WOW FACTOR

In the nearly 50 years since the Shelby first burst onto the scene, we’ve had time to admire, digest, fantasize, analyze, restore, and reproduce those legendary early Shelby designs. Maybe we’ve become too familiar with them. Maybe we’re desensitized.

If you can, think back to when you got your first taste of the Shelbys. Do you remember the excitement, the feelings, the amazement and respect you felt as you ran your eye up and down the length of the car, taking in the shape, the wheels and tires, the scoops, the snake badging? You knew it was something special.

Bill Woolsey remembers the impact the Shelbys had on him.

“When I was 19 years old, I saw my first Shelby in a Ford showroom on Long Island, New York,” he says. “I kept looking at the side scoops and the large open grille. The styling really got to me. This was a ‘cool’ car. Then I saw the price on the window sticker. I don't remember the exact amount, but it was about $4,500. It might as well been $45 million.”

Owning a Shelby was a distant dream that was about to become even more remote.

“That same year, my father passed away, and all of my priorities changed,” Bill says. “ Helping my mother was number one, and Shelby ownership was on the bottom of the pile.”  

But life went on, through the ups and downs of the ’70s, and into the ’80s. As the collector-car movement was in its early stages, Bill’s situation improved a lot.

“I was reading the collector-car section of the local newspaper,” Bill says.

We bet you know where this story is heading.

“There was a ’68 Shelby GT350 for sale about 50 miles from my home,” Bill says. “I contacted the owner and went to see the car with a friend who was an excellent mechanic. After an inspection and a test drive, we agreed the car was sound.  The owner and I came to an agreement on the price, and a few days later, I was driving the car back to my house.”

Being mechanically minded, the fix-ups began immediately.

“The interior needed work,” Bill says. But one thing led to another.

“During the next two years, I realized that New York winters had taken their toll on the Shelby. Bondo, paint, and undercoating had hidden some bad spots. Luckily, back in the ’80s, you could still buy sheetmetal parts from your local Ford parts department.”

You’ve probably figured out that this is a full restoration in the making. A friend on Long Island had a body shop; Bill loaded up on new parts; and the job was off and running. Unlike some horror stories, where the body shop closes, or never gets around to the car, or loses key parts, this one went smoothly. New parts replaced the old, and a new coat of Lime Gold brought back the original luster.

One of the early cars in that pioneering wave of restoration, Bill’s Shelby no doubt served as inspiration for many others that would come after it.

“The engine and four-speed transmission are original to the car and have matching serial numbers,” Bill says. “Because it’s a four-speed car, it came with a thermactor emissions system.”

Looking closely, you can see evidence that this GT350 is an early production example.

“Early GT350s had Ford cast-iron intake manifolds, which mine still has, along with an original Autolite 4300 four-barrel carburetor,” Bill says. “Later-production cars came with an aluminum high-rise. Some had Holley carburetors.

“Another early feature of my car is an original, working set of Marchal foglights. Years ago, I was able to get two N.O.S. replacement bulbs for them. Later-production Shelbys were equipped with Lucas foglights. My car also sports an original set of Shelby hubcaps. Lately, I’ve been told that these are getting scarce. Most cars have the optional 10-spoke aluminum wheels.”

It all adds up to a long-term keeper, native to Bill’s New York home, that has class and style that just won’t quit. The shape is one of Shelby’s best, and the condition is spectacular.

His research has turned up that it was ordered by Gotham Ford in New York City on February 1, 1968, and shipped on March 2.

“People I meet always like the car,” Bill says. “I get a lot of compliments on the color and the overall look of it.  When I meet people who know ’68 Shelbys, they like all of the early original features.”

Bill enjoys opening the garage door and heading out for an occasional drive, too.

“Driving the car is fun, but there is one downside. In traffic, interested drivers of other cars tend to tailgate to get a better view of the Shelby.”

That what happens when your car has the Wow Factor.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Introduced in January, 1967, midway through the ’66 model year, the new Autolite 4300 began replacing the Autolite “Cracker Box” 4100, that had been around since 1957. Considered a more compact, feature-laden, and modern design, the 4300 looked reminiscent of GM’s Rochester QuadraJet which began appearing on ’66 Chevrolets.

The 4300 was first phased in on non–high-performance engines. High-performance models like the 289 Hi-Po and 390 GT/GTA got a Holley 4V. Square-bore and spread-bore versions were produced, and most were rated at 600 cfm.

Its brand was soon changed to Motorcraft. Either way, it developed a reputation for leaking at the front of the fuel bowl. Pony Carburetors’ Jon Enyeart notes that it has several inherent problems, all of which can be corrected, but he prefers the earlier, simpler 4100, calling it “…the finest four-barrel carburetor that has yet to be made by anybody.”