Those curious enough to peer under the GT350’s hood will notice, in addition to the Cobra goodies on the engine, a tubular brace bolted across the engine bay—over the engine and just ahead of the air cleaner. It is there, we were told, to stiffen the structure, which apparently has a tendency to flex inward at the fender tops under loads coming up from the suspension.
The hood is, by the way, one of the features that distinguishes the GT350 from less exciting Mustangs. It is made of fiberglass (making it a couple of pounds lighter than its steel counterpart) and has a big air-scoop right in the middle. It is bolted to the same hinge-pieces as the stock hood, so the counter-balancing springs hold it open and you won’t need a hood prop, but the standard latch has been removed. The hood is held closed by the typical NASCAR arrangement of pins through dowels extending up through holes in the hood. These pins are secured by over-centering safety rings, and we would guess that the less responsible element among the younger set will make off with these pins as soon as the owner isn’t looking—if for no other reason than because the car has no hub-caps.
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Apart from the hood, the onlooker will know the GT350 when he sees it by the dark-blue trim stripe that runs along the lower side of the car. Just behind the front-wheel arch, the stripe breaks and it says “GT350” in bold figures. And of course, there will also be the big wheels and tires, and an exhaust system that has practically nothing in the way of mufflers; the pipes poke out in front of the rear wheels. The sound level, from inside the car or out, has virtually no parallel in the history of touring-type automobiles.
Our test car had, in addition to the sound, the hood, the tires and the “GT350” lettered on the side, a pair of very wide, dark-blue American racing stripes. It was this that really caught the interest of onlookers, especially the police. These big stripes might be made of blue serge, the way they attract the fuzz. However, the Mustang GT350 will not have the stripes as part of the standard trim; dealers will add them on request. You should give some thought to the tender sensibilities of law-enforcement officers before asking for them.
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