The 1969 Mustang retained the original 1965 wheelbase , but dimension were generally increase throughout . Surprisingly , roadability improved too ; elevator car for car , a ' 69 treat well than its herald , and the Cobra Jet Mach 1 and Boss 302 were the fast production Mustangs yet make . custom demanded that Shelby Mustangs , let in the 1969 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500 be fairly faster , but it was n’t going to be easy .
By 1969 the Union government had introduced serious exhaust emission standards and base hit requirements . Meanwhile , insurance premiums in the region of $ 1,000 were being quoted for 25 - year - honest-to-god males who drive fast automobile . The taste of buyers had also changed : opulence was becoming more crucial than performance . Vietnam , ominously , was siphon off one thousand of young men .
Carroll Shelby view all these developing and reconsidered his emplacement . Ever the individualist , he had commence in 1965 by building a car he himself want to beat back – the original GT-350 , a hairy , noisy , no - holds - barred American grand tourist for the sporting driver , as opposed to the driving sportswoman . The market for such car was limited ; more buyers wanted luxury , and between 1966 and 1968 , the Shelby Mustang had step by step evolved in that direction . Of course , it was still a very powerful high - performance grand touring car – but it was n’t like the pilot .
Neither did Shelby enjoy making decisions in committee where accountants and lawyer usually overruled designers , engineers , and test driver . Between Ford direction and the Union government , there were more boss in his hair by 1969 than he ’d ever find before . Ford , furthermore , was intruding on his turf with cars like the Mach 1 and Boss 302 .
Nevertheless , Carroll lent his name to yet another Shelby series , the 1969 GT-350 and GT-500 ( the KR suffix was dropped ) , though they now have the indignity of being built alongside regular product Mustangs in Southfield , Michigan .
Read about the aim and carrying into action of the 1969 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500 on the next Thomas Nelson Page .
For more information on cars, see:
Continued
The couturier of the 1969 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500 made the big , longer , fussy yield car front considerably more rakish . They extended the punk , fitted another fiberglass front end with a large grille caries , used fiberglass front fenders to reduce weight , clip off the nates , and added a spoiler and sequential crook signal .
The GT-350 received the new 351 Windsor ( Ontario ) engine rated at 290 bhp , while the 428 CJ engine continued for the GT-500 . A total of 3,150 Shelbys were registered as ' 69s , and convertible versions were scarce : just 194 GT-350s and 335 GT-500 ragtops .
Fuel injection had been considered for ' 69 , but was never adopted . A moonroof and reclining tail end were other idea that never made it into yield . While Carroll Shelby had n’t cared much one way or the other about the appliance options , he did consider that shot or supercharge ( the latter having been an option since ' 66 ) were important development that should have been weigh . Ford thought otherwise – again .
Who needed it ? At the remainder of 1969 , Carroll Shelby called it leave office . product and excogitation had become almost wholly Ford ’s responsibility anyway , and competition both from within Ford Division and from other makes was terrific . Shelbys were n’t being race much anymore , and the later models were n’t his idea of a racing car anyway . Ford Division executive frailty Chief Executive Lee Iacocca agreed to end the Shelby program with no penalties or hard Word of God . The association was at an end – at least for awhile .
Since the Shelby ’s popularity had declined along with its all - out operation character , some 1969s rest unsold at the oddment of the year and were reserialed as 1970 models . To differentiate them from the ' 69s , they were fit out with bootleg hood stripes and Boss 302 front spoilers . Only 315 GT-350s and 286 GT-500s were " built " for 1970 , after which the once - herald Shelby Mustang was quietly and unceremoniously laid to rest .
In retrospect , it was good that Carroll Shelby quit when he did . study what happen to cars like the Camaro Z-28 and Boss Mustangs as the 1970s wore on , one can only conceive of the hollow shell of a motorcar the Shelby GT would have become . Shelby leave behind with all flags flying , renowned for having built some of the fine performance cars of the ' 60s .
Go to the next Thomas Nelson Page to get the spec for the 1969 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500 .
1969 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500 Specifications
As consumer tastes reposition from performance to luxury , Carroll Shelby ’s 1969 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500 notice the end of the Shelby Mustang production geological era .
Specifications
Engines : all ohv V-8 ; GT-350 351 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.00 × 3.50 ) , 290 bhp ; GT-500 428 cid ( 4.13 × 3.98 ) , 335 bhp
Transmissions:4 - speed manual ; 3 - speed machinelike optional
Suspension front : upper and lower A - arms , coil springs
Suspension rear : bouncy axle , foliage springs
Brakes : front disc / rear drum
Wheelbase ( in.):108.0
weighting ( lbs.):3,000 - 3,200
Top speed ( mph):119 - 121
0 - 60 mph ( sec):5.5 - 8.0
Production : GT-350 fstbk 1,085 ; cvt 194 GT-500 fstbk 1,536 ; cvt 335
