Uncovering 35K-Mile 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Sitting Nearly 50 Years
It started with a phone call. The kind that, depending on which side of the conversation you were on, either gave you chills at the possibilities, or a nervous uneasiness from a long-held family secret you were about to share.
Fortunately for Vernon Estes, it was he who was on the receiving end of that call. Estes, a well-established and respected member of the Shelby community and owner of Vernon Estes Classics, understood that this call about a particular car was more than revealing a piece of automotive history. To the caller, it was a treasured piece of family history as well.
There is a saying about, "If it sounds too good to be true …" with which we are all familiar. Frankly, that saying is usually accurate as many "finds" in the collector car world do not live up to their initial billing.
However, every once in a long while they do, like discovering this previously unknown car, which turns out to be one of the most original, well-preserved 1965 GT350s in existence.
Not long after that call, Estes would stand before one of the most significant examples of American muscle and bring it into the light for the first time in nearly five decades.
No. 5S335 is a completely original, 35,000-mile car still wearing its original paint, interior, and 100 percent of its original drivetrain. Additionally, it retains every important Shelby specific part which would have been installed in 1965.
“The further we get on in years since these iconic cars were produced, the more uncommon it becomes to see such original, unknown examples of 1965 GT350s emerging from their decades-long hiding places" says Estes.
No. 5S335 was purchased by Dr. William Burrow on May 1, 1966, only after having sat on the dealer lot for nine months! “In the hobby, we all like to longingly say, "They are still out there," Estes says, “but with every emergence of one of these unknown cars, the field of potential unknown cars still existing narrows."
It turns out that 5S335 was originally delivered new to Herff Ford in Memphis, Tennessee. While not one of the highest-volume or most-storied Shelby Authorized Dealerships, Herff was very aptly located in, of all places, Shelby County!
Despite being ultra-desirable collector cars in the present day, the more race-oriented 1965 Shelby cars were a tough sell initially to the public -- something most enthusiasts tend to forget.
At the time of sale, Herff titled the car as a 1966 GT350. (It’s believed this was because many states were known for titling cars by the year they were sold as opposed to the actual model year of the car.)
Since it was sold as a 1966 GT350, the car had a back seat installed (a feature typical of 1966 GT350s) while the original fiberglass "package tray" / spare-tire carrier remained with the car. In fact, Estes explains that the package tray had to be retrieved from the roof of an RV which, was also stored in the barn. Given that the tray never spent much time in the back of 5S335, Estes says it is the nicest original example he can recall seeing.
On December 10, 1966, the car changed hands for the final time when Donald Dunford became the second owner for $2,800. (The check that Donald paid for the car, the original bill of sale, and the letter from his bank about the purchase all remain with the car.)
Purchased specifically because it had air conditioning added to it, Donald had felt that his wife would love that feature and promptly drove the car back to Frankfort, Indiana, where it would live until the 1990s when they moved to West Lafayette, Indiana. The car would remain "her car" and was completely hidden for the rest of its days.
The all-too-common phrases we see used when a rare classic is uncovered such as "Barn Find" & “Holy Grail" usually accompany carefully crafted stories designed specifically to drive "clicks" to websites or eyes to staged automotive "reality" shows. But the greatest finds and the most amazing automotive stories need no "fancy lights" or "makeup" because they stand on their own in truth and verifiable fact by someone who had the foresight to document everything. (See: https://www.jpemerson.com/post/the-saga-of-sharing-shelby-5s335-with-the-world).
“Being such raw and performance-oriented cars, it is a rarity to see 1965 Shelby Mustangs survive its early years with a high degree of its originality intact," Estes explains.
"Rarer still is for an example to survive unscathed through the restoration-crazed time period of the 1980s up till recent years." Donald Dunford and wife Alice have done just that. Being a SAAB dealer, Donald put aside some race cars and a gaggle of SAAB cars over the years.
In the early 1990s, the 1965 GT350 was stored in the back of their barn in West Lafayette -- all the way in the back, with a motor home and all the other cars blocking it from getting seen or stolen. It was covered and preserved for generations to come.
"Few examples of ’65 GT350s survive today in the same incredibly well-preserved condition as 5S335,” Estes says. “This makes it one of the best of the breed in existence."
In 2016 Donald passed away, leaving the car to his wife Alice. Over the years Alice would mention many times to her niece, Karen Lank, that she had a very special Mustang in the back of the barn. But because the barn was too full for Karen, or anyone else, to ever get back to see it, it remained completely off the radar.
In the waning months of 2023, Alice passed, leaving her estate to Karen -- including the barn packed full of cars, parts, a big RV -- and one truly, very "special Mustang."
"The emergence of SFM5S335 reveals a car that is perfect for the new owner for two reasons," adds SAAC registrar Howard Pardee.
"If the owner decides to have a survivor car, the engine compartment and interior have been cleaned up and the mechanicals sorted through, I see no reason why not just drive and enjoy it. It is a good example of what a Shelby was when it left Shelby American in 1965."
"If the owner decides to have a concours car, this Shelby is ideal as it appears to be a very solid car with no major problems," Pardee concedes. "The important thing is that the original parts are there and don't have to be sourced at astronomical prices."
"It was a pleasure to be able to experience the re-discovery of such a high-integrity example" says Estes. “It is the kind of experience that guys like me live for in this hobby."
As for the future direction of 5S335, Estes says, "The car could not be in better hands than with its new, preservation-focused owner who is about to embark on a no-expense-spared, preservation-focused refresh.
This work will be conducted by Jeremy Turner at Maple Hill Restoration in Virginia. During this "refresh," every effort will be taken to properly recommission the car's mechanical components while preserving its absolutely insane level of originality -- including its original paint, original interior, and miraculously preserved original underside.
“Upon completion, there is no doubt that 5S335 will be counted among the most well-preserved examples in existence of a 1965 GT350."
Fortunately for Estes -- who may very well live by another old saying, "Most people miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work" -- when his phone rang, he answered. Which would prove that nothing is more expensive than missed opportunity.
https://performance.ford.com/enthusiasts/newsroom/2024/10/gt350-recovery.html
(photo credit: JP Emerson – Ford Performance)
