I
've owned this car for about 20 years. When I bought it from
a buddy who is a hot rod dealer, they weren't sought after as
much as they are today. When I saw it through the dealership
window, I was sold. I took out a loan the next morning and bought it.
Ford was having trouble selling these Mustang fastbacks, so they turned
to Carroll Shelby, who turned them into racers. I actually knew Shelby: he
lived in Marina del Rey and often came into our first Baja Cantina restaurant
there. He was just developing the recipe for the chili mix that's marketed
under his name and we'd go into the kitchen and whip up batches of it.
This was a street car, not used as a racer, so it wasn't all banged up. It
even had an automatic transmission when I got it, but I put in a Shelby 4-
speed. It's a lot more fun now.
I've driven my Shelby at Laguna Seca and have taken it to lots of car
shows. People love it. I've had a lot of fun with this car. There aren't a lot
of real ones around. I don't think they'll ever go out of style."
C A R M E L V A L L E Y , O W N E R O F B A J A C A N T I N A & G R I L L A N D T U R N 12 B A R & G R I L L
9 4
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 5
PAT PHINNY
1966 SHELBY GT350
Photo: Kelli Uldall
CARS WE LOVE
"
BY MICHAEL CHATFIELD
