargers forced-feeding their 289 ci (4.7L) HiPo V8s, with this being the only one in the said color. And we haven’t even gotten to the ownership details, which are the spicy bit of the car’s history.
Crashed and then rebuilt into a quarter-mile monster
Back in the day, not everybody could get their hands on a Shelby, but the initial buyer, Mickey Metzger, saw his boss talking to Caroll Shelby himself and turning his initial bad luck around.
Two months later, Mickey got a personal delivery from the Texan legend, but his happiness didn’t last long. In 1968, while the car was at a dealer, somebody stole the vehicle and crashed it.
Mickey recovered the car and when its rarity met his drag racing fetish, he decided to turn it into a gasser, a style of drag strip animal that was popular back in the day—the name is derived from these quarter-mile beasts sipping gas rather than race fuel.
In the process, the ‘Stang ended up with a tilted front end and a wheelbase change, while sporting a special steering mechanism and having its engine mounter further back in the chassis, among others.
The transformation cost about three times the original price of the car. Despite this, Mickey couldn’t race it for too many years, as 1969 brought a rule change that outlawed the vehicle.
This drag racer was dormant for over five decades
Having exited the quarter-mile circuit, the Shelby GT350 went into storage. Fast-forwarding to more recent times, the car was owned by an enthusiast named Chris Woodside for some years. And, after coming short of his goal to fully track the origins of the special Shelby, he recently sold this to Dennis Collins—you might know the aficionado as the host of the Discovery Channel’s Fast N’ Loud show.
With Collins harnessing the full power of his social media channels and asking Brian Styles of the Shelby Research Group, he was able to obtain all the details mentioned above and more.
Unsurprisingly, Collins seems prepared to give the car some TLC while preserving its extreme form, which sets it apart from other rare Shelbys out there (this 1968 GT500KR is one hell of an example). And, thanks to the video below, you’ll see the trio delivering a full take on the 1967 GT350, which, as the celebrity muscle car rescuer puts it, looks cooler than a Hot Wheels car.