The Ken Miles Shelby GT350R to be Auctioned by Mecum in Indy This May

The “Flying Mustang” looks to amplify the recent success of classic Mustangs on the auction block.

Thanks to the success of the excellent ‘Ford V Ferrari’ film, most of us are now familiar with the name Ken Miles. A true balls-to-the-wall automobile pilot, Miles found fame before Le Mans at the famous Green Valley Raceway on February 14, 1965. There, he drove the first 1965 Shelby GT350R Competition Model to a dominant victory. En route to the win, Ken Miles was captured by cameras will all four wheels off the track. This iconic photo cemented the moment in motorsports history and gave the car the “Flying Mustang” title.

Mecum Auctions will present the GT350R as part of John Atzbach’s staggering collection. Atzbach possesses the most extensive and encompassing collection of Shelby artifacts known to exist. While the “Flying Mustang” will be the main showpiece, many other historically important cars will be auctioned off as well. A total of 12 cars from the Atzbach offering will cross the block at Indy 2020. Of these 12, nine of them are incredibly rare Shelby Mustangs. These include the only production factory supercharged 1965 GT350, the first production 1966 GT350, the final 1970 GT350 and more. A superb 289 Cobra and two Lamborghinis will accompany the nine Shelby Mustangs.

This 5R002 Shelby Mustang was the first to race and win. Simultaneously, this car served as Shelby American’s factory engineering mule and was tested with countless ideas and components. Legendary drivers tested 5R002 including Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, Chuck Cantwell, Peter Brock, Jerry Titus and several others. 5R002 successfully paved the way for the rest of Carroll Shelby’s creations and effectively changed the trajectory of his company and the public’s perception of the Mustang forever.

This car is the 5R002 Ken Miles model. Few cars have been involved more with Ken than this one. Mecum describes this incredible automobile as representing “… a legendary convergence of a chicken farmer from Texas, a gang of Southern California Hot Rodders ready to take the fight to the Corvette, a driver the likes of which we may never see again and a “secretary’s car” that thought it could fly.”

Tune in to Dana Mecum’s 33^rd Original Spring Classic on May 12 -17 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.