1965 Shelby GT350 Fastback

• No. 277 of 521 Street GT350s produced in 1965
• Three owners, 27,000 miles from new
• Spent an amazing 43 of its 51 years carefully stored
• One of two 1965 GT350s known to retain its original window sticker
• Shipped to McAnary Ford, Inc. in Gary Indiana on May 26, 1965
• Factory LeMans stripes and Cragar wheels
• Sold on August 31, 1965 to R.D. Milburn from Crown Point, Indiana
• Driven sparingly between 1965-1968 before being placed into storage
• Acquired by second owner, Bob Bychowski in 1976 with 15,000 miles
• Exterior paint refinished in hand-rubbed lacquer by Bychowski in 1976, the finish it still wears today
• Used sparingly and shown in SAAC events before being placed in long-term storage from 1980-2015
• Acquired by third owner in 2015, one of the foremost 1965 Shelby authorities in the world
• Original numbers matching engine and original aluminum T-10 transmission
• Retains complete factory drivetrain, carburetor, radiator, body panels, glass, interior, carpet, wheels, exhaust, unused Blue dot spare and virtually every GT350-specific component that are typically missing from these cars
• Desirable early build rear battery, porthole hood specification
• Track tested with Ford's new GT350 for the July, 2015 issue of Road & Track
• Never previously advertised or offered for public sale

Any 1965 GT350 is special, but some are simply extraordinary. This car, Shelby number 277, is one of the very few that stand out from the rest.

Shelby number 277’s story is a simple one. Shipped as a new car to McAnary Ford in Gary, Indiana, on May 26, 1965. It came from the factory with the optional LeMans stripes and Cragar wheels. On August 31, 1965 it was sold to R.D. Milburn from Crown Point, Indiana who became 277’s first owner. Milburn drove the car sparingly from 1965-1968 and then placed it into storage to preserve it.

In 1976 Milburn removed it from storage, and soon it caught the attention of Mr. Bob Bychowski, of neighboring Warrenville, Illinois, a certified Ford nut who was also a painter at the local Ford dealership. Bychowski strongly desired the GT350 and quickly became its second owner. The car had been driven only 15,000 miles at this time and was in exceptional shape, having been stored more than it had been driven. But Bychowski reports the original paint was of very poor quality, especially on the fiberglass hood, so he decided to use his skills as a painter and refinish the exterior as needed in hand-rubbed lacquer, the finish it still wears today. Shelby number 277 was Bychowski’s prized possession, used sparingly and shown often in early SAAC events and other shows. But by 1980 Bychowski worried his teenage stepson would attempt to “steal” 277 for joy rides and hurt himself or the car. The solution? The GT350 was again placed into storage. And as will happen, life went on and what was to be a momentary shelving of a prized possession became a permanent one. Many people knew that Bychowski had 277 tucked away in his garage, but Bychowski either denied it or simply refused anybody who wanted to view it. It wasn’t on display and it certainly wasn’t for sale.

In 2009 Bychowski met Shelby historian and author Colin Comer at a car show in nearby Chicago. He mentioned, in passing, that he had a 1965 GT350 in storage. Over the next five years, every November Bychowski would chat with Comer at this same show, only mentioning the car occasionally. But in early 2015 Comer was told that Bychowski was thinking of selling 277. The next morning the two met at Bychowski’s garage north of Chicago. There, in a bubble, was Shelby number 277, with 25,000 miles on the odometer and not having seen the light of day in 35 years. Soon after, Comer became the car’s third owner and removed it from its hiding spot.

Comer proceeded to carefully rebuild 277’s original engine and transmission as well as every other component to return it to service. Any original maintenance items that needed replacing were carefully boxed and saved, including the original fan belt and radiator hoses. The GT350 was dyno-tuned, aligned, and carefully set up in the same manner as all cars in Comer’s collection. When asked to bring a ’65 GT350 to Michigan to track test with Ford’s new GT350 in July 2015 for Road & Track magazine, Comer hopped in 277, drove it from Wisconsin to Michigan, track tested it against the new car for two days, and drove it back to Wisconsin. He states “out of all of the 1965 GT350s I’ve had the pleasure of driving, working on, or owning over the last 25 years – Shelby GT350 number 277 is by far the best performing of them all. Driving it is like going to LAX and picking up a new one in 1965. It is just that good.” Furthermore, the full feature story can be found in the November 2015 issue of R&T.

Now with 27,000 original miles, what is most striking about Shelby number 277 is the fact it retains all of its original factory installed components including its complete original drivetrain, carburetor, radiator, body panels, glass, interior, carpet, wheels, exhaust, unused Blue Dot spare tire and virtually every other GT350-specific component that are typically missing from these special cars. It is also a desirable rear-battery, porthole hood example with factory stripes and Cragar wheels, the ultimate combination.

The icing on the cake is that 277 also retains its original factory window sticker, one of just two 1965 GT350s known to have this incredible piece of documentation.

While finding a nice example of one of the 521 original 1965 GT350s built isn’t hard, finding one in this condition is virtually impossible. With just three owners from new, 27,000 original miles, and benefiting from 43 of its 51 years in careful storage the is beyond rare. It has never been advertised for sale or offered for public sale until now. Add to that it is coming from the personal collection of one of the foremost 1965 Shelby authorities in the world - in absolutely turn-key condition, the opportunity to find a 1965 GT350 like number 277 will likely never be duplicated.