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The
Best Friend Carroll Shelby Ever Had
by
Colin Comer, Sports Car Market magazine
Today Carroll
Shelby is sitting on top of the automotive world. At 84, he is
an automotive icon. The 1,003 Cobras he created from 1962 through
1967 are among the most-sought-after collectible cars of all
time, evidenced by the $5.5M result of CSX3015 at Barrett-Jackson
this past January. A Cobra Daytona Coupe was recently reported
sold for $13m. Any Shelby American factory team car has two commas
in its price. Even garden variety original 289 and 427
street Cobras trade routinely for over half a million dollars.
Shelby Mustangs, originally about $4,500, now can bring 100 times
that amount. Cobras are the most replicated car ever--currently
more than 50 companies all over the world crank out Cobra replicas.
And Shelby is back with Ford, again making Shelby Mustangs after
40 years. But it wasn't always like this.
In
1970, Carroll Shelby saw the writing on the wall: performance
cars were coming under the microscope. Federal emission and safety
requirements and high insurance rates were conspiring to make
the performance car an endangered species. Shelby cashed in his
chips and left the game, closing down his company. He preferred
to spend his time hunting big game in Africa and dabbling in
commercial real estate. His Cobras and Shelby Mustangs became
just "used cars" and began the predictable downward
slide of depreciation. Second and third owners began searching
for parts to keep them on the road, and to find people who knew
how to work on them. Authenticity was rarely a concern, nor was
historical significance. That old race car may have won a lot
of races, but was now just a beater to get to work in.
In
1975, there was no company to go to for expertise or advice.
Shelby was long gone, and the factory a distant memory. Former
Shelby employees had moved on. Your local Ford dealer didn't
want to sell you parts--they were hopeful that you'd give up
and buy a new Mustang II. So a handful of owners formed
the Shelby American Automobile Club. They dedicated SAAC
(pronounced "sack") to the preservation, history, care
and enjoyment of Shelby automobiles. They formed a network to
share parts sources and technical information. They sold and
traded parts among themselves by way of classified ads in the
club's publication. They held a national convention each summer
where a couple of thousand owners and enthusiasts gathered to
revel in their unique cars. Days were filled with car shows,
swap meets and driving at speed on closed courses. Evenings were
taken up with seminars, dinners and guest speakers. Even Carroll
Shelby's interest was piqued and he was surprised to find himself
the guest of honor and center of attention, receiving standing
ovations and long lines of enthusiasts waiting patiently to get
their pictures taken with him or to get his autograph. Shelby
was back, and ol' Shel was a bona fide celebrity
to the SAAC members.
The
history of Cobras and Shelby Mustangs became very important to
SAAC. The club tirelessly gathered information on every
car and every owner they could locate. They researched serial
numbers, technical details and running production changes. They
tracked competition cars, noting the races, drivers, finishing
positions and car numbers. Boxes of paperwork left behind at
Shelby American and headed for the dumpster were secured,
every page being scrutinized, filed, and recorded. Hundreds of
members spent thousands of hours building databases of information
which led to publishing a registry. Every serial number was listed
and every scrap of information was included. And overnight, Shelby's
cars--which had been orphans--became valuable. There was
now an official publication to validate the genuine cars and
expose the fakes. Make no mistake--as values climbed the number
of counterfeit Cobras and Shelby Mustangs increased. Fortunately,
the club's registrars were able to keep track of the originals.
Their dedication served to protect the marque and is responsible,
now some 30 years later, for the current confidence in Shelby
cars due to the accuracy and accessibility of the club's documentation.
In fact, those looking to "correct" history or exhibit
selective amnesia about certain details of their cars past refer
to SAAC's registrars as "The Untouchables."
Privileged information and private notes kept by the Registrars
are just that--it is protected fiercely by SAAC for the
good of the cars.
The
Shelby American Automobile Club kept the brand name "Shelby"
alive during Carroll Shelby's absence from the automotive world.
When Shelby signed a contract with Chrysler to build 4-cylinder
"performance cars," SAAC continued to stoke
the fires of Ford enthusiasm. In the 1990s, when Carroll
Shelby decided to capitalize on the renewed enthusiasm for his
cars and the power of his name, he began building Cobras again.
SAAC had kept his fans like a good getaway driver keeps
your car--"close and running". Of course, these fans
also had their checkbooks in hand.
SAAC continues
to collect information, expanding its databases to include the
new Shelby cars. Every ten years the club publishes an updated
version of its registry, the last edition is a staggering 1,333
pages! The club holds a national convention every summer, each
one bigger and better than the last. In fact, they have become
so large that the only facilities capable of accommodating them
are major race circuits. Amazingly, the club has remained under
the same stable volunteer leadership for 32 years. And members?
Almost 5,000 worldwide, and for the last 15 years SAAC
has enjoyed an 85% membership renewal rate. This is serious dedication.
Throughout
the years Carroll Shelby has recognized the value of SAAC
and has supported the club and its goals. The result speaks for
itself--compare Shelby values and club support to similar manufacturers
such as Cunningham or Allard. Shelby correctly
realized that manufacturers never run good owner organizations--enthusiasts
do because they secure a large number of dedicated volunteers,
enabling their club to provide exactly the kind of organization
its members desire. This leaves manufacturers like Shelby free
to concentrate building cars. It is a perfect symbiotic relationship.
Colin
Comer, Sports Car Market magazine
Reprinted
with permission.
To
learn more about the Shelby American Automobile Club
and how you can become a participating member, visit
SAAC.com
Keith
Martin's Sports Car Market magazine
The Insider's Guide to Collecting, Investing, Values and Trends
contains
articles directed to the collector car enthusiast. Reports on
the prices of every car that goes through every major auction.
Portland,
Oregon (USA)
800-289-2819 subscriptions, toll-free
$58/year USD (12 issues)
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