Factory 427-4V CID GT 500 Cars

Backstories

67400F5A00289

Car #0289 wasn’t recorded as 'completed' by SAI until about two months after it was originally built by Ford. This delay appears to have been related to the car having a defective engine. SAI received a special order from a buyer by the name of Paul Nichter in Buffalo, NY who wanted a 427 CID GT 500 to replace the 427 Cobra he used to own, The Cobra had been totaled by his mechanic, who lost his life in the accident. When Shelby received this call for a 427 GT, #0289 was chosen because it needed a new engine anyway. The SRG learned of #0289's defective engine from an April 1967 invoice where SAI attempted to charge Ford (Invoice # P 13289) for a variety of engine and/or transmission repairs for twelve (12) different cars, including. #0289: "Engine $422.79 and Labor to R&R $140.00." According to the story, “Nichter flew to California and picked up the car himself on 2/14/67 and drove it across the country to Buffalo, NY. The Shelby American Production Order form is marked “Special 427 engine" and the invoice for this car itemizes a “Special 427 Light Weight Engine... $2,000.”

 

67402F4A00544

#0544 is documented as a H.O.R. (Home Office Reserve) Company Car. This car was designated for the purpose of '68 development. The planning stage of Shelby's vision for the '68 models began in January 1967. During Feb-April-1967 multiple company cars, including #0003, #0131, #0139, #0463, #0544, and others, were used for this purpose. The Ford/Shelby vision for '68 included fuel injected and supercharged offerings, as well an optional 427-4V powered G.T. 500 model. It appears that #0544 became the primary engineering car for the planned 427-4V offering. As a '68 engineering car, #0544 also wore several of Shelby's '68 styling features including a louvered hood, outboard high beams, bright accents on grill texture, and a “Racing Stripe” applied over the top. References to the styling features can be found in the Confidential 1968 Product Planning document #2, dated January 16, 1967. The optional 427 engine was outlined in the press release and fact sheet handed out during the press day at Ford's Long Lead Technical Conference (LLTC) on July 7, 1967, which took place at Riverside International Raceway. Carroll Shelby was also the west coast distributor of Goodyear Tires, and Carroll did Goodyear a favor by offering up #0544 for a day of testing Goodyear's new Thunderbolt tires at their Texas-based high-speed test track in late March. The Thunderbolt tires were mounted on Shelby 10-spoke aluminum wheels for the tests. Later, the concept of a 427-powered G.T. 500 was pitched by Don McCain as a special order limited production car available exclusively from Mel Burns Ford (similar to that of a COPO / Yenko Camaro). A bit of confusion stems from an August 1967 article published in Drag Strip magazine that referred to #0544 as having a “Super Snake package,” however, we have not found any paperwork from Shelby American that referred to a “Super Snake” or “Super Snake package” in reference to this car or any other 427-4V powered GT 500 models built or planned. There were, however, two (2) supercharged 427 Cobras that Shelby American called "Super Snakes."

67410F4A01947

#1947 was initially recorded as an H.O.R. (Home Office Reserve) car, #1947 was first allocated for the Ford Los Angeles sales district. After it was returned, it was fitted with the 427 lightweight engine and repurposed as a factory drag car. Could the reason for its return and new engine be due to a failure of the original 428-8V (similar to #0289)? The Shelby Production Order form is scribed “427 Modification. Sold to above party after modifications.” The Shelby American invoice shows the base price: $3,975.24; modifications $1,824.76; Invoice total $6,110.00. (Notation on the invoice: “subtract rear fenders $108.29; add power steering $64.75; total $43.54).” Our assumption is that the deduction for the 'rear fenders' might be due to them not being 'cut', 'rolled', or flared to add clearance for drag slicks.


Louvered Hoods
#0289 and #0544 were most likely two (2) of the first six (6) cars to receive louvered hoods. Both these cars were completed in the month that followed the confidential memo that made it priority #1 to solve the overheating problems affecting the GT 500 air-conditioned cars (#0100, #0131, #0139, and #0463). Cars #0131, #0463, and #0544 were photographed in-period with 67-½ front ends (a/k/a/ ‘outboard’ high-beams) before the end of March 1967.

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