CRAIG JACKSON’S TRIPLE-CROWN WINNER: A world-class 1965 Shelby GT350

January 3, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Steve Magnante and Chris Griggs

Barrett-Jackson Showroom Division Manager Jeff Catlin (left) and CEO Craig Jackson with Jackson’s triple-crown-winning 1965 Shelby GT350.

The mythical barn find: an often romanticized idea in the collector car world of finding an incredibly rare or unique classic that was parked and forgotten about long ago in perfect shape; wipe off the dust, flush the fluids, give it a jump-start and it’s ready to go. But it’s never quite that easy. Cars get parked for a reason, and many fall into the gray area between a well-presented original car and a tired restoration candidate, and the line can be razor thin. In the case of a 1965 Shelby GT350 owned by Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson, this was the dilemma for Showroom Division Manager Jeff Catlin, who oversaw the car’s restoration.

The seventh from last of the 562 cars built in the first year of the Shelby Mustang program, GT350 #5S553 was initially discovered in a small Texas town by Richard Rawlings and Dennis Collins of Gas Monkey Garage. With their hands full of projects from the successful Discovery Channel TV program “Fast and Loud,” the Gas Monkey guys graciously gave Jackson the Shelby owner’s contact info and stepped out of the picture.

Originally built at Shelby’s L.A. Airport conversion plant for public relations duty, it then went to a Ford dealer in Huntington Beach, California. From there, a buyer took it home to Texas in 1966, where it remained for most of its life. After a few years of careful use, the brother of the first owner took possession. Being an avid motocross rider, he added a small trailer hitch to the rear bumper and used it to tow his dirt bike to races. On one trip, the Mustang got loose and ended up crunching over a bowling ball-sized rock.

When the rock took out the passenger-side front suspension bits, the Shelby idler arm was bent, but the driver-side steering arm was not. The repair shop inadvertently installed a stock Mustang idler arm on the passenger side, and the steering geometry was no longer parallel. The front tires turned at different rates and spooky handling resulted, causing the owner put the car in an enclosed garage with a mere 17,000 miles on the odometer. It sat there, forgotten for decades. When it was rediscovered, the interior was found to be incredibly well-preserved, virtually every Shelby-specific item was still in place and the driveline was still all-original. All of the pertinent stamped and cast numbers remained undisturbed, and the factory-installed 3.89:1 Detroit Locker differential was also present. In summary, it was a true barn find.

After thoroughly researching the car, its condition and history, Jackson knew this car deserved special attention, and he made the decision was made to bring GT350 #5S553 exactly back to its factory-issued state, using only original and NOS parts. “Our goal was to spare no expense whatsoever and make 5S553 the finest restored example of the breed anywhere,” said Jackson.

The restoration work was assigned to noted Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) member and judge John Brown of Brown’s Thoroughbred Restorations of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Known for having turned out many top-tier Mustang restorations, the restoration began with assistance from foreman Jason Aker (who serves as a “floater” between Brown’s shop and Gas Monkey Garage).

First things first: A correct Shelby-spec idler arm was sourced and installed to correct the age-old error. Unlike reproduction components, which lack the correct inventory control code stampings, the vintage Ford-sourced parts were needed to satisfy SAAC judges. Speaking of judges, the primary goal of Jackson, Catlin and everyone on the Thoroughbred Restorations team was to dominate SAAC Division One competition in search of three “perfect” scores, making the car a “triple-crown” winner.

“We got lucky with such a solid, complete car for the starting point,” says Jackson. To assure authenticity, during disassembly to bare metal every square inch was documented with high-resolution digital photographs.

The car was first judged in June at the 2018 SAAC Nationals in Indianapolis, where it was awarded Gold. Next up was the Mid-America Shelby meet in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it again took home Division One Gold. Then, to complete the crown, the car journeyed to the Mustang Club of America’s national event in Kansas City, winning yet another Gold, solidifying its status as one of the best. Previously only four Mustangs had won top honors at all three consecutive events in the same year, until Craig Jackson made it five. To add icing to the cake, Jackson’s car also received the coveted Authenticity Award from the MCA, the first time it was ever presented to a 1965 Shelby GT350.

Now that the car has cemented its status as one of the best, it has returned home to Jackson’s personal collection, having rightfully earned its status as a blue-chip car. There it will stand next to his competition-ready 1965 GT350 SCCA road racer once owned by Jackson’s late brother Brian. One for show, one for go.