say the 68s were totally quiet inside. We discovered ainumber of squeaks and rattles in each but, ironically, more in the fastback. Convertibles usually tend to loosen up more and quicker. With the GT500-KR, there isnt the ginch-off-the-ground feel experienced with a Vette or other sports car. Thats one part of the car Ford cant do much about, short of making a new body. And the over-the-hood view is filled with a large dome which we likened at times to the foredeck ofa seagoing runabout, especially when it blocked our view. 'Being a Cobra Iet car, there are fresh-air inlets via twin hood scoops. And the Shelby cars also feature func- tional hood louvers at the rear of each side of the hood. They do a good ventilating job for the crowded engine compartment. They also contribute a lot of refuse to the windshield area in front of the driver and passenger The nal blow is that air coming from the hood louvers feeds into the cowl vent grilles for interior venting The cowl feed is a high- pressure area, and thats why its used for this purpose With GT Shelbys. though, you get more than fresh am The added center console not only helps interior appearance; it gives the Mustang a storage compartment as well. The regular glove box needs help just to hold a warranty book. The deep opening is capped with a padded top thats just right for an armrest. Good thinkin, guys. It can hinder quick shifts with a four-speed, but for the sake of an armrest as good as this one, wed buy an automatic. Dont get us wrong; we like the Mustang dash. It's just not a Cor- vette dash, and thats a hard one to fight. Once youre cradled behind the heavily padded steering wheel that juts too far into your chest, youve still got a Mustang dash facing you in a car that cost nearly as much as a Vette. But then there might be some whod say the Shelby car makes more sense cause itll hold four people. Well, okay. But for how long and how far? Try running between Los Angeles and San Francisco with two good friends in the back of that fastback Mustang That ll decide true friendship. After we 'd made the rounds of street usage, collected our thoughts from these ventures and recorded mileage figures, it was time for thrashing through the quarter at Orange County Inter- national Raceway with each KR. Running the automatic takes practice before getting a system developed for best times. Stall speed is relatively low, so we found that starting at 800-900 rpm and easing into the power from there was best. Very little wheelspin developed and better e.t."s resulted. Leaving the selector in Drive is fruitless. The C-I engine hooked to the three-speed automatic needs all of 6000 rpm before going to the next gear, and the D position barely reaches 5500 before upshifting. After detaching belts and air-cleaner element, plus raising front tire pressure to 45 psi and-rear to 32, we achieved a 97.71 mph top end and e.t. of 14.58 seconds. This was the best. It had dropped to a poor 14.94 e t earlier. Our four- -speed car never dropped below 100 mph in all its runs and never traversed the quarter in more than 14 20 seconds. Much better and more respectable than the convert. Also, we found six grand too much for this one, recording consistently better e.t.s by shortshiftingat 5500 rpm. While both engines [automatic and stick] will take 6000 without objection, they seem all done past that point in stock condition. The stick shift linkage, leaves much to be desired, and the stock 11.5-inchdiameter clutch unit is hurting when it comes to long life. Five or six close runs produce unreal fade and slip. We did feel contentrelatively speakingwhen the four-speed car ticked off a 14.01-second quarter and top end of 102.73 mph. This is a long way from the 13.56 e.t. and 106 mph Pure Stock run made in a Mustang Cobra Iet tested for our March issue, so we know the KR can use improvement. Richer jetting is the first step to take, and one we didnt do, for reasons of no carb jets and no time. The KR series Shelby Mustangs are built to attract a wide variety of tastes and interests, which accounts for their stable sales picture. Some sports car customers dont care to sit an inch off the ground, and this is why they dont buy the Vette. There must be a reason. The Shelby GT500-KR may be a better sports vehicle than the production Mustang, but this Ford appears to fall short of the . Vette. Were bound to get a stack of mail on this one; better warn John in the mailroom what to expect. _ l l upper control arm. Direct- -acting Gabriel adjustable shocks Rear ........ Hotchkiss type. Four leaf semi- elliptic leaf springs. Gabriel adjustable shocks , VEHICLE Shelby GT500-KR Fastback Convertible , PRICE _ Base ........................... $4472.57 ................. $4594.09 As Tested ...................... 4857.13 ............. . . . . 5350.39 ENGINE Type ............................ OHV V8 Cylinders .................. 8 Bore and Stroke 413 x 3. 984 1n. Displacement ..428 cu. in. Compression rat ...... 10.6: 1 Horsepower .............. 55@ 5200 rpm Torque ............ 440 lbs. -ft. @ 3400 rpm Valves: Intake ................ 2. 06 in. dia. Exhaust .............. 1.625 in dia. Camshaft. Lift ..... .481 In Intake- 490 in. exhaust Duration .............. Tappets ........... .yH dra 29lic Carburetion ........ .Single Holley 4- bbl Exhaust ............................ Du al . TRANSMISSION Type ............. Manual 4- -speed. Synchro ............ Selecto 0 Matic ' all forward dears 3- -speed automatic Ratios: lst ........................ 2:32 -1 .................... 2.46:1 2nd ....................... 1.69:1 .................... 1.46:1 3rd ........................ 1.29:1 .................... 1.00:1 4th .. .................. 0:0 1 Clutch ................ Long; 11.5 inch d1a , single disc, dry plate DIFFERENTIAL Type ............. 1- -piece housing, live axle. Straddle- mounted ring gear and offset pinion. Locking- . . _ rear std. except with a/c F1nal drlve ratlo ................... 3.50:. . . . . . .............. 3.25:1 BRAKES Type ........ Power-assisted front disc/rear drum. Floating- -caliper design Dimensions. Front ........ Disc, 11. am .dia. ......... ,Drum, 10 in dia. Total effectivea area ............ 180 sq. in. SUSPENSION Front ...... Independent with coil spring over Stabilizer... . .Front only. .94- inch diameter T1res ...... . ..E7-015 Goodyear Polyglas wide pattern Wheel rim width ................... 6.0 in. Steering. Type ....... Recirculating ball and nut with Iinkage- -type hydraulic power assist. Gear ratio ................. .0:1 Overall ratio .. ................ 20.32:1 Turning circle. , urb to curb Wheel diameter ................ 16.0 in. Turns lock to lock .................. 3.74 PERFORMANCE Standing start quarter-mile 4585 and 97. 71 mph FUEL CONSUMPTION Best reading ................... 11.47 mpg Poorest ....................... 10.6 mpg Average . ..11 02 mpg Recommended fuel ................ Premium DIMENSIONS Wheelbase .................... 108.0 in. Front track ..................... 58.1 in. Rear track 58.1 in. Overall height .................. 51.8 in. Overall width .................. 70. 9 in. Overall length .................. 186. 81 in. Test weight ............. . 3570 lb. Body/frame construction . .Unitized Fuel tank capacity .......... . .17 gal. .. 13.58 mpg .. 10.21 mpg . 11.96 mpg Premium ........ . 3740|b. NOVEMBER 1968 ~ HOT ROD 41