Based letters I’ve received, I gather that ya’ll found Cage’s other co-star
in Gone in 60 Seconds rather engaging. I’ve held a torch for Ms.
Angelina Jolie ever since Hackers, but I’ve got a gal and I expect
that Billy Bob Thorton would not be pleased if I moved in on his action. The
girl is yours if you can keep. I’d make my grab at Eleanor, Cage’s
tricked-out ’67 Shelby Mustang GT500 that featured so prominently in
Gone.
I’m still hunting for dirt on the actual movie piece, but in the meantime, I
thought I’d wet your whistles with some dirt on the ’67 Shelby GT350/500
line that served as the basis for Cage’s nitrous-sniffing, Mean Green
Machine. The ‘67 Shelby GT-which came in two trim levels, the small-block
GT350 and the big block GT500-was the last Shelby Mustang produced at
Shelby-American’s Airplane Hanger plant in LA And it was the first to hitch
its pants and offer up a manly big block. Unlike Shelby’s Anglo-American
hybrids—the AC Bristol Cobra and Sunbeam Tiger—charming, nimble little
English roadsters transformed into rabid hot rods via the addition of
frothing, angry Ford V8s: the Shelby Mustang GT was just your basic
all-American V8 muscle re-bodied with an eye on smoother stylin'. Truth is,
it needed it. Those factory 'Stangs were a little stumpy looking.
Shelby-American started in on the stock ‘Stang by stretching the front clip
and setting a pair of driving lights in the mesh grille. The hood was
scooped and louvered, as were the front fenders. Out went the
uglier-than-thou factory taillights. In came a set of off-the-rack shiners
from the Mercury Cougar, Mustang’s ‘kissin cousin. This was one of Shelby’s
nicest touches, IMHO. The Cougar units were a vast improvement cosmetically
and quite popular amongst kustomizers of the time. Even heard of Cougar
lights going into a Camaro on at least on occasion. Talk about
miscegenation.
Inside, the Shelby GT, in either 350 or 500 trim, was basically stock
Mustang deluxe, with an 8,000-rev tach and a 140-mph speedo. A roll bar came
standard. Shelby splashed his artist’s signature—a coiled snake on both the
front and rear lids near, his way of saying “The master was here." Shelby
poured his main energies into racing cars. This was a collector’s special.:
“It’s a Shelby, dahling! We must have one in.”
Collect this, Muffy. The Mustang GT, in either 350 or 500 trim, was and is a
whole lot of car. The GT 350 came equipped from factory with a
Paxton-supercharged 289 small-block rated at 306 horsepower and 329 lb/ft of
torque. Big brother 500 carried a normally aspirated 428 FE big block
inhaling through dual four-barrel Holley carbs. That portly FE motor upped
the ante to 355 wild stallions, with 420 lb/ft of torque on tap. It needed
it to get off the line. The GT 350 was a genuine lightweight, with a curb
weight of just over 2,700 pounds—comparable to many modern roadsters. The
big block FE swings the needle to almost 3,300. The suspension was sturdy,
if not particularly tricky—unequal length A-arms up front, sway bars, and
parallel leaf springs supporting a 9” Ford rear housing 3:89 (GT 350) or
3:25 (GT 500) gears, and a big (for the time) disc/drum brake set-up.
As a custom guy, I gotta say that Shelby’s one-off represented a genuine
improvement over factory. The hot-rodder in me scoffs a little.
Shelby-American’s performance mods mere fairly minimal. The engine options
were top end, but not all that radical compared to a stock ‘Stang. The ’67
Shelby Mustang GT was a great straight-line performer straight. Shelby
didn’t spend all that much energy trying to improve upon it. His racing
experience was evident in the little touches—those scoops in the front
fenders, for instance, which channeled cool air over the brakes. Some of ’67
promotional units did come with the hi-po 427 FE side-oiler. Another gussied
up stocker or genuine supercar? You make your choice. Me, I would have a
very hard time saying “No” to Ms. Jolie but I know Eleanor's keys.
