Real survivor Shelby GT350

Description for Shelby GT 350 1966

A true survivor! Up for sale is my true 66' Shelby GT 350. It has been in our family since 1979.
A little history on this car:
The Shelby was ordered new by Horn Williams Ford in TX. on 1/27/66 and shipped sometime in February. It sat in the showroom in TX. unsold until sometime in August, hich the dealer decided to return it to the Shelby plant in Los Angeles. Shelby then shipped it over to his dealership, igh performance Motors on Labrea Ave. Los Angeles. The paperwork from the SAAC club states "car sent for sale to Mr. Shelby's friend Philip Bath". The pre-delivery inspection was done as well as adding a sport mirror for $4.17!
From what I remember from my cousin Bob, e had purchased the Shelby in 1979 from the widow of Philip Bath. She had mentioned to Bob (my cousin) that Philip worked for one of the major automotive magazines like Car And driver or Motor trend. She also stated that the Shelby was always garaged in L.A. My cousin owned the Shelby until his passing in 2014. The Shelby was always kept out of the elements in his garage in Pasadena, A. Over the period of 36 years, y cousin always asked "when are you going to buy the Shelby from me".
When I heard of my cousin's death from his wife, decided to fly to Los Angeles to help her sort everything out and assist her in selling the Shelby. We decided to give the car a detail and take some pictures for the presentation. I didn't have any intention of purchasing the Shelby as I had 3 other classics at the time. The car was chained to a post in the garage for safe keeping. I asked his wife Cathy for the key to the pad lock and she handed me a box of over 100 keys. I stuck my hand into the box to grab a key and the first one opened the lock! Cathy mentioned that Bob always wanted me to have this car and thought that finding the key the first try was a sign to confirm that. We talked about price and I decided to sell my other cars and purchase it. I had the Shelby picked up in May of last year then shipped to my house in Virginia. Since then, t has been stored in my climate controlled garage. I have detailed the car, eeping everything as original as possible.
Condition:
Most everything on the Shelby is original with the exception of the paint that was professionally done in 1981. The Shelby started life as a Ivy green car with no stripes other than the lower ones. I understand that only 246 of the 1375 non Hertz cars were painted this color. That's about 17%. He added a "R" version front bumper at that time but saved the original bumper and valance. The original bumper could be put back to stock very easily. The paint is base coat/ clear coat and still shows very well! The body is straight as an arrow with only a few paint chips over the 36 year time frame. I also replaced the radiator hoses with correct Ford reproductions.
Original to the car:
All sheet metal that the car was born with. The Shelby was never hit. Date codes on the front fenders read 12-29-1965 and 1-4-1966. The floor pans are original with no rust whatsoever.
Original Koni Shocks.
Original interior that looks great!
Original Tach.
Original steering wheel.
Original racing seat belts.
Matching numbers engine. I can try to get the numbers off the transmission and rear to verify if needed.
Original dash pad.
Original date coded radiator: 12-65
Rear end travel limiting straps still in tact.
Original "High performance Motors" license plate frames on Shelby since new!
California black plate.
Bright trim: Very nice with no pitting.
The car comes with all the documentation from Howard Pardee of the SAAC club including the original invoice etc. Notice the Shelby vin tag shot on the fender. When Shelby built the cars, hey installed the Shelby vin tag over the Ford serial numbers. To confirm the authenticity of the Shelby, he right rivet must be drilled out and the vin plate rotated 90 degrees to the left to expose the Ford #. The Shelby # must conform with the Ford vin # that the SAAC club has on record. (one original rivet in tact)
I would encourage a serious buyer to see the Shelby first before the purchase. I have tried to represent the this Shelby to the best of my knowledge.
thanks.
Ron