1968 Shelby Options




July 4, 2021


Options are items installed during the assembly of the car. In the case of many Ford vehicles, a prospective owner could determine what options would be on their vehicle. In the case of the 1968 Shelby, those decisions were predetermined. Almost all 1968 Shelbys were built to the same standard and then sold to the customer. These were sometimes referred to as "mandatory options" :-)





There were only a few items a new owner could have some control over. If they wanted a red car, the dealer could make sure they would receive a red car. In most cases this would simply mean the factory would direct a red car to the dealership. With very few exceptions cars were not "built" for specific owners.





A new owner could select colors (exterior and interior), engine type and transmission. They could also determine if the car was to have air conditioning or not. Rear axle ratios were pre-selected based on the cars engine/transmission. In many cases, dealers simply traded or bought a car from another franchise dealer to fill orders.

Ford built over 317,000 Mustangs in 1968. Of the 4,450 Shelbys built they are all remarkably similar. This is confirmed by the build sheets.







All cars were built as "GT" models. The GT model supplied AO Smith with a pop-open gas cap, fog light wiring and a heavy duty suspension. Dual exhaust was also included. All cars came with the adjustable, Autolite shocks. There were no other options. The cars also came with the extra cooling package. This gave them larger than stock radiators.



Rocker panel moldings were standard on all cars. Bumper Guards and wheel lip moldings were also standard for the Shelby. All cars were ordered with a single drivers side, remote mirror.







The wheels and tires were standardized as well. All cars with a few exceptions (mainly cars being exported) were built with 15 x 6 steel wheels and hubcaps. No other sizes of wheels or tires were available from the factory. Power steering and power brakes were included on all 1968 Shelbys.







The "interior decor" group was selected for all 1968 Shelbys. This included chrome seat buttons, bright pedal trim and a simulated woodgrain on the dash and door panels. The woodgrain steering wheel was also added with a few rare exceptions, most likely due to a supply shortage.







The dash also included a trip odometer and tachometer, along with a clock.





The tilt steering option was also selected for all 1968 Shelbys built after the first week of December 1967.





The radio was always a standard AM radio with very few exceptions. While a few cars did come with AM/FM or AM/FM/8 tracks, these were extremely rare. The doors of these cars had to be modified by Ford to accept additional speakers.







The fold down, rear seat was included on all fastback models.



Cars that received air conditioning, also received tinted glass.





All convertibles had either a white or black power top, with a folding, glass window.



In summary, these were the items that were provided for all 1968 Shelbys. Customers could not add other factory options. Dealerships, however, were free to modify cars and after they were delivered to the dealership. They are a handful of documented times when this did happen, but it was rare.





Next time you see a "fully loaded" 1968 Shelby, you can smile, because it probably looks a lot like the other 1968 Shelbys built. Once you have mastered the information on this page, you are on your way to knowing exactly how the cars looked when they left the factory.





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