1978 Ford F-150 Shelby: Building a Ghost
Carroll Shelby never worked his magic on a late ’70s pickup. But judging by this recreation, maybe he should have!
Any Ford fan worth their salt knows the name Carroll Shelby very well. The man who built amazing rides like the Cobra and a host of special Mustangs is a household name across the automotive industry. But Shelby never worked his magic on the equally iconic F-150 – at least not until much more recent times. And that’s a shame. Because as you can see from this “Shelby GT 350” 1978 Ford F-150 we spotted over at Old Ride, it would’ve been incredibly cool.
For starters, the pickup sports a very Shelby Mustang-like white paint job with those unmistakable blue stripes. With a set of Cobra emblems on the front fenders and GT 350 script along the base, you’d be forgiven for second guessing if this was the real deal. After all, those little touches look like they belong there. Adding to the nostalgic realness is a set of modest rolling stock and factory-height suspension.
Trucks from this era all came with formidable engines, and the 351 under the hood of our Shelby recreation is no slouch, either. Obvious mods include a Holley 4-barrel carb, 7-quart oil pan, and Flowtech headers. Dual exhaust with Thrush mufflers gives the old truck more of a muscle car note. And like a proper muscle car, it even sports a manual transmission for a little back roads fun.
Sadly, folks back in this era just weren’t that interested in performance trucks. Couple that with crushing emissions requirements, and the late ’70s just weren’t much fun for enthusiasts. But today, we can certainly appreciate this attempt at building something that never existed. And we’re guessing that if he were still around, Carroll Shelby would also give this 1978 Ford F-150 his own seal of approval!
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