According to the thorough documentation that accompanies this 1965 Shelby GT350, Shelby No. SFM5S242, it was the sixth GT350 modified to Shelby’s official specifications for a drag racing GT350. It was received by Shelby American on May 11, 1965, completed on May 17 and delivered new on June 16, 1965, to Mel Burns Ford in Long Beach, California. It remained there unsold until January 22, 1966, when 23-year old Jerry Mendes of San Jose purchased the car for $3,377. Mendes immediately delivered the car to Ford stalwart Les Ritchey’s Performance Associates in nearby Glendora to be converted to a drag racer for NHRA Sport Stock competition. Working to Shelby specifications, Ritchey modified the cylinder heads with Cobra valves and installed a Sullivan competition camshaft. He also installed four-tube drag headers, a Hayes Invader clutch and flywheel, a Cobra scattershield, Hurst T-handle shifter, ladder bars, special front uplock shock absorbers, a 5.14 gearset and Casler slicks. Mendes raced the car at Sacramento, Fremont and Carlsbad in California, running a best time of 12.38 seconds at 110.83 MPH and establishing an NHRA class record. In 1968, the NHRA folded the Sport Stock class into Super Stock, rendering Mendes’ GT350 uncompetitive against the new Cobra Jet Mustangs he would have faced, so he retired the car at approximately 6,000 miles and placed it into storage, drag racing a new Cobra Jet but occasionally taking the GT350 out to the street for some friendly “Stoplight Grand Prix” competition. In 1971, Mendes returned the car to long-term storage at 6,455 miles. It remained there for more than 30 years until 2003, when Mendes accepted an invitation to attend the Nor Cal Mini Nats. In 2013, he reluctantly sold the car, along with the original parts removed by Performance Associates, to a Canadian collector who agreed with Mendes that it should be preserved in as-raced condition to maintain the history of both the car and its original owner. And so it remains, still wearing the original Wimbledon White paint and blue stripes, black interior with fire extinguisher, and 1966 replacement steering wheel. The drivetrain remains original, including the 289 CI engine, never rebuilt and stamped by Performance Associates with Jerry Mendes’ initials and “GT6,” signifying it as the sixth GT350 modified for drag racing. GT350 No. 5S242 is offered with an astounding array of documents and trophies, including the original Conditional Sale Contract, the Performance Associates invoice listing the work performed at a cost of $1,494.63, past registrations, receipts, books and California blue plates, and a framed copy of its cover feature article in the June 2013 issue of Mustang Monthly.