65 Shelby GT350/ Corvette 327
12-06-2007, 02:51 AM
#41
You guys on page 2 beat me to my comments. Good racing engineers and drivers can turn almost any stock street car into a winner.
Shelby had full access to Ford engineering, computer track simulator dynos, wind tunnels, etc. And he hired away top Corvette shoes like Bob Bondurant and Dave MacDonald to add to his established Cobra stable of pros like Ken Miles. Their success attracted skilled amateur driverrs to the GT 350 program. Major Castrol and Goodyear sponsorships also helped with the bills.
In contrast, most B/P Corvettes were prepared and driven by amateurs. And most of these guys had day jobs which left only nights and weekends for prep and practice.
To give you another example, Nissan poured millions into development of fire-breathing 510 sedan racers that ran away from BMWs and Alfas which never had problems against stock street Datsuns.
Now, if GM had turned Zora, Larry Shinoda and the Warren Tech Center gang loose, it would have been a real battle.
PS: I think the GT 350Rs also had Koni adjustable shocks standard. That alone would be good for three seconds a lap on a one minute road course.
Shelby had full access to Ford engineering, computer track simulator dynos, wind tunnels, etc. And he hired away top Corvette shoes like Bob Bondurant and Dave MacDonald to add to his established Cobra stable of pros like Ken Miles. Their success attracted skilled amateur driverrs to the GT 350 program. Major Castrol and Goodyear sponsorships also helped with the bills.
In contrast, most B/P Corvettes were prepared and driven by amateurs. And most of these guys had day jobs which left only nights and weekends for prep and practice.
To give you another example, Nissan poured millions into development of fire-breathing 510 sedan racers that ran away from BMWs and Alfas which never had problems against stock street Datsuns.
Now, if GM had turned Zora, Larry Shinoda and the Warren Tech Center gang loose, it would have been a real battle.
PS: I think the GT 350Rs also had Koni adjustable shocks standard. That alone would be good for three seconds a lap on a one minute road course.
Last edited by sub006; 12-06-2007 at 02:55 AM.
12-06-2007, 07:42 AM
#42
Team Owner
quick steer pitman and idler arm
lowered A-arms 1-1/4"
polyurethane bushings all round
1" front sway bar upgrade
3/4" rear sway bar added
KYB Gas-A-Just shocks all round
lowered 'reverse-eye' rear springs
Radial T/A 15" tires
Monte Carlo bar
Export Brace
These old stangs (and I love them dearly) were notorious for collapsing shock towers when driven hard. Which is why I installed the last two mods (so did Carrol Shelby). I was running about 325 HP with the 351 heads and headers and Holley dbl pumper 750 so it wasn't that far off from a Shelby. It was fast but I sure didn't go out "vette hunting" in it.
12-06-2007, 08:38 AM
#43
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12-06-2007, 05:37 PM
#44
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I owned both the 66 Shelby GT 350 and 64 Vette in 1980. The Vette was a little faster, BUT the Shelby was joy to drive. It did everything well and was very forgiving when driving it hard. Apples and Oranges here.
It was very tough to let the GT 350 go, but when a relationship ends she has to get something. She got the Shelby
and I got the Vette.
It was very tough to let the GT 350 go, but when a relationship ends she has to get something. She got the Shelby
and I got the Vette.
Last edited by glenn64vette; 12-06-2007 at 05:41 PM.
12-07-2007, 07:54 AM
#45
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Sorry I forgot I made such a post, but a close friend in my church who last year had a 427 side oiler built in a Cobra replica handed me a book he purchased (Haynes motor book AC Cobra) which had fact after fact about the man and the cars (Carroll Shelby) and it got my juices started about the old Ford vs Chevy thing. I found the book quite interesting as each serial number is recorded with production dates of these cars. Further research has told me several road tests were done on the 65 version (the best of the batch) of the Gt 350, but I could not find any to read. Apparently Motor trend, Car and driver, Sports car graphic and several others did road tests on the Gt 350.Im also told that the R model suspension wise was identical to the street version except for stiffer koni shocks on the R version. If that being true the people at Shelby America did there home work well, as the R models dominated the race circuit for several years. Of course as one poster said with so few cars actual being built including Cobras and Gt350s were they really considered contenders in everyday life? Since I was 16 and lived near one of the few authorized Cobra dealers that would explain why I only saw 1 Cobra and 2 Gt 350s in my life.They just did not exist. IMO I believe I have learned from all the posts and books I read that the Corvette is a cleaner more civilized machine than the Shelby product.Riding in my friends 427 just scares me. I don't think I could enjoy such a car. Call me a sissy but I don't know why anyone would want to go that fast.Thanks for all the input.
12-07-2007, 08:55 AM
#46
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Sissy ! 
I have always wondered if I would have the stones to take a 1967 Corvette down the Mulsanne Straight and hold the petal down until the needle read 170, then turn .........
I want to go that fast
I have always wondered if I would have the stones to take a 1967 Corvette down the Mulsanne Straight and hold the petal down until the needle read 170, then turn .........
I want to go that fast
