1966 Group II Shelby Mustang Car #6 - History

Author: Dobias & Nelson 1966 Group II Shelby Mustang  (more...)

Just got finished reading with great interest your website article on the Shelby Group II Mustangs. My good friend Jan Nelson and myself are owners of Car #6 (according to the SAAC) of the elite 1966 Shelby Prepared Group II Mustangs. 

Car #6 was originally purchased from Shelby American by Gofaster, Inc. of Long Island City. Gofaster, owned by John Norwood, was the East Coast Distributor for Goodyear racing tires at the time. The car was entered by the Ring Free Oil Racing team in the 1967 Daytona Continental 24 Hour Race. Ray Cuomo of Gofaster along with co-driver Paul Richards brought the car home 1st in Class and 11th O/A. As a side note, Ring Free Oil entered a 2nd Mustang, a "street" car only a week before, for the team of Janet Guthrie, Smokey Drolet and Anita Taylor Matthews. The girls drove this "street" mustang to a very respectable 5th in Class (T/O) and 20th O/A.

Unlike many of her sister cars, which competed during the 1967 and 1968 seasons, #6 did not return to competition until 1969 when John Gimbel traded Ray Cuomo, of "Ray Cuomo Racing Enterprises", formerly Gofaster, Inc., his 1967 Shelby GT-350 for Car #6, a car trailer and as a tow car, a 1963 blue Oldsmobile station wagon, affectionally nicknamed "The Blue Whale". John used the car for Drivers School, Regional, National and finally FIA driver license requirements. In 1970 the car again was entered in the 24 Hours of Daytona by Ray Cuomo Racing Enterprises with John Gimbel and George (Corky) Lisberg doing the driving. Jim McGee's Eastern Engineering of Bridgehampton Long Island prepared the engine. The car finished 2nd in Class and 16th O/A.

 Jan Nelson and I purchased the car from John Gimbel in March of 1970 and ran the car in numerous East Coast Trans-Am races from St. Jovite to Mid-Ohio as well as some local club, SCCA Regional and National events. Our most notable finish was a 5th in T/O at Summit Point W. Va. in an IMSA Camel GT 4 Hour Enduro. Our best TransAm finish was 16th in the Schaefer Trans-Am at Lime Rock Park, CT in 1972.

 I am attaching 2 photos of the car. #72 on the banks of Daytona in 1967 and #14 at Lime Rock which is how the car looks today. Jan and I are thinking about restoring the car to its original 1966 condition. I am trying to put together a history of this car. Would I be permitted to include parts of your article?

Thank you for your very informative website article.
Yours truly,
Frank A. Dobias

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