The GT-350R (37 is the official count). For years the count was 36, as the Public relations car was given all the mods and given an S serial number, and used on the street for publicity.

this was 2550 lbs. and had disc brakes on the front!!!!!!! Remember Corvette was not racing with them yet. 350-370hp realistically, but toted at 325-350 hp at the time. Dump tests have proven more potent. The heads were actually ported- as Valley Porting Service told me they did a whole run for these cars. This was not caught by the SCCA as they kept the outward appearances and valve sizes. They announced on Valentines Day 1965 the car, and Corvette would no longer win, if a Shelby GT-350 Competition Car was on the track. They also passed thru with tubular headers. They ran 7x15 rims!

Not real fair fair playing field for the Corvettes.

 

Dave Friedman wrote in his book on Grand Sports that the turd was "powered by an aluminum-block 390ci experimental engine...."

Since he was there, I'll take his word for it.

 

Friedman books are known for errors. He does too many on top many types of marques. Wrong info captions, like on pictures. I had this discuss before, and cited errors, but still super great books!!!!! I have every book he has ever done!!!!!

 

You may be right about his books having errors. That neither validates nor invalidates his statement about the aluminum 390 block, however.

 

True, As I said, there is conflicting history, that even the hardcore Shelby guys still argue. Therefore I pointed some of those out above. Some even think the Nassau Turd had a 427 now. The stuff about these I have read related to the Riverside testing, is what leads me to believe not an Aluminum block, but the other components. I go to the GT-40 program related to the 427 history and the USRRC & Can Am. I do have books on Ford engine development, and would have to pull those to see the engineering opinion of the Aluminum. The Chevrolet Aluminum blocks, is way more available in print, and I am more familiar. Shelby started his GT-40 involvement with 1965 season. 1964 he wasn't quite in the loop yet on the 427s. The Nascar guys were running 400 cube rule, and that is where he went. I need to find the story of the aluminum 390s, as I just know of sources like we are discussing, just mentioning it.

 

When we read this stuff, we have to be careful. Here is a paragraph right out of a Shelby book.




It says Miles acquired an all Experimentsl aluminum 390 engine.

Then it jumps to November 1964 and the last line is what to focus on, “the 16 laps he did complete showed that the 427 Cobra was Shelby’s new race car!Thus 427 at Nassau!

Let me post another


It says the flip top was first tested with a 390 aluminum block (this would have been Riverside), but then it goes on to say—- “but this motor proved unreliable and the final solution was a Holman Moody prepared 480hp cast iron high riser.

I do doubt 1300 lbs as I have added up all of the components.
This other Shelby book has some of the 427 history backwards, mixed up. The pre-Sebring testing was with the NASCAR engine, from The Galaxies. Then they went to Sebring. Then they tested that 390 at Riverside, it was out prior to racing, prior to the Nassau event.

As the Corvette ended up at 396, the Cobra was heading toward a sub 400 cube big block. But still the Holman Moody 427 worked, and a supply could be provided, Carrol went up to the 427. The Aluminum FE’s were tried in the GT-40 along with the Indy 4.2.

I like obscure racing history! I have given you guys a lot of that over time. I started a thread on the rarest order option on C3 to help the L88/ZL1 history. I like facts like Roger Penske was Chaparral Team Manager prior to his first Team Ownership. I like how Carrol Shelby was partners in starting AAR All American Racers, but dropped that with a change of direction, founding his own Marque.