I have only seen one shot of the clay models for the '67 Shelby, none of the '68, or '69 The photo I saw was not shot in Dearborn but in LA at the Shelby plant where the clay was stuck onto a (warped) metal pre production '67 Mustang.I was wondering if anyone has seen any photos of the normal clay models of future Shelbys shot in Dearborn out in the styling courtyard which was a vast area (slight polished aluminum dome in background) with circular turntables so cars could be viewed from different angles. Maybe the Shelbys were so low priority that they didn't justify full size clays being made. Usualy these photos have little numbers on little blocks at the bottom of the car showing day the picture was shot. I know they made a clay model of the '07 Shelby GT500 so at least they are still using clay before the changeover that's to come to computer rendering only
Don't recall ever seeing any Shelby stuff. What I have seen is a 69 Mustang station wagon style exercise. And the Mustang that became known as the "Thouroughbred". You've seen it. 69 Sportsroof with a Shelby nose, (no opened scoops but the hood bumps were there) with a standard Mustang tail except for the Shelby deck lid. And, I'd have to go digging but there was a car magazine that showed a couple of 71 Shelby style exercises. As in "cars we're not gonna see".
The "Thouroughbread" that you are talking about is known as the Mustang "Qarter Horse". It has the Main Body of a Mustang Fastback, The Fiberglass Panels of a Shelby, Interior of a Cougar XR7 including the Dash, and the Engine from the BOSS 429. I have the Mustang Monthly Magazine that has it. I believe Two were Built. The one in the Magazine is Graber Blue. David.
the clay model for the 67 was done by guy from art center design school in california. i talked to him at the saac convention in 2000. he told me he lives in california and had a 66-gt350 at the time. sorry can't remember his name.
The guy from Calif. was Chuck McHose or maybe Pete Stacey. McHose lives in Calif. now but was sent from Michigan to work on the '67 Shelby. His pictures are real close up amateur shots , owing to the fact car was in a normal sized office, not a styling studio, when he did it. I just was at the bookstore, looking at a hefty tome on Mustang--red cover, hardbound, weighs about 10 lbs.--and they have a few clay model shots sprinkled around the text of various & sundry Mustangs but none of them say SHELBY on them. So far I have to conclude that somehow '68 and '69 Shelbys were developed without going through the usual judging-clays-in-the-courtyard that all other Ford designs went through at the time. I find this hard to believe because Shelby closed his plant in mid-'67 and everything was done out of Detroit after that so you would think the designs were done the "Detroit (Dearborn) way." Regarding the Mustang station wagon, I was watching a Dodge Magnum go by and thinking how close it is to the concept of a Mustang wagon. You would think after 40 some years Ford would relent and make a Mustang wagon. They could still make it a two door similar in appeal to the '55-'57 Chevrolet Nomad, and thereby gain a few yards over Challenger and Camaro which are several years late coming to the start line
The photo that i always liked is the one of peter brock going over a smaller clay model of the Super Coupe with all the vintage racing posters tacked on the wall in the background. Vern
To further this post, there is a Car and Driver form 69 or 70 that describes what Ford learned form Shelby about styling and performance. Who else can see the future Boss 302 in the lines of the 67 Shelby? And, how close was the 71-73 Mustang's nose in relation to the 69-70 Shelby's?
Although I like the Boss 302, I don't think it looks much different from other Mustangs of the same model year. I read an article about Larry Shinoda in a Japanese magazine (fortunately in English) and he claimed credit for the Mustang Milano show car (intense purple color, fastback with rear lift hatch, which had a sort of '69 Shelby nose. I would like to find out when that car was done, if it was '67 that would fit the timeline enough for it to be a '69 Ford inspiration but I think he was still at GM then doing the '68 Corvette. I found the pics of the '67 Shelby clay done in the upper floor of Shelby's LAX office but they were shot too close in to show any overall shape of the car as the full size car was done in an office. To get it out when they were done they had to turn it on its side and lift it out with a crane (it was on the second floor), not exactly the way things were done in Dearborn.