I’m looking at my first 60s mustang. I have noticed several gt350 clone/ tribute cars that are not fastbacks. Was there ever a gt350 that wasn’t a fastback? What’s the reason for the non fastback tributes? Is this totally wrong or acceptable?
It's a tribute...so it's basically "you do you". I don't like 67-68 fast backs, so I wouldn't do a 67-68 Fastback GT350 tribute. But I would do a convertible tribute if that's what I was planning. The real question is: Are you doing this for you and what you want to do? Or what other people want you to do?
Both were prototypes and not production models...I know the green one at least had IRS and EFI, not sure about the red one. Of course, there may well have been others with the crazy number of one-off cars made during the 60s, but then, just as now, no one wanted a coupe...the fastback(and to a lesser degree the convertible) are/were more desirable.
As far as people throwing shelby pieces on coupes...I wouldn't even call those tributes...coupe-to-fastback conversion are closer to a tribute than those.
No GT-350 coupes ever went to market in 65 but I'm pretty sure I read that Carroll Shelby produced 5 GT-350 coupes as promos/mules that were given to friends of his.
I'll try to find the print on that again to confirm.
Everyone is right when they say that no GT350 production coupes were ever built.
However... In 1966 and 1967, Shelby American built 46 FIA "Group 2" coupes that were very successful in road racing. The cars were essentially GT350Rs from a mechanical perspective.
Recently saw a show about Shelby's 67 mustang 'little red'. Very interesting. Thought it went to the crusher but was found in back yard junk pile and fully restored. Here is link to the story