Ken Miles and the Flying Mustang…

One of motorsports history’s most memorable photos…

Ken Miles in the 1st Shelby GT350R Competition Model

…showing Ken Miles and the Mustang airborne with all four tires of the car lifted clear off the ground.

Shelby GT350R Competition Model

Known as the “Flying Mustang”, this was the first Shelby GT350R Competition Model built, and is to be auctioned at the  Mecum Auctions May 12-17 in Mecus’s 33rd Original Spring Classic.  The current world pandemic may postpone this event but can’t detract from the famous racing machine.

 

This  GT350R is the very car that was piloted by the legendary Ken Miles at Green Valley Raceway on Feb. 14, 1965. This marked the first time any Shelby Mustang was entered into a sanctioned competitive event. Amazingly, Miles took the car to a dominating first-place finish and, en route to the win, was captured in this photo.  The first competition Shelby Mustang, the first to be raced, and the first to win, 5R002 simultaneously served as Shelby American’s factory engineering mule, a rolling test bed for ideas and components, including those that would constitute both the second team car (5R001) and all 34 customer R-models. Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, Chuck Cantwell, Peter Brock, and several other world-class drivers drove this car extensively in testing and development.

Dave Miller

Dave Miller tells the stories of fascinating people, who, like him, believes a life well-lived never goes out of style. Passionate about European cars, he’s been fortunate to own some wonderful automobiles, and traveling, has made friendships around the world writing about amazing experiences that he is driven to pass on.

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