Clapton & Cream-Swedeman & Sizzle

[ChipBeck]

Chip - As you have read I am in a situation where the car's HP does not do it for me, it appears I am not alone. If you had to do it all over again would you still spend the extra coin again even though your car is not a pedigree SAI SGT/SC? I mean what do you get out of it more than a Mustang GT that is supercharged and has the same power & torque? Just wanted to know-

Swede

 

Swedeman,

 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. #582 is a genuine pedigreed Shelby Mustang. A standard Mustang GT that is supercharged and has the same power and torque cannot possibly deliver the type of performance I am looking for. When I enter the cockpit of my Shelby GT, turn the key, hear the Ford Racing exhaust roar, and glance at the "Shelby Automobiles" dash plaque, I go from 0 to 1965 and the dreams and desires of my youth in under 5 seconds.

 

Concentrating on horsepower in an emotional device like a Shelby Mustang would be akin to telling a smiling 50-year-old man walking out of a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert that he would "get just as much" out of a Backstreet Boys concert because the volume of their music is exactly the same as CSN's.

 

Most car buyers today are too young to understand how special the new Shelby Mustangs are to those of us in our 50's. The marketplace has spoken and buyers lined up to pay $20,000 beyond MSRP for GT500s for over a year after their introduction so I have a lot of company. I'll try to explain.

 

Two years ago I heard that Eric Clapton had reformed Cream with former drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce. The last Cream concert was 35 years ago and in 2005 they got together and played just 4 shows in London. They were better than ever. When Cream first played, I was 12 years old, Clapton was god, the music was magic, and I was young. Clapton never stopped making music and I kept listening, but it wasn't Cream. When I heard that they were coming to America and would play 3 more shows in New York City, I picked up the phone, cost be damned, and I was in row 3 when the lights went down. My son Charley tried to tell me that there are many lead guitar players today that are better than Clapton and that spending $6000.00 to fly clear across the country for a concert was insane. Perhaps.......but in the middle of the Crossroads guitar solo I couldn't believe I was there, the music was still magic, Clapton was on fire, and for those few hours, I was a kid again. Don't try to tell me that Johnny Whatever is a faster, better player cause I don't care. He's not Eric Clapton and he never will be. Clapton was the original guitar god and he's an icon today.

 

In those same early to mid '60's the Holy Grail of American muscle cars were Shelby's. Most of us couldn't afford to buy them and were excited just to see one on the street. Long before the Saleens, Foose's, Steeda, and whatever else, there was THE MAN. The original Cobra and GT350/500 creating, LeMans winning, car god. There will never be another Carroll Shelby. And after a 35 year absence from Ford he's putting on another concert, and the cars are the best Shelby Mustangs ever. Well into his 2nd heart, it may not be for long.

 

HISTORY, HERITAGE, DESIRE, SOUL, and MEMORIES make Shelby and Clapton much more than just a car or concert. Is a supercharged standard Mustang GT as good as a Shelby GT? Is it a better buy? Can you "get just as much out of it"? Only to someone who wasn't there and couldn't possibly understand. To me, it's no contest. Turn the key of the Shelby, step on the gas, and a Ford V-8 will send you back in time. "I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees, asked the good lord for mercy, take me if you please".

 

Chip

[Dunedindon#5481]

Now that's the kinda reply we can all take to the bank. Thanks for an answer we can understand and appreciate.

 

I drove mine to work today and I'm going to enjoy it that much more on my way back home. I just hope there is some Clapton playing on Sirius.

 

Don

[greaser]

hear hear

being a child of the 70s and comeing of age just as the "good" cars came to an end a shelby mustang was just a childhood day dream. untill 2006 when the man joined up with ford and hertz to make another go around and when i walked into the dealer and saw the white stallion siting there and at a price i could swing i knew i had to have it. so i called my wife had her drive 40 minutes to come and see it and put here seal of aproval on the purches and as far as i am conserned i am living a dream everytime i get in her and turn the key. even if it isnt 700 horse and made of titanium and carbon fiber it makes me feel alive just siting in it and enjoying the experience of it.

[SWEDEMAN]

Chip - You answered my question and much more. I too was right in the middle of the 1960's and the Shelby Mustang was the car to have. Not many people had them but a few of my brothers friends had them, they were incredible cars. I also thank you for pointing out what it really means to be a Shelby lover and that is "excactly"why I bought the Shelby GT. I know I have ragged hard for 1-2 months about the cars 19 HP over a stock Mustang GT but I am done now. The car is what it is and I have never "seen" a more beautiful Mustang ever, they really did the appearance part right. Now, hopefully, all I have to do is wait until SAI gets a spot opened up and my car will be shipped there for the installation. According to Bud that will be after the 1st January 2009.

So again thank you for answering my questions. And yes Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were one of my all time favorites and Cream with Eric Clapton is an icon. Loved 'em both and still do.

 

Swede

[Pastor Passum]

Wow Chip, damn near brought tears to my eyes. You have a way with words my man. Thanks! And thanks also because it seems that you've maybe convinced Swedeman to keep that beautiful ride, thinking maybe the thrill is back.

 

Jim

[ilmor]

Chip, if I had the money I'd buy your hood scoop just for writing that to Swede! Some people still don't get it, but clearly you and many others, including myself, do. I can't wait to get in my Shelby GT this weekend for another cruise!!

[Robert OHara]

Chip, you have my respect, Great words,

[gofastguy]

So well put!!! My stock Shelby will always mean more to me (and lots of others who "get it") than any regular Mustang, no matter how nice it is...and isn't it great to live in America where the mailman can have a real Shelby in the garage!

[07SGT4578]

Swedeman,

 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. #582 is a genuine pedigreed Shelby Mustang. A standard Mustang GT that is supercharged and has the same power and torque cannot possibly deliver the type of performance I am looking for. When I enter the cockpit of my Shelby GT, turn the key, hear the Ford Racing exhaust roar, and glance at the "Shelby Automobiles" dash plaque, I go from 0 to 1965 and the dreams and desires of my youth in under 5 seconds.

 

Concentrating on horsepower in an emotional device like a Shelby Mustang would be akin to telling a smiling 50-year-old man walking out of a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert that he would "get just as much" out of a Backstreet Boys concert because the volume of their music is exactly the same as CSN's.

 

Most car buyers today are too young to understand how special the new Shelby Mustangs are to those of us in our 50's. The marketplace has spoken and buyers lined up to pay $20,000 beyond MSRP for GT500s for over a year after their introduction so I have a lot of company. I'll try to explain.

 

Two years ago I heard that Eric Clapton had reformed Cream with former drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce. The last Cream concert was 35 years ago and in 2005 they got together and played just 4 shows in London. They were better than ever. When Cream first played, I was 12 years old, Clapton was god, the music was magic, and I was young. Clapton never stopped making music and I kept listening, but it wasn't Cream. When I heard that they were coming to America and would play 3 more shows in New York City, I picked up the phone, cost be damned, and I was in row 3 when the lights went down. My son Charley tried to tell me that there are many lead guitar players today that are better than Clapton and that spending $6000.00 to fly clear across the country for a concert was insane. Perhaps.......but in the middle of the Crossroads guitar solo I couldn't believe I was there, the music was still magic, Clapton was on fire, and for those few hours, I was a kid again. Don't try to tell me that Johnny Whatever is a faster, better player cause I don't care. He's not Eric Clapton and he never will be. Clapton was the original guitar god and he's an icon today.

 

In those same early to mid '60's the Holy Grail of American muscle cars were Shelby's. Most of us couldn't afford to buy them and were excited just to see one on the street. Long before the Saleens, Foose's, Steeda, and whatever else, there was THE MAN. The original Cobra and GT350/500 creating, LeMans winning, car god. There will never be another Carroll Shelby. And after a 35 year absence from Ford he's putting on another concert, and the cars are the best Shelby Mustangs ever. Well into his 2nd heart, it may not be for long.

 

HISTORY, HERITAGE, DESIRE, SOUL, and MEMORIES make Shelby and Clapton much more than just a car or concert. Is a supercharged standard Mustang GT as good as a Shelby GT? Is it a better buy? Can you "get just as much out of it"? Only to someone who wasn't there and couldn't possibly understand. To me, it's no contest. Turn the key of the Shelby, step on the gas, and a Ford V-8 will send you back in time. "I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees, asked the good lord for mercy, take me if you please".

 

Chip

 

Very well spoken Chip, didnt make the 60's, barely made the 70's but im damn glad I was here for 2007 and able to buy my Shelby. I have had it for over a year now and am still blown away every time I turn that key. ahhhhhh MY Shelby.

 

-Chris

[Brad Vincent]

Swedeman,

 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. #582 is a genuine pedigreed Shelby Mustang. A standard Mustang GT that is supercharged and has the same power and torque cannot possibly deliver the type of performance I am looking for. When I enter the cockpit of my Shelby GT, turn the key, hear the Ford Racing exhaust roar, and glance at the "Shelby Automobiles" dash plaque, I go from 0 to 1965 and the dreams and desires of my youth in under 5 seconds.

 

Concentrating on horsepower in an emotional device like a Shelby Mustang would be akin to telling a smiling 50-year-old man walking out of a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert that he would "get just as much" out of a Backstreet Boys concert because the volume of their music is exactly the same as CSN's.

 

Most car buyers today are too young to understand how special the new Shelby Mustangs are to those of us in our 50's. The marketplace has spoken and buyers lined up to pay $20,000 beyond MSRP for GT500s for over a year after their introduction so I have a lot of company. I'll try to explain.

 

Two years ago I heard that Eric Clapton had reformed Cream with former drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce. The last Cream concert was 35 years ago and in 2005 they got together and played just 4 shows in London. They were better than ever. When Cream first played, I was 12 years old, Clapton was god, the music was magic, and I was young. Clapton never stopped making music and I kept listening, but it wasn't Cream. When I heard that they were coming to America and would play 3 more shows in New York City, I picked up the phone, cost be damned, and I was in row 3 when the lights went down. My son Charley tried to tell me that there are many lead guitar players today that are better than Clapton and that spending $6000.00 to fly clear across the country for a concert was insane. Perhaps.......but in the middle of the Crossroads guitar solo I couldn't believe I was there, the music was still magic, Clapton was on fire, and for those few hours, I was a kid again. Don't try to tell me that Johnny Whatever is a faster, better player cause I don't care. He's not Eric Clapton and he never will be. Clapton was the original guitar god and he's an icon today.

 

In those same early to mid '60's the Holy Grail of American muscle cars were Shelby's. Most of us couldn't afford to buy them and were excited just to see one on the street. Long before the Saleens, Foose's, Steeda, and whatever else, there was THE MAN. The original Cobra and GT350/500 creating, LeMans winning, car god. There will never be another Carroll Shelby. And after a 35 year absence from Ford he's putting on another concert, and the cars are the best Shelby Mustangs ever. Well into his 2nd heart, it may not be for long.

 

HISTORY, HERITAGE, DESIRE, SOUL, and MEMORIES make Shelby and Clapton much more than just a car or concert. Is a supercharged standard Mustang GT as good as a Shelby GT? Is it a better buy? Can you "get just as much out of it"? Only to someone who wasn't there and couldn't possibly understand. To me, it's no contest. Turn the key of the Shelby, step on the gas, and a Ford V-8 will send you back in time. "I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees, asked the good lord for mercy, take me if you please".

 

Chip

[HORSBYT]

Very well spoken Chip, didnt make the 60's, barely made the 70's but im damn glad I was here for 2007 and able to buy my Shelby. I have had it for over a year now and am still blown away every time I turn that key. ahhhhhh MY Shelby.

 

-Chris

 

 

Well, having been born in 1969 but growing up hearing about the Shelby it was all I could do to not let THIS era slip through my fingers! I grew up with the 1977 Trans Am driven by Burt Reynolds or the Gran Torino - Zebra 3 or KITT. None of those cars really inspired me, although I wouldn't mind having that T/A sometime!

[08sgt1042]

I grew up with sisters that were 10 years older who had boyfriend's driving 69 Yenko's 57 Chevy's 67 Corvettes and many more hot rods so when I came of age to drive I found the only car I could afford a 65 red coupe with a white vinyl roof 289 auto, I revamed that car and drove it for well over 6 years and sold it, 30 years later and 7 mustangs I got an 08 Shelby GT and after letting my youngest son have my 65 gt350 that needed a lot of work I thought I was done and would never have another but my wife god bless her would not allow me to live without my dream car. I can relate to what Chip has put so well.

[08SGT1977]

:bowdown:

 

well said, Chip - great post!

[zdle]

Swedeman,

 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. #582 is a genuine pedigreed Shelby Mustang. A standard Mustang GT that is supercharged and has the same power and torque cannot possibly deliver the type of performance I am looking for. When I enter the cockpit of my Shelby GT, turn the key, hear the Ford Racing exhaust roar, and glance at the "Shelby Automobiles" dash plaque, I go from 0 to 1965 and the dreams and desires of my youth in under 5 seconds.

 

Concentrating on horsepower in an emotional device like a Shelby Mustang would be akin to telling a smiling 50-year-old man walking out of a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert that he would "get just as much" out of a Backstreet Boys concert because the volume of their music is exactly the same as CSN's.

 

Most car buyers today are too young to understand how special the new Shelby Mustangs are to those of us in our 50's. The marketplace has spoken and buyers lined up to pay $20,000 beyond MSRP for GT500s for over a year after their introduction so I have a lot of company. I'll try to explain.

 

Two years ago I heard that Eric Clapton had reformed Cream with former drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce. The last Cream concert was 35 years ago and in 2005 they got together and played just 4 shows in London. They were better than ever. When Cream first played, I was 12 years old, Clapton was god, the music was magic, and I was young. Clapton never stopped making music and I kept listening, but it wasn't Cream. When I heard that they were coming to America and would play 3 more shows in New York City, I picked up the phone, cost be damned, and I was in row 3 when the lights went down. My son Charley tried to tell me that there are many lead guitar players today that are better than Clapton and that spending $6000.00 to fly clear across the country for a concert was insane. Perhaps.......but in the middle of the Crossroads guitar solo I couldn't believe I was there, the music was still magic, Clapton was on fire, and for those few hours, I was a kid again. Don't try to tell me that Johnny Whatever is a faster, better player cause I don't care. He's not Eric Clapton and he never will be. Clapton was the original guitar god and he's an icon today.

 

In those same early to mid '60's the Holy Grail of American muscle cars were Shelby's. Most of us couldn't afford to buy them and were excited just to see one on the street. Long before the Saleens, Foose's, Steeda, and whatever else, there was THE MAN. The original Cobra and GT350/500 creating, LeMans winning, car god. There will never be another Carroll Shelby. And after a 35 year absence from Ford he's putting on another concert, and the cars are the best Shelby Mustangs ever. Well into his 2nd heart, it may not be for long.

 

HISTORY, HERITAGE, DESIRE, SOUL, and MEMORIES make Shelby and Clapton much more than just a car or concert. Is a supercharged standard Mustang GT as good as a Shelby GT? Is it a better buy? Can you "get just as much out of it"? Only to someone who wasn't there and couldn't possibly understand. To me, it's no contest. Turn the key of the Shelby, step on the gas, and a Ford V-8 will send you back in time. "I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees, asked the good lord for mercy, take me if you please".

 

Chip

 

Chip .............you are tooo much, I'm sure you have seen the Public TV Video that Clapton put out on Robert Johnson .........well I have the whole set CD's and DVD .................I have only one CD in my Shelby ................and when I drive back to the coast on the freshly paved Hwy 166 Bakersfield to Santa Maria after a week-end of many race sessions at Willow Springs , I have the air on , and Clapton up loud ..............That music , and the twisting road to the cool coastal air , and the sound of the car ................well I forget about being 61 , and I feel 100 % free of the little bullshit things we all have floating around in the back of our heads ..............For some reason Clapton and this car are a great match..........................ZDS

[zdle]

Swedeman,

 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. #582 is a genuine pedigreed Shelby Mustang. A standard Mustang GT that is supercharged and has the same power and torque cannot possibly deliver the type of performance I am looking for. When I enter the cockpit of my Shelby GT, turn the key, hear the Ford Racing exhaust roar, and glance at the "Shelby Automobiles" dash plaque, I go from 0 to 1965 and the dreams and desires of my youth in under 5 seconds.

 

Concentrating on horsepower in an emotional device like a Shelby Mustang would be akin to telling a smiling 50-year-old man walking out of a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert that he would "get just as much" out of a Backstreet Boys concert because the volume of their music is exactly the same as CSN's.

 

Most car buyers today are too young to understand how special the new Shelby Mustangs are to those of us in our 50's. The marketplace has spoken and buyers lined up to pay $20,000 beyond MSRP for GT500s for over a year after their introduction so I have a lot of company. I'll try to explain.

 

Two years ago I heard that Eric Clapton had reformed Cream with former drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce. The last Cream concert was 35 years ago and in 2005 they got together and played just 4 shows in London. They were better than ever. When Cream first played, I was 12 years old, Clapton was god, the music was magic, and I was young. Clapton never stopped making music and I kept listening, but it wasn't Cream. When I heard that they were coming to America and would play 3 more shows in New York City, I picked up the phone, cost be damned, and I was in row 3 when the lights went down. My son Charley tried to tell me that there are many lead guitar players today that are better than Clapton and that spending $6000.00 to fly clear across the country for a concert was insane. Perhaps.......but in the middle of the Crossroads guitar solo I couldn't believe I was there, the music was still magic, Clapton was on fire, and for those few hours, I was a kid again. Don't try to tell me that Johnny Whatever is a faster, better player cause I don't care. He's not Eric Clapton and he never will be. Clapton was the original guitar god and he's an icon today.

 

In those same early to mid '60's the Holy Grail of American muscle cars were Shelby's. Most of us couldn't afford to buy them and were excited just to see one on the street. Long before the Saleens, Foose's, Steeda, and whatever else, there was THE MAN. The original Cobra and GT350/500 creating, LeMans winning, car god. There will never be another Carroll Shelby. And after a 35 year absence from Ford he's putting on another concert, and the cars are the best Shelby Mustangs ever. Well into his 2nd heart, it may not be for long.

 

HISTORY, HERITAGE, DESIRE, SOUL, and MEMORIES make Shelby and Clapton much more than just a car or concert. Is a supercharged standard Mustang GT as good as a Shelby GT? Is it a better buy? Can you "get just as much out of it"? Only to someone who wasn't there and couldn't possibly understand. To me, it's no contest. Turn the key of the Shelby, step on the gas, and a Ford V-8 will send you back in time. "I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees, asked the good lord for mercy, take me if you please".

 

Chip

 

If you are interested in the roots of Claptons fasination with Robert Jonnson and Blues music , the I suggest you get the movie "OH Brother Where 'art Thou" with George Clooney ..................if you have seen it you know from where I speak.........if not you'll love it...........ZDS

[ejrail]

Right On!!

I graduated high school in 1969 in central New Jersey. The first car I drove was my mother's 1967 Mustang coupe with a 289 automatic. I spent every weekend I could at the drags at Raceway Park in Englishtown. My Boy Scout Troop toured the Ford Mustang assembly plant in Metuchen. Besides being a motor head from way back then, I also bought close to 400 LP records and 300 45s, remember them? I still have my record collection and a working Garrard turntable. Janis Joplin played one of my college's homecoming, The Four Seasons another. I actually saw Hendrix play in Philly.

 

As I write this, I have Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Cream, Hendrix, CSN and CCR in my Shaker 500. Sliding behind the wheel of my SGT is like getting into a time machine and going back to when I was 17, cruising Main St. with the AM radio cranked up to 77 WABC.

Like "Back to the Future", I put the key in the ignition and the 4.6L flux capacator comes alive. Thank you Mr. Shelby for being "Doc Brown" to my "Marty McFly".

[evg1973]

I have read many of the comments on these forums with great interest, but this topic interests me the most. I apreciate the above thoughts and the thoughts of the Swedeman are indeed interesting. But....I have been a Ford mustang enthusiast since they first came to market. I am now in my mid 50's and I have ALWAYS owned AT LEAST one mustang. My father owned a body shop in the 60's and I bought a 65 K-code fastback in 1970 that was totaled - and we repaired it. Now in the 70's a K code was not the collectors item thay are today - I just ran it to death and enjoyed every minute if it! Then came the oil embargo of the 70's and commuting to college forced that sale and the purchase of a Mustang II. I soon realized I had made a mistake by selling the Hi-Po 289 and began to look for another - I foound a great buy on a 66 fastback with an A-code engine and a 289 that I purchased for $900 in 1975 and placed it into storage. All along I had been aware of the SHelby name - and as a young adult - in college - and later a school teacher - my love for mustangs, and the SHelby grew. Years and years of reading about Shelby, his life, his history and his cars. I was saddened when he and Ford parted ways in the 70's because I loved the SHelby mustang. I dreamed of owning a Shelby, a real Shelby. I could have built a clone with the 66 fastback I owned as it became a showcar, but why? It would never have the Shelby serial number and Shelby's people would have never touched it. Many, many mustangs later - I have attended literally hundreds of car shows, vintage sports car races, drag races, etc, and always being drawn to the Shelby mustang. As the inflation of the collector car market exploded, my ultimate dream of owning a real Shelby faded over the years. THen....i began to hear of the Shelby partnership with Ford beiing repaired, then the development of a new SHelby Mustang....and I began to dream again. WHen the Shelby GT came out, I realized for me, the SHelby dream could still be fulfilled - a REAL SHelby with his name plate, a Shelby serial number, and a car from Shelby's shop in Vegas. Could it really happen? After owning a 66 Fastback showcar, with all the origional body panels, for 33 years, I sold it to get a Shelby. My friends said I was nuts, and maybe I am, but a teenagers dream has been realized - I own a REAL Shelby mustang. The first thing I do when I get in the car is look at the Shelby nameplate and the serial number. I walk around the back, and after looking at other peoples Shelby's for 40 years and admiring the Shelby lettering across the trunks, I can look at my own. I sent the sun visor to Carrol to be signed and I often look at it, sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it is real. That is what a SHelby GT is to me - a fulfillment of a 45 year dream. Obviously many do not feel this emotion to a nameplate, to a car ,or a man's name. But to me, it is what it is.......a SHELBY....and it is worth every penny ....I willl NEVER sell it.

[ejrail]

I sent the sun visor to Carrol to be signed and I often look at it, sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it is real. That is what a SHelby GT is to me - a fulfillment of a 45 year dream. Obviously many do not feel this emotion to a nameplate, to a car ,or a man's name. But to me, it is what it is.......a SHELBY....and it is worth every penny ....I willl NEVER sell it.

 

EVG1973,

 

I also share your emotions. The black car in my garage that says Shelby on the truck lid is way more than just a car to me. More than once I have gone in to the garage just look at my car. I have the signed SGT art print in my home office and find myself looking at it just about every day. I plan on getting my visor autographed after my November 1st Vegas pilgrimage to the factory and the AC Delco Nationals. That's when I'll be forced to park my car for the pending winter here in the mountains.

[Pastor Passum]

I have read many of the comments on these forums with great interest, but this topic interests me the most. I apreciate the above thoughts and the thoughts of the Swedeman are indeed interesting. But....I have been a Ford mustang enthusiast since they first came to market. I am now in my mid 50's and I have ALWAYS owned AT LEAST one mustang. My father owned a body shop in the 60's and I bought a 65 K-code fastback in 1970 that was totaled - and we repaired it. Now in the 70's a K code was not the collectors item thay are today - I just ran it to death and enjoyed every minute if it! Then came the oil embargo of the 70's and commuting to college forced that sale and the purchase of a Mustang II. I soon realized I had made a mistake by selling the Hi-Po 289 and began to look for another - I foound a great buy on a 66 fastback with an A-code engine and a 289 that I purchased for $900 in 1975 and placed it into storage. All along I had been aware of the SHelby name - and as a young adult - in college - and later a school teacher - my love for mustangs, and the SHelby grew. Years and years of reading about Shelby, his life, his history and his cars. I was saddened when he and Ford parted ways in the 70's because I loved the SHelby mustang. I dreamed of owning a Shelby, a real Shelby. I could have built a clone with the 66 fastback I owned as it became a showcar, but why? It would never have the Shelby serial number and Shelby's people would have never touched it. Many, many mustangs later - I have attended literally hundreds of car shows, vintage sports car races, drag races, etc, and always being drawn to the Shelby mustang. As the inflation of the collector car market exploded, my ultimate dream of owning a real Shelby faded over the years. THen....i began to hear of the Shelby partnership with Ford beiing repaired, then the development of a new SHelby Mustang....and I began to dream again. WHen the Shelby GT came out, I realized for me, the SHelby dream could still be fulfilled - a REAL SHelby with his name plate, a Shelby serial number, and a car from Shelby's shop in Vegas. Could it really happen? After owning a 66 Fastback showcar, with all the origional body panels, for 33 years, I sold it to get a Shelby. My friends said I was nuts, and maybe I am, but a teenagers dream has been realized - I own a REAL Shelby mustang. The first thing I do when I get in the car is look at the Shelby nameplate and the serial number. I walk around the back, and after looking at other peoples Shelby's for 40 years and admiring the Shelby lettering across the trunks, I can look at my own. I sent the sun visor to Carrol to be signed and I often look at it, sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it is real. That is what a SHelby GT is to me - a fulfillment of a 45 year dream. Obviously many do not feel this emotion to a nameplate, to a car ,or a man's name. But to me, it is what it is.......a SHELBY....and it is worth every penny ....I willl NEVER sell it.

 

 

Great post...oh and welcome to the forum!

 

:bowdown:

 

Jim

[ChipBeck]

The first thing I do when I get in the car is look at the Shelby nameplate and the serial number.......a fulfillment of a 45 year dream.

 

Gentlemen,

 

I do have a lot of company.

 

There is one other very special Mustang I would like to see resurrected.

 

If Boeing, who acquired Rockwell International, who had acquired North American Aviation, would put an updated version of P-51D Mustang back into production, my life would be complete!!

 

Chip

[zdle]

Gentlemen,

 

I do have a lot of company.

 

There is one other very special Mustang I would like to see resurrected.

 

If Boeing, who acquired Rockwell International, who had acquired North American Aviation, would put an updated version of P-51D Mustang back into production, my life would be complete!!

 

Chip

 

I always invisioned a big turbo -prop , assisted flight controls , glass cockpit, not sure about dual controls , little lower profile canope ,

 

Those Thunder Mustangs aren't bad , and are fast, as fast as Nemeisis if they hold together ..................ZDS

[SGT4265]

Gentlemen,

 

I do have a lot of company.

 

There is one other very special Mustang I would like to see resurrected.

 

If Boeing, who acquired Rockwell International, who had acquired North American Aviation, would put an updated version of P-51D Mustang back into production, my life would be complete!!

 

Chip

 

Couldnt agree more, just came back from a show & saw "QUICKSILVER" fly. P-51D, the most

beautiful piece of machinery built by human hands. (Shelby builds a close 2nd)