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’67 Shelby Mustang GT350: 1h Test
I officially start this new column with a dream car, a Hollywood star protagonist of the fantasies of every self-respecting teenager: the ’67 Ford Mustang. Not a standard Mustang though, but a Shelby GT350, in mint condition and ready to make me feel, at least for 60 minutes, a real tough guy like Nicolas Cage.
I admired it in different movies and I always dreamed of being able to have one, but the ones that I would put in my garage, have really mind-boggling price tags, and so, a bit ‘by chance, I found myself chatting with a friend of a friend and it turns out that he has one, perfectly restored and available to give me a bit of the American dream. No wait at all and I run to Switzerland to sit my butt of those mythical seats, even if for a short, very short time.
The Shelby GT350 is an icon, there is no doubt. An immortal line, with that tail coming down, the air vents to inflate the muscles on the side profiles and those headlights now become a symbol of a generation, indeed of an entire Country. Getting on board from the driver’s side is already an experience that brings me back in time and the very moment I turn the key and give life to the 4.7 V8, I can’t hold an almost liberating laughter – I did it! Its 306 horsepower may seem a few for the standards to which we are accustomed today, but a low weight and a typical late ‘60s driving feeling make it a real beast to tame. There are no driving aids and there is absolutely nothing between me and the purest feeling of driving a car without filters, common sense and rationality. There is so much noise, smell of petrol, noise coming from the gearbox and every other mechanical sound you can hear coming from under the car itself, and meanwhile I try to reach 6000 rpm, noting that performance are very respectable, even with 49 years on its back.
One of the most intense and unforgettable hours of my life. An experience that I would repeat for other hours, days, weeks, months – yep, before this day I always wanted one, now I must have one! In this case, an hour hasn’t been necessary to figure out that I would be madly in love with this Shelby. The first 5 minutes were enough.
Words by Tommaso Mogge
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