Ok Ok Time To Stir The Pot Just A Little.... Carpeted Package Tray....1965 GT350

[Vernon Estes]

Interesting subject, thanks for sharing... now we're going to have to deal with a whole slew of '65's showing up in SAAC concours with rear carpet!   

Imagine if some troublemaker showed up with a carpeted shelf, black painted cragars, and white Tri-ys.......

[Vernon Estes]

Prior to getting 345, I had heard about carpeted package trays here and there but it was certainly never a focus, just something I knew might have been an oddity of some kind.

Two days ago, John Brown called to say that he was reading back through some Shelby American meeting minutes and found mention of the carpeted package trays.

March 30, 1965- Phil Remington starts to investigate the possibility of adding carpet to the package trays in order to quiet the cars down

[Vernon Estes]

April 7- Confirmed that Remington had carpet placed on the shelf of a "PR car"

Cost was around $4 per... no minimum order quantity, 6-8 week lead time (perhaps this lead time was a big part of why this didn't become a standard factory feature)

You'll note at the same time Remington was working on relocated the horn switch which was difficult to reach. He never ended up finding a solution for that. Both problems were solved in 66 when both items were effectively taken out of production cars... at least in the case of package trays after the carryovers were made.

[Vernon Estes]

One aspect of the factory putting carpeting on package trays which is undisputed is on prototype cars.

In March-April of 1965 the factory was toying with the idea of adding carpeted package trays to quiet the interiors down. As they made prototype cars, they tested the idea. Instead of going with carpeted package trays, they instead phased out the existence of package trays outside of the odd car here and there after the carryovers.

Attached is a picture of the inside of the race shop,... Ken Miles sits in GT/108 with comedian Mort Sahl during his visit to the factory. Next to the GT40 sits a what I believe is 6S001 undergoing its conversion into a Shelby. Prototype package tray with carpeting on it sits on the roof 

Also attached is a picture of the package tray in 5S319. This car was Charles McHose's company car and was used as a 66 prototype. Also had design features which would become more associated with 67 Shelbys such as the Berry Plasti-Glass spoiler-ed trunklid.... carpeted package tray in the back.

[JD]

Here is the image of Miles and Sahl in GT/108 cropped-in and sacrificing the lighter and foreground areas to better see the background items on S6001. The stock rear seat components look to be on the roof and under the Shelby "shelf". There is another car behind it as well.

[Vernon Estes]

Thanks for brightening that photo up, JD!

The car behind 6S001 is a group 2 coupe as you can see its a coupe trunk lid opened and the fuel tank vent tub is visible poking out of the trunk threshold.

Kind regards,
Vern

[hertzz350]

i see 289 badges and mustang badges on the  mustang. Did shelby american pull these off and fill the holes on all shelbys?

[Bob Gaines]

i see 289 badges and mustang badges on the  mustang. Did shelby american pull these off and fill the holes on all shelbys?

Shelby pulled them off and filled the holes of this specific car because it was not a assemblyline spec Shelby unit but a regular Mustang converted at SA because of logistic challenges at the time. 

[J_Speegle]

If that is indeed 6S001 then some earlier comments and write-ups will have to be corrected since they mention the base car being a GT which the car in the picture is clearly not - Different badging and the car had rocker panel molding as well as standard rear valance.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Would have been nice if they had designed a hinge into it so all your beer and other goodies could be stored underneath it, Eddie-BOY!

It was designed to save weight in a race car - thoughts like that are what led to the later ones being bloated luxo cruisers not the pure performance cars CS envisioned.

[Vernon Estes]

Would have been nice if they had designed a hinge into it so all your beer and other goodies could be stored underneath it, Eddie-BOY!

It was designed to save weight in a race car - thoughts like that are what led to the later ones being bloated luxo cruisers not the pure performance cars CS envisioned.

I was making a joke in response to previous humor shared on the thread... just to be totally clear 

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Would have been nice if they had designed a hinge into it so all your beer and other goodies could be stored underneath it, Eddie-BOY!

It was designed to save weight in a race car - thoughts like that are what led to the later ones being bloated luxo cruisers not the pure performance cars CS envisioned.

I was making a joke in response to previous humor shared on the thread... just to be totally clear 

True - but I couldn't resist the chance to get in a shot at the Ford "problem" (business model?) of taking good cars and turning them into big heavy luxo barges. Tbird and Mustang are 2 prime examples.

[hertzz350]

Thank you Bob.

[Road Reptile]

Vern and all,
Always amazed on what shows up here. The carpet was/is faded enough to look like belongs to the car.
Whoever made it was wise to sew the edge trim on, and use a protector around the spare tire hold down.Very professional work, from an accurate pattern. Might be an idea to pick Howards brain to find out what he has "collected" over the years on this. Thanks for sharing it!
R.R.