The 1967 Shelby GT350 and GT500 are here!

The 1967 model year saw the introduction of a redesigned Ford Mustang that was slightly larger and heavier than the first pony cars. Bloat, it seems, has been around forever.

But it wasn't all bad: '67 'Stangs got those crisp, fastback lines immortalized in "Bullitt" and yes, the remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds."

Plus, the Mustang's increased size meant you could wedge a big-block motor under the hood, and that's exactly what Shelby American did with the GT500. Though it looked like the 289-cubic inch V8-powered GT350, it packed 428 cubic inches breathing through a pair of four-throat carburetors and a Shelby intake manifold. One thing the these performance-oriented pony cars didn't get, however, was the Mustang name -- technically, they were just Shelby GTs from 1966 onward.

Competition Press & Autoweek covered Shelby American's modifications to the cars in the Nov. 12, 1966 issue. Also note the article "GM counters Ford, claims two electric cars already running" next to the Shelby brief. It seems that the race to build high-efficiency cars has always run parallel to the quest to build world-class performance machines. And as in 1967, batteries are still a major obstacle to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Back then, batteries reportedly cost $16,000 per vehicle -- in 1967 dollars! Do the math -- you could've bought four GT350s for that price.

Like what you're reading? As a gorgeously illustrated ad for the high-performance pair on page eight of the same issue proclaimed, "one is waiting at your Shelby dealer's [sic] now." Find the article and the ad below.

1967 Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT500 detailed in Competition Press and Autoweek

The Ford Mustang turns 50 years old during 2014; to celebrate the many lives of America's favorite pony car, we'll be posting selections from our archives. Check out our Mustang mini-site where you'll find news, road tests, sneak peeks and even classic Mustang ads from the pages of Autoweek. We'll also have all the latest news and photos surrounding the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang as it rolls out, so stay tuned.

By Graham Kozak