Chassis No. SFM 5S344

This GT350 was begun at Shelby American in May 1965 and completed in late June, then shipped to the original selling dealer, McCoy Motor Company of Anaheim, California. Equipped with 'stripe delete' and fitted with Shelby Cragar wheels, it was sold by them to the first owner Gary S. Malizia of Long Beach that December. The SAAC Shelby Registry notes that the tachometer was replaced in January 1966 at 378 miles and the oil pressure gauge at 1,999 miles in March 1966. Thereafter in 1967 the car was bought by Dennis Weifenbach of Burbank, who took it off the road and partially disassembled it; it remained apart until 2006, when it was sold to Craig Conley of San Marcos. Afterward the car passed to J. Chad Odom of Greenville, South Carolina.

In 2012 the Shelby was brought to the Ford Nationals at Carlisle. While still on the top deck of a transporter, it was noticed, and promptly acquired by Jim Taylor without even leaving the truck!

This is a truly remarkable machine. Almost all of the Wimbledon White paint is the original finish; factory overspray is still visible on the floorboards, and the steel-framed fiberglass hood is of course the original. The original Talbot mirror is mounted, in a rather unusual position forward on the driver's side front fender. The interior has the original upholstery in fine shape and the original Ray Brown seat belts, as well as a 16-inch steering wheel, still with its original center, and an original horn switch, which is now super-rare and unobtainable if missing. Even the headliner and rear package tray are original, with only the carpets having been replaced, and the original dash pod is in place as well as a correct AM radio.

Mechanically the car retains original hollow-letter Cobra valve covers, Tri-Y headers, a large pulley on the alternator, four-bladed fan, and heads, as well as an early, unnumbered aluminum intake manifold. The original Koni shock absorbers are still in place, and factory chalk marks can still be viewed on the rear end.

Despite its wonderful originality, like all of Mr. Taylor's automobiles this is a 'driver,' which has been properly sorted, with the drivetrain rebuilt without touching cosmetics, and subtly upgraded for touring with a five-speed manual transmission and steel wheels with BF Goodrich T/A radial tires. The original transmission, of course, is crated and accompanies the car, as do the five original wheels, with the spare wheel mounted with the original Blue Dot spare, and a history file including copies of the Shelby build paperwork, original paperwork and registrations from the Weifenbach ownership, and some service invoices from Mr. Taylor's ownership. At the time of cataloging, the car had recorded 81,091 miles.

Combining peerless originality, a rare livery, and excellent drivability, this is an outstanding GT350 in every important regard – ready to go, anywhere and anytime.