This list shows the add ons for the 1968 Shelby Mustangs. The cars came from Ford plant at Metuchen NJ as GT Mustangs. These are the Shelby unique parts and modifications.

  • Two engine choices:
    GT 350        250 hp 302 cid
    GT 500        335 hp 428 cid
    GT 500KR  335 hp 428 cid
    (The Cobra Jet engine was offered mid year, replacing the GT 500)
  • High Velocity, high volume aluminum COBRA intake manifold, except the KR car had a cast iron version of the aluminum intake.
  • Advanced design cathedral float four barrel Holley carburetor
  • Dual exhausts
  • Low restriction custom paper-element diecast, oval aluminum COBRA air cleaner (due to the Ram Air induction on the KRs, the COBRA air cleaner is not offered on this model.)
  • Diecast aluminum COBRA rocker covers, chromed filler cap and dipstick
  • High rate front coil spring
  • High capacity heavy duty adjustable Koni shock absorbers, front and rear
  • .94″ front stabilizer bar
  • Crisp 16.0:1 steering ration with power assist
  • Heavy duty four leaf rear spring
  • Anti-windup rear spring dampers for sure acceleration
  • Heavy duty rear axle
  • Power assisted floating cliper front disc brakes
  • Heavy duty rear drum brakes
  • Four ply polyglass Goodyear high performance tire
  • 6″ rim width 15″ steel, safety wheels
  • Inertia reel shoulder harness and seat belts for the front seat ( standard seat belts in the rear)
  • Integral overhead safety bar in all models
  • Safety sequence wide tail lights
  • Front marker lights
  • Rear quarter reflectors
  • Rectangular fog lights
  • Dual master brake cylinder with proportioning valve
  • Collapsible steering column and safety padded center steering wheel
  • Fully unitized chassis and body

(The Mustangs came from the factory as GT Mustangs. Shelby American added basically cosmetic modifications to the stock GT Mustangs, except the KR cars which were further modified.)

Styling appointments

Exterior: Precision molded custom fiberglass hood and front assembly incorporates dual air intake scoops, functional louvered extractors.

Custom self retained push and turn hood locks.

Rectangular Marchal or Lucas fog lights mounted in the front grille opening. Le Mans type air extractors on the rear quarters of the Fastback roof.

Brake air scoops set in the lower quarters.

Precision molded custom fiberglass trunk lids with integral spoiler.

GT stripe running the length of   the lower rocker panels identifying the car just behind the front tires as a GT 350,

GT 500 or GT 500KR. New style Cobra emblems were mounted on the front fenders.

Across the front extended fiberglass nose and the rear spoiler are chrome letters spelling out “SHELBY”. 

Special COBRA flip open gas cap.  KRs have Cobra Jet emblems on the fenders, dash and gas cap lid.

Steel rims with mag style wheel covers are standard. Optional are 10-spoke Shelby American aluminum mag wheels. (The 1968 10-spokes are cast differently than the same style in 1967 and will interfere with the ball joints if installed on a 1967 Shelby.) Turns out that the aluminum NOS rims were not installed and if you want your 1968 Shelby to be like it came from the factory, you kept the steel rims and hubcaps. These cars had Kelsey Hayes front discs. The two piston KH had a problem so a single piston KH was used. The 15″ aluminum rims wouldn’t fit on cars with that KH disc piston.

Interior: Deluxe Mustang all vinyl interior in black or saddle came with bucket seats, full loop pile carpeting, matching custom styled console with padded armrest glovebox with an embossed Cobra on the top,

Walnut grained appliques on console, instrument panel and door panels.  

Full dash instrumentation with an 8,000 rpm tachometer, a 140 mph speedometer, water temperature and fuel gauges; an electric clock.

In the console are Stewart Warner oil pressure and amps gauges. If the optional Paxton supercharger is chosen on the GT 350, fuel pressure and boost gauges are mounted on the console.

The door sills’ COBRA emblem differed from the 1967 emblems and covered what would have been the Ford emblem in the stock Mustangs.

A mandatory, optional folding rear seat comes with a retractable safety luggage retaining bar (Fastback only), tie down loops on a unique padded safety bar (Convertible only) were available to fasten a surf board.

The Fastbacks only have a padded roll bar welded to the floor just behind the front buckets. Attached to the roll bar are inertia-reel, airplane type safety harnesses for the front buckets.

Functional ram air induction was offered on the KRs, and optional on the GT 350’s