Re: Barrett Jackson.....
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Carroll Shelby hung the moon but his reputation ain't all that swell either. <----somebody had to say it!
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Care to elaborate?
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I believe it was shortly after the boom started, maybe late 80's or early 90's CS claimed to have found 10 or so Cobra's or Shelby Mustangs in a warehouse that were never completed. I owned a '66 Shelby Must. at the time and was a member of the (just found my Shelby American World Registry hardback dated 1987) Shelby American Automobile Club. I recall that incident causing quiet a stink with these guys as it devalued (or would have) their cars and made their "hero" look like a first class crook.
I recall CS and the club being very close prior to that incident but you don't see the SAAC and CA arm in arm anymore. At least I don't.
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Thanks for the answer Ray.
I remember a dust-up over the coil-spring Cobra frames with "unassigned" VIN numbers that were found--maybe that's the same situation you described.
Please pardon me if I've misunderstood the situation, but I would have no problem at all if Shelby had found stored cars or parts and wanted to sell them as real. Yeah, I guess it'd be a bummer if such a find de-valued my Shelby* but such is life. Is Shelby supposed to destroy such finds in order to preserve the value of other people's Shelby cars? If Joel Rosen found a dozen Phase III '69 Camaros in storage that he had forgotten about would he have to keep them in storage or destroy them so as to preserve the value of existing cars in other people's ownership? Not trying to pick a fight, I'm just curious as to why it's a problem for Shelby to come up with continuation cars/parts, no matter how he came up with them. I mean, it's his name and his cars and his design and his legend. Without Carroll Shelby all those SAAC guys would be collecting some other car--and perhaps crying foul over the actions of whoever invented it.
Carroll Shelby has had his Cobra image stolen for profit for decades. Think of all the kit Cobra rip-offs over the past 30 years and Shelby had to fight them all over trademark rights and name rights. I don't begrudge him for his defense of his name and the design of his cars. Maybe he went along with what some people feel is a shady deal but much worse has been perpetrated against Shelby over the years. I don't look at Carroll Shelby as having "hung the moon" but he sure as hell beat Ferrari's ass in 1965. For that alone he is a real American hero in my book.
That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
*I don't own a Shelby product. Wish I did!
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