1969 GT-350 Experimental Fact or Myth??

I dont know the specific car, but most likely true. It sounds like one of the "quarter horse" cars. Every year has a handful of freaks.

 

A car like you describe was on eBay last January. The Registrar verified that a car like that did exist, I think.

It was discussed on SAACForum here:

http://saacforum.com/index.php?topic=3535.0

 

Those are the Quarter Horse Mustangs. One is Graber Blue and the other (I think) was Candyapple Red. Mustang Body, Shelby Front End, Cougar Dash and BOSS Drive Train. The Hoods were Shelby BUT only had the Center Scoop Opening.

 

Since Pantera didn't come out until the 1971 model year, I doubt it had Pantera heads on it.

 

Check out this page I found Googling
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dearbornflashback.com/quarterhorse_01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dearbornflashback.com/xfiles.asp&usg=__miUhm_1c6yOThtJgRfuiMSBqbYg=&h=480&w=640&sz=71&hl=en&start=25&um=1&tbnid=aCQTZFPL3z_2tM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3DQuarter%2BHorse%2BMustangs%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26um%3D1




Scroll down to the Quarter Horse information

 

Hi all,
saw this car during the BOSS reunion and it is very different,The 351Cleveland looks natural,and the car is more of a twin to the Blue BOSS 302 powered car,(That also has Shelby body parts,and a Mustang dash.)
Both 1/4 horse cars were powered by 429 engines,and also had cougar dashes.Many of us think this was Fords idea to blend Mustang and Shelby options together and it simply was too expensive,Shelby said it was too much in house competition and ended production.Remember that many BOSS 429 Mustangs sat in showrooms because of the cost new.These are rare cars,with ultimate engines,that were experimental-we are fortunate that they survive and can be shared.Enjoy!

 

Guess what Jim,it's back on Ebay and listed for the fall sale at Auburn,Indiana Kruse Auction Park.It has made the full circle back there after 10 years when Joe sold it in 1998. Joel

 

I think if anybody can amplify the company politics, it would make good reading...

I beleve about that time Semon "bunkie" Knudsen was nosing about in Ford's programs taking a hands on attitude toward new products. It seems likely that he had it in for Shelby; who knows why, and wouldn't mind coming up with a package that would make Mr. Shelby's name not necessary to sell the car, so he was allowing body panels and engines to be mixed and matched to make one off prototypes. Eventually the Boss program did hurt the Shelby program. Knudsen was eventually fired by Henry Ford II, who had brought him on board hoping he would know GM's future plans and be able to counter them.
Anybody else know more about this behind-the-scenes action?

 

This car,9FO2M482329 was listed only as a development vehicle for fuel injection,not a prototype or experimental per Shelby Automotive Company paper works.There was no cars that I have found to be destroyed,including this one as they were sent to dealers or sold at the Ford sales lot.Some of you in the Detroit area know what I am talking about.What info I have about this car is from 1998 and before.Not enought info in the early 80's,found out later when I sold the car.Maybe someone has more to add....Joel

 

Larry Shinoda was in there somewhere as well

I forgot to mention is that Larry Shinoda, once famous for Corvette Mako Shark, etc. , was Knudsen's fair haired boy at Ford, managing to alienate the old designers by reporting only to Knudsen, and doing lots of special projects for which he had carte blanche, so that's why he was able to put Shelby nose on this and that. But being Knudsen's right hand man had its downside, as the day HFII fired Knudsen, Shinoda knew he had no future at Ford and left, becoming a designer at White Truck