[Editor's Note: This article originally ran in the November 2020 issue of Classic Motorsports.]
Life as a rental car in New York City–likely at JFK–may be the least exciting part of this Shelby’s back story. Since then it’s been drag raced, road raced and hillclimbed. And in modern times, it’s been rallied from Alaska to Florida to Europe–dirt, dings and all–and made a stop on the show field.
The story of this 1966 Shelby GT350H–serial No. SFM6S819–starts in February 1966 with that first assignment as part of the Hertz fleet in New York. The car’s records suggest that its life wasn’t easy: It received a new transmission that May after just 1539 miles of service.
But the paperwork suggests a break from the action came less than a year later. Hertz disposed of the car through Francis for Fords, a dealership in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A photo of the dealer’s lot from that year shows a stout frontline, with inventory showcasing Mustangs from mild to GT350R.
Rat Race to Real Race
Getting away from New York City didn’t make life any less exciting for this Shelby. Scott Beshore of York Haven, Pennsylvania, purchased the car and, the record states, gutted the interior and installed a roll cage.
The car’s new mission? Hillclimb events all over the East Coast.
Among the titles Beshore earned in the car is a pair of SCCA Solo I championships, which he claimed at Maryland’s Marlboro Motor Raceway and, after that track closed, Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. He continued to campaign the car–hillclimbs mostly–for several years, but when Beshore had the chance to purchase a Cobra, he decided to trade horses.
Purists, read no further. In February 1975, Thomas Chisman bought the Shelby and pulled the Ford engine so he could hack in a 327-cubic-inch Chevy fed by a supercharger and a pair of four-barrel carburetors. He proceeded to take the Shelby drag racing.
Photograph Courtesy Ken Young
One of the car’s most significant displays of power: At the 1979 Shelby American Automobile Club convention in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Chisman ripped off some epic burnouts in the parking lot. (This author, then a 19-year-old kid, witnessed the performance.)
Fellow SAAC member Ken Young, who also witnessed that show of speed in Downingtown, immediately purchased the car–but only owned it briefly. “I had to let it go or it was going to kill me,” Young is quoted as saying.
Paul Radke purchased the car in 1981 and removed the Chevy powerplant. In its place, he installed a race-prepped Ford 351 Windsor engine and a Ford Toploader four-speed transmission. He took the Shelby, now 15 years old, vintage racing.
The Shelby’s vintage race career lasted through 2015: While owners came and went, the car was continuously modified, restored and stitched back together as it competed up and down the East Coast.
New Owners, New Mission: Rallying
In January 2017, Karl and Joan Eisleben bought the Shelby–tired, but still full of potential. With their bucket list in mind, the couple gave the car a new mission: participating in international vintage rallies and tours.
A decommissioned race car would make the best starting point for such a build, Karl figured, and when he found the idle Shelby near his Florida home, he knew it was the perfect candidate. He managed the project while Orlando Mustang handled the heavy lifting.
Before the car could embark on any rallying adventures, Karl wanted his Shelby to meet four requirements: It had to be safe, durable, dependable and visually stunning.
First steps involved returning the car to street use. For the first time since 1966, mufflers were fitted to the Shelby. Orlando Mustang also installed comfortable Sparco seats and a heater. Roll-up windows went back into the doors, while a proper piece of glass replaced the plastic windshield.
Photography Credit: Chris Tropea
The engine–now a HiPo 289, correct for this car–was detuned a bit for street driving. FIA rally rules mandate the proper, original cast block and heads, but some internal parts can be upgraded. “The engine internals are race-bred Cobra Automotive pieces,” Karl explains. “It has its solid lifter camshaft but has been converted to roller rockers–very durable but does require adjustments after a long rally. Carburation is Holley, but re-jetted from its racing days and now runs on pump gas versus 110 octane.”
The points have been replaced with an MSD digital ignition. “The timing has been backed off, as the goal now is not to run at max rpm for 45 minutes, but to have bulletproof reliability for 10 hours per day for weeks on end,” Karl adds.
At one point, this Shelby was powered by Chevy. Now a proper HiPo Ford 289 fitted with parts from the Cobra Automotive catalog sits between the fenders. Photography Credit: Chris Tropea
A Tremec TKO 600 five-speed transmission was added for better high-speed cruising, especially when combined with a 34-gallon fuel cell. “The move to a five-speed was necessitated by needing range,” he explains. “The Alcan 5000 mandates a minimum range of 300 miles on a tank of gas, and for good reason: Fuel stops are few and far between in the Yukon and remote Alaska.”
The suspension was modified as well to add ground clearance, considering the car would be laden with tools, gear and spares, including not one but two spare tires. Also on the job order: a skidplate and the required radios and communication equipment.
“It has SCCA and SVRA logbooks, so everything has been to their vintage racing specs. And rallies are covered by FIA rules, so there are a lot of limits to what can or can’t be modified,” Karl reports. “The sanctioning bodies for rallies are very technical with scrutineering, and a car has to pass the test prior to every rally.
“It is cool to see what was submitted in 1965-’66 by Shelby American to the FIA,” he continues. “These documents are still what is referenced today as allowable changes for Shelbys participating in rallies. That’s why items such as the disc brakes on the front and drums on the rear are still on 6S819 versus disc brakes on all four corners.”
During the work, Karl remained sensitive to the car’s history and patina. Plus, he figured that a concours restoration would quickly be ruined by the car’s new intended purpose. Look closely, for example, and the fender tops still sport dimples from flung gravel. Four hood pins, not two as delivered by the factory, secure the lid, a modification originally carried out some 50 years ago. The Shelby even retains the transponder from its road racing days.
Photography Credit: Chris Tropea
Go North, See the Moose
Most sensible people would ease into a new sport, especially with a freshly redone car. Not Karl and Joan. They got their feet wet by entering the 2018 Alcan 5000, a grueling TSD rally that starts in Seattle and heads north–all the way to Top of the World Highway, just 165 miles outside the Article Circle.
“The Top of the World Highway is a lane-and-a-half-wide, mud and gravel road that is littered with water-filled potholes,” Karl wrote in the Shelby American Automobile Club’s magazine. “It is only open to traffic when the snow has melted off, about twelve weeks out of the year. Everyone is on their own here–no services and you’ll see very few people along the way.”
Photography Credit: Joan Eisleben
The full load of 34 gallons plus tools, two spares and two people proved challenging for the Shelby’s suspension. “The car finished the Alcan 2 1/2 inches lower than when it started,” Karl quips. The exhaust pipes were flattened a bit.
Heavier leaf springs were eventually installed. “The ride is firm but not harsh,” he adds.
Warmer, More Relaxing
Upon returning from the Alcan–sporting mud and all–the Eislebens entered the Shelby in another kind of event: a concours.
The ex-race, now-rally Shelby made its concours debut at the Hilton Head Island Concours Car Club Showcase, where it rolled onto the field covered in mud. Onlookers flocked. The Shelby took home the award for the best Ford at the event.
Karl Eisleben had a bucket list item: Participate in some big rallies and tours. He figured that an old race car would be a good starting point. Before he found this 1966 Shelby GT350H, it had been raced for decades. After the Shelby’s Alcan appearance, it was shown in Hilton Head. Photography Credit: David S. Wallens
Since then, the car’s life has involved less mud and rocks–but that doesn’t mean it’s been sitting around the house. In May 2019, a repaired, cleaned-up Shelby left for the London to Lisbon, an upscale event organized by the Historic Endurance Rally Organization. This vintage rally covers some 2400 miles of European backroads in 10 days, all while featuring fine food and luxury accommodations.
From there, Karl and Joan brought the Shelby back home for some 2020 events, starting with our own Orange Blossom Tour in March–where we checked out the car–and followed by the Copperstate 1000.
The stickers found in the trunk show that Karl’s dreams have been fulfilled: rallies up through the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and also across Europe. Photography Credit: Chris Tropea
What a Life It’s Been
After nearly 55 years, this Shelby has lived a busy life and covered nearly every type of terrain, from the mean streets of New York City to the wilds of Alaska. It’s been across Europe and down to Florida.
This Shelby was first put into commission as a rental in New York City. Then it was taken on track–for decades across various venues. Since then, life hasn’t gotten any tamer, with the current owner using the car to blast across Europe and slog through Pacific Northwest mud. Despite the abuse, though, the Shelby has remained quite reliable. Photography Credit: Chris Tropea
Every classic car has a story, whether it’s documented or not. Most of these stories are a bit mundane: commuter duty, maybe an adventure or two.
Here’s a car that has competed in a slew of different venues and was only recently reborn to tackle another one. As Karl says, more chapters will be added to that book.
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