Last sold by Mecum Auctions in July of 2020, the legendary Ken Miles Flying Mustang is coming back on the market. Short- term ownership for a car of this magnitude is very unusual, however, the buyer’s decision to resell the car now provides an extraordinary opportunity to acquire the most coveted Shelby Mustang of all time. Do not miss this rare opportunity. Recognized as the “Flying Mustang,” the first Shelby GT350 “R-Model” ranks not only as the most historically important Shelby Mustang in the world, but it is also arguably the most important Mustang in the history of the marque, period. It was Shelby’s answer to Ford’s desire to create a high- performance image for the Mustang, and it would transform the public’s perception of the Mustang as a “secretary’s car.” In typical Shelby fashion, the creator of the all-conquering Cobra produced a machine designed not only to qualify for SCCA Production Sports Car competition, but also to thoroughly dominate it. In doing so, Shelby and his crew created a blueprint for Mustang performance, which is followed to this day by Mustang enthusiasts around the world. The first competition Shelby Mustang, the first to be raced and the first to win, 5R002 simultaneously served as Shelby American’s factory engineering mule, a rolling test bed for ideas and components, including those that would constitute both the second team car (5R001) and all 34 customer R-models. It was presented to the FIA for homologation for SCCA B Production class racing in 1965 and was illustrated in the official homologation papers. Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, Chuck Cantwell, Peter Brock, Jerry Titus and several other world-class drivers drove it extensively in testing and development. In the film “$1,000,000 Mustang,” Carroll Shelby states that “Ken Miles and Chuck Cantwell drove 50,000 miles in the test mule Mustang” (5R002). When asked about this quote, Chuck Cantwell replied, “I wonder which month of testing Carroll was referring to? I’m sure we put a LOT more than 50,000 miles on that car.” Simultaneously, 5R002 also served as a demonstrator, being used to convince prospective R-Model buyers of the car’s tremendous potential. Physically, 5R002 is completely unique; the only car built to its specific configuration, it features numerous parts and design attributes not found on any of the R-models that followed it. Upon its completion, 5R002 commenced its promotional duties on January 27, 1965, at California’s Riverside International Raceway for the GT350’s formal press introduction. Journalists were invited to drive street models, while Ronnie Bucknam gave demonstration rides in 5R002, inspiring the superlatives peppering the rave reviews that followed. Sports Car Graphic was the first out of the gate with an illustrated feature article on the GT350 written by Jerry Titus, who had driven 5R002 with Ken Miles at the Riverside press event. As a result of that drive, Titus would soon go on to sign with Shelby American as a team driver, spending most of the 1965 season piloting this exact car.