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Auction Block: Ken Miles’ 1965 Shelby GT350R Prototype

Photos: Mecum

In the pantheon of classic American cars, few models carry as much weight as the fabled Shelby Mustang. And while all original Shelby Mustangs are immensely coveted and sought-after vehicles, there’s a single specimen that stands head and shoulders above the rest — an example that’s widely considered to be the most historically significant Shelby Mustang of all time: the original 1965 Shelby GT350R Prototype.

Known as the “Flying Mustang,” this ’65 specimen marked the first Shelby R-Model competition car to ever leave the factory, and as such would be utilized extensively as a test mule prior to being unleashed on the race circuit. It would soon become the first-ever Shelby Mustang to win a race, amassing more than 10 B-Production race wins over the course of the ’65 SCCA season before going on to secure the championship title. Driven extensively by Ken Miles along with a handful of other notable race car drivers — including Bob Bondurant, Chuck Cantwell, Peter Brock, and Jerry Titus — the Flying Mustang was the first-ever R-spec GT350 model, as well as the only R-Model ever constructed in this particular configuration. In addition to gracing a slew of magazine covers and the pages of a myriad of books, the prototype example would also later go on to achieve best-in-class awards at the 2014 Amelia Island show and the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, receiving a wildly-impressive 947/950 score in SAAC Division I Concours judging. The immaculate state of the car is owed to a lengthy restoration that was carried out by renowned Oklahoma City-based marque-specialist John Brown of Thoroughbred Restorations, who returned the prized pony car to its original Green Valley 1965 racing livery that it wore upon its competition debut.

After previously going under the hammer at Mecum’s Indianapolis sale in 2020 — where the prototype and factory test mule raked in a cool $3.85M — this same 1965 Shelby GT350R Prototype is once again slated to cross the auction block, this time at Mecum’s upcoming Kissimmee sale in Florida beginning January 6th, where it’s now expected to fetch between $3,700,000 and $4,000,000.

Purchase: $3,700,000+

Photo: Mecum
Photo: Mecum
Photo: Mecum