After
the 1968 banner year, 1969 proofed to be the beginning of the end for
the Shelby Mustang. The Ford Mustang had been restyled, becoming lower,
longer, wider and more dramatic, moving away from the original crisp and
compact design. And the Shelby version followed.
Though Ford now completely controlled the Shelby Mustang production, the
cars were still visibly different. The Shelby Mustangs sported an
extended front end with an fiberglass nose, a hood with an excess of 5
NASA-type scoops for cooling the engine, only two headlights in a large
wrap-around front bumper and recessed fog lights under the bumper. Other
identifying features were the reflective striping and the side scoops in
front of the front and rear wheels.
Shelby
Cobra logos appeared on the sides and in the grille of the cars. Though
less stressed than in 1968 "Cobra" was still part of the model
name. At the rear impressive square twin-exhaust outlets were placed in
the middle and sequential (Thunderbird) taillights were used again. The
license plate holder covered the fuel filler cap and the rear spoiler
extended higher than on the 1968 model.
The 1969 model line was reduced to fastback and convertible versions of
the GT-350 and the GT-500. The convertible featured a flat roll-bar with
clips to hold down a surf board. Remarkably direct competition to the
Shelby cars came from Ford's own Mustang: 1969 saw the introduction of
the 250 hp Mustang Mach 1 and the exotic 290 hp Mustang Boss 302 and 360
hp Mustang Boss 429. Especially the considerably more affordable Mach 1
was a best seller, cutting in on Shelby GT-350 sales.
Though
the 1969 Shelby Mustang was rather cluttered with scoops and ducts it
looked quite good. The long nose with imposing front and the low flowing
lines of especially the fastback make for an elegant yet brutally aggressive
appearance.
The 302 cid engine of the 1968 GT-350 was replaced with Ford's new 351
cid (5.7 litre) "Cleveland" V8 engine, producing 290 hp @ 4800
rpm with a single Autolite four-barrel carburetor. This unit powered
the car to an unchanged top speed of 191 kph and a 0-60 mph (97 kph)
acceleration in 6.3 seconds. Again a Paxton supercharged version of this
engine was optional, but rarely fitted.
The
interior remained in standard Mustang deluxe style, complete with wood grain
finishing. Some extra dials and clocks were fitted into the dash and the
driver looked at a steering wheel with Cobra logo. Mandatory extras in
the interior were special aircraft-type shoulder harnesses on the front
seats and a tilt steering wheel. The 1969 Shelby Mustangs came with a
4-speed "top loader" manual gearbox as standard, but Ford's
C-4 (GT-350, like you see here) or C-6 (GT-500) automatic transmissions
were optional. Other options fitted as standard were power steering and
power brakes.
After
the 1968 banner year, 1969 proofed to be the beginning of the end for
the Shelby Mustang. The Ford Mustang had been restyled, becoming lower,
longer, wider and more dramatic, moving away from the original crisp and
compact design. And the Shelby version followed.
Shelby
Cobra logos appeared on the sides and in the grille of the cars. Though
less stressed than in 1968 "Cobra" was still part of the model
name. At the rear impressive square twin-exhaust outlets were placed in
the middle and sequential (Thunderbird) taillights were used again. The
license plate holder covered the fuel filler cap and the rear spoiler
extended higher than on the 1968 model.
Though
the 1969 Shelby Mustang was rather cluttered with scoops and ducts it
looked quite good. The long nose with imposing front and the low flowing
lines of especially the fastback make for an elegant yet brutally aggressive
appearance.
The
interior remained in standard Mustang deluxe style, complete with wood grain
finishing. Some extra dials and clocks were fitted into the dash and the
driver looked at a steering wheel with Cobra logo. Mandatory extras in
the interior were special aircraft-type shoulder harnesses on the front
seats and a tilt steering wheel. The 1969 Shelby Mustangs came with a
4-speed "top loader" manual gearbox as standard, but Ford's
C-4 (GT-350, like you see here) or C-6 (GT-500) automatic transmissions
were optional. Other options fitted as standard were power steering and
power brakes.