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Hey Guys,

I'm selling 5S383 at Mecum Kissimmee. Crosses the block as lot S200.1 on January 18th, 2025.

Bullet points:

-SAAC Gold Concours Winner
-Delivered new to Tasca Ford, Providence, Rhode Island
-Sold new by Mutual Ford, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts
-Fully documented history from new
-One owner for 34 years prior to restoration
-Featured display car at SEMA show for Koni
-Featured in the Shelby American Magazine, Summer 2014 Issue (and fodder for one of Kopec's April Fools pranks)
-Factory original matching numbers 289/306 HP K Code V-8 engine
-Original T10-M 4-speed transmission
-Original Shelby VIN tag and all Ford VINs
-Factory 3.89 Detroit Locker rear differential
-Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue LeMans stripes
-Shelby Cragar wheels with Goodyear Blue Dot tires
-SAAC VIN verification done in person by Howard Pardee
-Letter from Curt Vogt detailing high level of car's originality prior to restoration
-Restored by Cobra Automotive 2014-2016
-Fresh service and concours detail by Cobra Automotive December 2024

I have over 300 photos of the car from its removal from Lou's building and through the restoration at Cobra Automotive. Every number and part is documented, it is a no-stories '65 with great provenance and a proven restoration.

If anybody has any pre-auction questions please feel free to email me at comer.colin@gmail.com , and I will be at the sale along with Curt Vogt to answer questions there as well.

Thanks, and Happy New Year to you all!

-Colin Comer


https://www.mecum.com/lots/1138509/1965-shelby-gt350-fastback/?utm_campaign=FL25&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_wHuvKKvdkC5uvosfbg_HrU7c0nRu7aY_6YJfnfQnQsAdibVrKUP8QtsUkpGYpvtXnQw5P6bX7cjyzSa2a086Jl4sRrg&_hsmi=340277407&utm_content=340277407&utm_source=hs_email

Purchased by the owner of a GTO- and not the kind made by Pontiac! A little birdie told me he's sending the GT500 off for a full resto.

Edit- just went to the site and see they added a set of 10 spokes and new tires to roll her outside. It was previously sitting on 4 mis-matched wheels with exploded tires. Oh, and the brake booster/ master/ other stuff is MIA though I see they opened the trap door and the manifolds are in the trunk so that's good. $55k+ the vig with a lot of time to go! Will be interesting to watch.

I was in AZ last week so went to EJ's and took a look at this car. Was told it sat outside since 1985, and it looks it! She's CRISPY. Has a Paxton bracket and an whoever put the blower on took an air chisel and basically destroyed the core support. Yes, Hone-o-Drive is there, and kinky spring loaded traction bars. Headers. All wheel lips are aggressively rolled. Lots of rust in left rear quarter and trunk drop, right quarter is pretty gone as well. Bondo cracking off of both aprons in engine compartment where it was covering rust. Must have lived in NY for a while before coming to AZ. Body hammered with dents. No VIN on block. All fiberglass is basically cooked and delaminating. Steering wheel wood is absent or beyond saving. No keys. Etc etc. I bet this thing was crazy cool when it had a blower and was being driven HARD. If only it could talk! EJ's did not give me a warm and fuzzy, seems like they might not be completely above board. Took an act of congress to even be able to get close to the car. Was shocked at the current bid given the buyer's premium and the state of the car but never underestimate starry-eyed optimism!

Shelbymann I'd like to take credit for being tenacious but it is nothing of the sort. If you watch the Hagerty video posted his name is on the screen...I purchased a 289 Cobra from him years ago and it was a far more exciting transaction than I had hoped for. Lol. Others here have had similar experiences. Also, I had friends involved in the Cunningham Corvette saga, unfortunately. So we can all speak from experience.

I will not comment on the current $263k bid or what the car is or is not. That train is on autopilot 

I will comment that I am surprised that nobody on BaT (or here) has researched the BaT seller. His history with the Cunningham LeMans Corvette, Key Bank and NextGear financial judging by a simple Google search and what was published in many articles in Sports Car Market by Legal Files columnist John Draneas is interesting reading.

Certainly I'd suggest the winning bidder, if there is one, complete this transaction with a trusted escrow service. Which, is good advice with any high dollar car from an unknown seller, right?

Attached is a screenshot from one of the SCM articles. Also, since the seller owned this GT350 prior to these proceedings, was it declared as an asset? If not would the creditors have a claim to the car or sale proceeds? I'm not an attorney but it seems maybe that's a question one would ask.

Should be a fascinating and entertaining conclusion in any event!

Hi Bob, I appreciate the clarification. I understand that you operate at a very high level of assembly line/ concours textbook perfect and our opinions often (always?) differ as I tend to appreciate unrestored or great driver cars with original sheetmetal over absolute perfection in plating or decal placement etc. It's the age old debate of drivers vs show car guys I suppose. And I will admit my post was more about what seems to be a great deal of pushback of any car that isn't Gold level etc. and past exchanges, hence the implication that commenting on the alarm was a "spin." In any event I think we all owe it to people here to allow differences of opinion without playing "whack-a-mole" when they comment. There is a wealth of knowledge in this forum and the more questions, opinions and comments are welcomed rather than challenged the better IMO. Again, thanks for clarifying, good to know it was offered in the spirit of friendly debate

Bob Gaines, re my "positive spin" on 1291,  as others have pointed out before, its unfortunate that you seem to have an issue with many fellow enthusiasts and SAAC members who post here only to be met with vitriol from you. It's the main reason why I, while somebody who clearly doesn't approach your level of expertise and experience, don't post here- and I know others who do the same. Again, unfortunate because there is a vast level of real world experience and insight that could be gained and blended with yours and other similar pillars of the Shelby community's knowledge to make us all more knowledgeable about the intricacies of the Shelby cars we love. It would also make for a more vibrant online community/ forum.

Case in point, as a former owner of 1219, somebody with firsthand knowledge of the car from when it left the original owner's care and what transpired with it up to the B-J sale (vs just seeing pics on a website) I felt chiming in on this thread was important. After all these auction threads are to review and discuss sale prices and determine the market for cars of varying quality. Yes, I thought the alarm the original owner put on 1219 was cool, I appreciated it still worked, and my family had fun "punking" people with it at car shows etc. I had and still have no dog in that hunt today. Ideally, yes, the car would have zero modifications but that was an acceptable "Day 2" one to me and I loved how spectacular that car was in so many other areas so I took it as a whole.

I do look at a ton of Shelbys in person at auctions, actually most of them, and see a lot of cars that aren't what they claim to be. For example in 2021 I inspected a '65 GT350 that was being sold at a Gooding auction that had a really "positive spin" on its history, owned by notable Shelby people, Div 2 winner etc. When I saw the car it was detailed very well but clearly had some significant issues with the legitimacy and origins of its body shell. That was one car I did not see discussed here, among others, and I was really curious as to your and other peoples take on it.

Now as for the other stuff like the $350k "Eleanors" and whatnot I certainly do not get the prices on those! Or the announced rebodies at B-J. Or even the unannounced ones I did try to buy an excptionally nice '65 A Code Mustang convertible (B-J Lot 439) that was mostly original paint and was super minty underneath. It was owned by Jason Billups and clearly he knows a good Mustang. It sold for a touch over $50k and in hindsight / by comparison that was probably one of the better Mustang buys at that auction.

Ok....back to lurking. Lol

My best to all-

Colin Comer

I owned 68 #1219 for a bit. Incredibly original car. It was 100% original paint when I owned it. Yes it had a period car alarm that was functional. Great party trick to turn it on and have somebody open the door and trigger the functional siren. When I had the car the original shocks were in a box as was every removed original part including fan belts etc. The chassis is, in my opinion, one of the best original ones of any 68 in existence. Certainly a reference example for finishes and plating. It was an extremely well preserved car. Drove like new. Even the A/C blew cold. The fellow I sold it to (well, actually traded it to for a 1k mile 1971 GMC truck and some $) did a bunch of detailing, not all of it appropriate as has been noted here. He also had the front end fiberglass repainted (not the hood) because he didn't like some small cracks in the nose. That was a mistake but I couldn't talk him out of it. I also think he had the body line on the doors blended because of some door dings and chips. I also wouldn't have done that as, again, it was absolutely 100% original paint and imo quite stunning. So while it is easy to gather an opinion via pics and a TV broadcast I can definitively state that 1219 was one of the best quality Shelbys at B-J by a country mile. And I'll leave it at that!

Oh, FWIW, the underbidder on 1219 was Peter Klutt. He inspected it and also thought it was a spectacular survivor. He bid to 163k (hammer) as I recall. 

Just a little Paul Harvey/ "the rest of the story" insight from a previous owner with reasonably knowledgable firsthand experience of this particular car.

I have a shelf full of original 289 Cobra grilles. And a vibratory pen....hmmmm...oh, crap, guess I can't do that now!

I brought 5S459 to Mecum for my friend from NY. I don't know what happened with 65s (and 66s for that matter) at Mecum but obviously it doesn't represent the market at large. Or, at least it illustrates that three 65s at one auction may homogenize the result starting with what the first car does or does not do on the block? I looked at 443 and it appeared to be a very honest car with a failing older repaint (including the engine compartment) and undecoating. But I loved the originality, Blue Dot spare, etc. It is the kind of car I like to drive. 459 is also a very good car and I believe it has found a new home, just waiting for it to return from Mecum so it can be sold. But just think- 1 tired Hemi Challenger = 3 1965 GT350s! Lol

Just had the same issue with one of these pumps on a 428CJ build! So yes, inspect them first!

Thanks again guys- nice to hide out here and get a break from the "real housewives of youtube" lol.

And Steven great to see you at RA and also watch you drive the wheels off of my old blue '66 race car!

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the comments on this Hagerty Buyer's Guide. For a little background I was "elected" to host it when nobody else put their hand up. As for the car I certainly didn't present it as the best in the world nor, and most importantly, is it an ad or a "for sale" video for the car. We had no luck finding another '65 GT350 to use so the easiest path was to use my car, #156. Since it is my car, and I restored it to drive, yes it has XWX tires, vintage H4 headlights, and yes, I painted the exhaust pipes and two muffler clamps on each side black as I personally don't like the way naked pipes and glass packs/ clamps look from the side profile. Plus, since I'll drive it, I didn't want them to look discolored and/or rusty. On my '66 I have a nice, shiny Fuller system but it tucks up in there as Ford intended so it doesn't look like a muffler shop screw up like a '65 exhaust I am fairly certain that the same could be true for any of our cars that we drive, many have modern batteries or radial tires or Napa fuel pumps that kind of stuff. As far as I'm concerned personal preference trumps any judging manual especially if you own the car lol.

And yes, nobody is perfect, but the intent was to show people the big things to look for and give an 8 minute primer to hopefully save somebody else from getting fleeced on a '65 out in the wild. If it makes one person contact Howard to verify numbers or know what a big deal original metal and parts can be then I'm happy. Why? Because many times I've been asked to look at '65s for people, and some really pretty highly pretty decorated ones judged and even restored by the high priests of the hobby, with "boo boos" that go far beyond a painted exhaust. Things like Dearborn body shells (ahem) and doctored up engine casting numbers/ dates/ VINs, bogus parts, you name it. Not to mention countless shiny auction cars with glowing catalog copy that doesn't even hint at not so good history readily accessible in the SAAC Registry if the bidders would just look or contact Howard etc.

But again, thanks for all of the comments and I hope I didn't screw things up too badly. Rest assured I won't be heading to Hollywood for casting calls anytime soon.

All the best,

Colin

Surely I can't be the only one wondering about the Radial T/A tires on a concours restoration, not to mention that the one on the right front looks a lot bigger than the one on the left front. That, and the alignment, seem to suggest she has the super speedway setup in her right now!