This was almost my car in the fall of 1971. Shelby GT-350, blue, no stripes. Came THAT close. Lol…
Fall of 71 and freshman in college, the engine on my 67 Barracuda gave up. A friend of my father owned a body shop and advised me as I rebuilt the motor. I'd helped with motor builds but never done the whole job myself. It was humbling when I got through and had a coffee can of bolts left over and had no idea where they went. It was a relief when the engine started up and ran okay.
No one including me had a lot of confidence in the motor so I was keeping an eye out for a replacement. Found a pristine GT-350 in the used car lot of a Ford dealer.
Oh my gawd that first drive! The $$$ were okay with dad and he went down to look at the “Mustang”. His first words were “I need to test drive this”. Aw crap. Dad, it drives fine - Great Mustang. Note, Dad hadn't owned a standard transmission since a Hudson in the 1950s and I don't know if he had ever handled a floor stick shift. So…. We went on a test drive and he was alternately stalling it out and burning rubber. “Son, I think this car is too much for you”.
My scheme to get a Shelby crashed and burned in the spot.
“since a Hudson in the 1950s “
3-speed on the column with electric overdrive. I think it was a boat in a former life.