Carroll Shelby and engineer Chuck Krauser set out to turn Ford's new fastback into an SCCA B-Production contender. The result was the GT350 — built at Shelby American's facility at Los Angeles International Airport and sold, in 1965, in one colour only. ACME Models, a US specialist in high-detail American muscle and racing subjects, renders it in die-cast at 1:18.
The Car Carroll Shelby Built to Race
The 1965 GT350 is a first-generation Ford Mustang fastback on the SN65 platform, transformed by Shelby American to meet SCCA homologation rules: a minimum of 100 road cars had to be produced. Under the bonnet sits Ford's Hi-Po 289 cubic inch (4.7-litre) V8 with a solid-lifter camshaft, aluminium high-rise intake manifold, and a single four-barrel carburettor producing approximately 306 hp SAE gross, paired with a Borg-Warner T-10 close-ratio four-speed manual gearbox.
562 Cars, One Colour, Three Championships
Total 1965 GT350 production reached 562 units — every one of them a Wimbledon White fastback. No factory colour alternatives were offered that year, a fact that sets the 1965 car apart from every subsequent Shelby Mustang. The suspension was extensively reworked: relocated front A-arms with an export brace and Monte Carlo bar, Gabriel adjustable shocks, and repositioned Koni rear dampers to reduce axle tramp. In R-model competition form the GT350 won the SCCA B-Production national championship in 1965, 1966, and 1967. The rear-seat delete and other weight-saving measures were standard on the street car — the homologation base that made those victories possible.
ACME Models in Die-Cast at 1:18
ACME Models (USA) focuses on high-detail die-cast reproductions of American muscle and racing subjects. This 1:18 scale model replicates the Wimbledon White finish with Guardsman Blue Le Mans rocker-panel stripes — the defining visual identity of the first-year GT350. The die-cast construction delivers the weight and surface resolution that collectors expect from a model at this scale, and the livery accuracy mirrors what every one of the 562 original cars wore when it left the Shelby American shop floor.
In the Display Cabinet
The 1965 GT350 sits naturally alongside other Shelby American subjects: the GT350R competition variant, also in Wimbledon White, shares the same debut season and livery logic. The 1966 GT350 Hertz and the 1967 GT350/GT500 trace the model's evolution across the decade. Collectors drawn to Carroll Shelby's road-going work often pair this piece with the Cobra 427 S/C, a contemporary product from the same builder. For a focused muscle-car shelf, the 1:18 format groups well with other ACME productions covering the same era.
Frequently asked questions
Why were all 1965 GT350s delivered in Wimbledon White?
Shelby American offered no colour options on the 1965 GT350. Every one of the 562 cars produced that year left the factory in Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue rocker-panel stripes — a policy that makes the colour scheme a definitive identifier of the first-year model.
How many 1965 Shelby GT350s were built?
Shelby American produced 562 GT350s for the 1965 model year, comprising street cars, R-model competition cars, and a small number retained by Shelby American itself.
What was the GT350's motorsport record?
In R-model competition form the GT350 won the SCCA B-Production national championship in 1965, 1966, and 1967. The road car was the homologation base required to qualify the model for that racing class.
Who makes this 1:18 scale model?
The model is produced by ACME Models, a US manufacturer specialising in high-detail die-cast reproductions of American muscle and racing cars.
