Notes from the SAAC Mailroom:We’ve had an eye on the vintage

racing scene for more than 25 years.Back in the early days, it really wasVINTAGE racing, where cars accept-ed for competition, for the most part,had real racing somewhere in theirhistory. The Historic Motor RacingAssociation (HMSA) led the waywith high standards and high levelsof enforcement of those standards. Itis a west coast-based organizationbest known for the MontereyHistorics, the premiere vintage rac-ing event in this country. On the eastcoast the Sportscar Vintage RacingAssociation (SVRA) also adoptedhigh standards. In order to beaccepted, a car had to have a verifi-able racing history and had to bepresented very closely to the cosmet-ic and mechanical specs it wouldhave been prepared to its first yearin competition or the year following.

The rules for both groups werenot iron-clad and exceptions wereoccasionally made. Vintage racinggrew in popularity and soon othersanctioning bodies were formed,most tending to adopt looser stan-dards. Some required no race historyat all and were equally lax onmechanical requirements. As thingsevolved in vintage racing, there wassomething for everyone. Die hardsgravitated towards the strictergroups — especially those with rareand valuable cars. No one with anoriginal Daytona Coupe or FerrariGTO was very excited about goingon the track in the midst of a bunchof recently built R-Model look-alikesbased on Mustang factback bodiespowered by 500 HP engines with 4-wheel disc brakes, huge flares barelycovering 9” wheels, and with trian-gulated roll cages and gutted interi-ors.

As things progressed throughthe 1980s, and as vintage racing con-tinued to grow in popularity, anotherfactor entered the equation.

WHY GET YOUR CAR INTO THE NEW REGISTRY?To Whom It May Concern:

I currently own six Shelbys and theyare very significant cars. As far as Iknow, they will not be included in thenext registry because I doubt anyoneknows that I have them. If this informa-tion is important and should be includ-ed in the new registry, then please let meknow who I should get in touch with toassure making the new book as completeas possible. Thanks.

Name Withheld

Dear Pilgrim:Information on your cars is impor-

tant to us. But insuring that we have itis even more important to YOU. Howcan this be? Imagine the scenario wewill describe. It is not some extremehypothetical example—it has happened.More than once.

Someone has a Shelby that theyhave owned for decades; maybe they arethe original owner. Their ownership iscompletely legal and unquestioned, sothey see no reason why anyone elseneeds to know. Anyone else being theShelby registrar, for example.

Somebody else with a restorableMustang decides they would ratherhave a Shelby but they can’t afford oneat the current prices. However, all of theShelby-unique parts are available...including blank aluminum Shelby seri-al number plates. They do everythingthat Shelby’s boys did when they builtthe cars originally, but when their car isfinished they discover the harsh realitythat parts do not a Shelby make. Thereis an intangible part of each Shelby thatmakes it what it is. You can’t buy it froma parts catalog, at a swap meet or oneBay. So they sell their Shelby replica.The new owner, who sees all the Shelbybling, imagines that he has just hit thelottery. A $150,000 car for $30,000.

Blinded by desire and fueled byenthusiasm, the new owner decides toadd the finishing touch – an accuratelyreproduced Shelby VIN plate. But whatnumber to stamp into it? A sessionbrowsing through the last edition of the

Shelby American World Registry yieldsdozens of potential candidates, Shelbysdescribed in the registry as “ownerunknown.”

They make the assumption thatafter 35 or 40 years, if a car is still onthe road somebody would know about itand pass this information on to the clubor the registrar. And if an owner wasn’tidentified in the book, the car probablyno longer exists. So they pick one ofthese “owner unknown” numbers.Maybe it’s one of your cars because younever told anyone about them. This newcar has the repro Shelby plate stampedexactly like an original car, and nowthey can sell their $30,000 car for$75,000. The new owner walks aroundclucking, thinking about the bargain hegot. Heck, he saved at least $75,000. Hesends information on his Shelby to theappropriate Registrar. And the registraris excited to fill in another blank.

So now you decide to get religion.You send your Shelby serial numberand past history in to the club and weforward it to the appropriate Registrar.You quickly get a letter back, advisingyou that there is another Shelby carry-ing the same serial number in the data-base. A copy of this letter is sent to theother owner, bringing to his or herattention that there are two cars carry-ing the same serial number. Obviouslythat can’t be, so both of you are asked toprovide the registrar with copies of asmuch information as you have: registra-tions, past bills of sale, title, a list of pre-vious owners, detail photos – anythingthat will help determine which carmight be “genuine.”

If one of the owners knows thattheir car is a flat-out fake, they maynever respond to the registrar. Or theymay make a half-hearted attempt toprove their car is legit. In either of thesecases, it will be up to the other owner,the one who has had his car for yearswithout telling anyone, to institute legalproceedings to resolve the problem.That will probably begin with a call tothe police department in the municipal-

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 4

Enthusiasts began to realize thatthese were not events just for carowners but they were pretty darnedinteresting spectator events. Andexciting to boot! And that’s when thetracks realized there was money tobe made from selling tickets to spec-tators. Prior to this they had seenvintage racing as closed eventsattended only by participants, crewsand their guests.

It was a win-win. Event organiz-ers, of course, knew that the moreentries they had, the more successfulthe event would be. And the trackssaw a correlation between the num-ber of entries and the number ofspectators. As the level of competi-tion increased, the supply of partslike vintage correct engine blocks,heads, transmissions and othermechanical components that brokeor wore out began to dwindle. As thishappened the law of supply anddemand kicked in, and the parts thatexisted became more expensive.Rather that watch the number ofentries decline, mechanical require-ments were allowed to be stretched.Reproduction blocks, specialty heads(some cast in aluminum) and purerace transmissions with triple-discclutches were accepted, as wereaftermarket brakes and other non-stock components like radiators andoil coolers. Before very long somecars — Corvettes, GT350s, Camaros,Mustang notchbacks and Boss 302s— more closely resembled currentGT-1 SCCA racers cloaked in vintagesheetmetal than period-correct vin-tage race cars.

Which brings us to somethingthat caught our attention in anSVRA newsletter. “Most of you haveheard that the FIA has approved cer-tain post-period replicas (clones) torace in most Vintage races underFIA jurisdiction. The prime exampleis that Lola is building new T70Mark IIIb coupes. Opposition to thisconcept has been minimal, primarilybecause it no longer makes sense toput very historic and valuable racecars in jeopardy. In addition, moreand more of the “real” cars are beingrelegated to static collections andmuseums, which is certainly appro-priate considering their value.Consequently, this means that manysignificant makes and models are nolonger seen on the track.

ity where the other car’s owner resides.If both owners appear to have legit-

imate registrations, the registrar willwrite both owners back, giving themeach other’s contact information, andsuggesting that they contact each otherto work this problem out. The Registraris only a collector of information – notan judge or arbiter who can determinewhich car is the “real” one.

Since two cars cannot have thesame serial number, the value of BOTHcar is diminished. After all, who wouldwant to buy a Shelby which might be afake? Both owners hire lawyers and sueeach other, and both owners must provethe legitimacy of their car. That meansexperts must inspect both cars. If thecars are a distance apart, or in differentstates, the expenses increase propor-tionally. Both owners can probablyexpect to pay between $5,000 and$15,000 in legal fees and associatedexpenses before one of them loses theserial number for their car. Once one caris proven genuine, the other one will begiven a state DMV vehicle identificationnumber and from that point it will onlybe worth whatever a customizedMustang is worth. The state will decidewhether to pursue criminal charges –because tampering with a vehicle’s VINis a felony in most states.

And what about the other car – thereal one you own? It will still be under acloud because it was once part of a situ-ation where another car existed withthe same serial number. It’s difficult tosay if its value will be greatly or mini-mally diminished, but who would wantto pay top dollar for a Shelby that wasinvolved in such a problem? It wouldclearly not be worth the same as a sim-ilar car which has absolutely no blem-ishes.

We said at the beginning when weoutlined this scenario that it wasn’tsomething we were imagining. It hashappened. As the value of Shelbys con-tinue to rise, so will the possibility thatserial numbers of “owner unknown” carswill be appropriated for use on fakes.Sharing information on your car with aregistrar is like having insuranceagainst a duplicate car popping up. Howcan we make that any clearer?

Registrars have the capability ofwithholding an owner’s name at his orher request. In that case, when the caris listed in the registry it says “NAMEWITHHELD” in the space where aname would appear. And registrars donot give out those names.

THE ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT?

How can you tell when a car finallyattains the status of “valuable collectorcar?” That’s easy—somebody makes aclone of it. A dealer in Schaumberg, ILwas offering this ‘SAAC MK II Tribute”car on their internet site. It’s an ‘89Mustang GT, which predates the origi-nal SAAC cars by 3 years, but hey—who’s counting? By calling it a “Tributecar” they sidestep the charge ofattempting to sell a counterfeit. Anothertip-off is the price: at $10,900 it’s atleast a third of what a real SAAC MK Ior MK II would go for.

GLITZ AND BLING

If the cars going through the bigdog auctions in Scottsdale andMonterey share one thing in common,it’s that they all shine like the pile ofsparkling gems in a pirate’s treasuretrunk. Especially at Barrett-Jackson,under those spotlights put in place forthe television cameras. The bright lightsmake it a tough sell if you’re trying toget top dollar for a 40+ year-old survivorwith original paint that has a few flawsand chrome which has gone a little soft.

But how about those customs,resto-mods, Shelbys and Cobras thatlook like their paint is minutes old?Meguiars has a powerful rabbit in theirhat. It’s called the Solo “One Liquid”System that removes swirl marks,scratches and slight sanding marks –the imperfections that polish and waxcan’t hide. It was used to makeCSX3015 look like a million bucks atthe B-J. Or, make that $5.5 million.

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 5

“Even if someone has the meansand desire to race a car with a sig-nificant provenance, it is recognizedthat with every race, the car’s raceworthiness is steadily consumed.Periodic rebuilding and maintenancecan only do so much before the origi-nal parts are no longer serviceable.In many cases, original frames andtubs have exceeded their suitabilityfor safe racing. If we are going to con-tinue seeing these great cars in actu-al competition, a provision has to bemade for viable replacements.

“There are many existing repli-cas of cars such as Ford GT40s,Jaguar C and D types and manyFerrari types that should qualify foracceptance under this policy. SVRAwill accept applications for consider-ation from owners of suitable replicacars representing makes and modelsthat have few or no originals active-ly racing. Each case will be reviewedindividually and a determination ofacceptance will be made. Acceptablecars must conform in every way tothe specifications of the original pro-duction. This will include, but is notlimited to: correct engine, gearbox,chassis material and design, brakes,coachwork shape and material andany other component unique to thatmodel.”

SVRA, which is the largest vin-tage racing sanctioning body—andfrom which a lot of other sponsoringorganizations take their cue—ispresently considering adding theCobra to the list of acceptable repli-cas, both in the form of the CSX4000and CSX7000 series cars as well assimilarly configured Kirkhams. Theywould compete in Group 6. Thiswould mean that these cars wouldhave to be equipped with the equiva-lent of period-correct engines, trans-missions and brakes. But it will bean opportunity for an entirely newgroup of owners to experience thevintage racing experience and foranother generation of spectators tosee Cobras which, because of theirsteadily increasing value, have beenshowing up less and less at vintageevents.

Did we say win-win?

OH, THE HUMANITY!

You’ve lusted after a new Ford GTever since the first time you saw one.You repressed the urge to pay somevampire dealer a premium of $50,000over MSRP in order to become an owner.You were patient and now yourrestraint has paid off. Prices have comedown to something very close to MSRPand you make your move. Your baby isin your garage and you really are baby-ing it. Nothing is too good for this car.

Now try to imagine that after it fellinto the hands of a high end, exotic cardealer in, of all places, New York City,there wasn’t room on his showroomfloor beside all of those newLamborghinis and Bentleys, so it had tobe parked outside. During the greatsnow and ice storm of February ofought-7. And that it sat there for weeksuntil the ice and snow melted. Yes, yourpoor baby.

True story. Thanks to Kenny Beersof Fresh Meadows, NY for the detailsand the photo. The dealership and thecar’s serial number will remainunnamed to save the new owner from alifetime of heartache and misery.

We love our Aussie members. We’renot sure what it is about them, but as agroup they are no-nonsense, fun-lovingand not cowed by adversity. Their pio-neer spirit reminds us of those in thiscountry who, after the Civil War, lookedto find their fortunes by heading west.

Back here, we start our vintageraces (and most others) with a rollingstart. A lap or two behind a pace car andthen the green flag drops. Pretty timidstuff when compared to our mates downunder. They use the standing start likethe early days of sports car racing inthis country. Everyone is in first gear,and when the green flag drops the accel-erator goes down when the clutch comesup. And the result is damned exciting,as demonstrated by SAAC memberGeorge Nittis of Sydney.

VINTAGE RACING - AUSSIE STYLE

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 6

THOSE MAGICAL SHELBY BADGES

We all know about the power ofthe “Shelby” name. Like alchemy inMedieval Europe, it seemingly hasthe ability to turn the equivalent oflead into the equivalent of gold inthe blink of an eye... or with theapplication of a Shelby badge. Andlike alchemy, it remains a fantasy.

This time the optimistic emailwent to long time SAAC memberand new Ford GT Registrar JeffBurgy. The car in question was a1965 Mustang convertible with a5R07C serial number. It had a fiber-glass nose reminiscent of an early

JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICEWell, sort of. SAAC member BillBaker works at Starrformance (for-merly McMichael Motorsports inBraselton, GA), a Superformancedealer. He got a call from ThunderIsland Publishing Co. in nearbyMarietta; they were producing a cal-endar called “Classic Curves.” (youknow the formula: old cars andyoung girls) and they wanted aCobra for a photo shoot. Starrfor-mance just happened to have ashiny, new Superformance MK III,owned by the company’s owner,Mark Starr. It was a metallic redwith silver stripes, powered by a351 stroker (392 CID) backed by aTremec 5-speed. On the appointeddate Bill brought the car to Helen,GA, a knock-off Bavarian townabout 90 miles north of Atlanta. Theplace is filled with chalets and evenhas piped-in yodeling music comingfrom hidden loudspeakers all overtown. Miss October would be anOctobefest theme. The young lady[whose name is withheld to protecther from receiving multiple requestsfor personal photo shoots –ed.] is amodel in the Atlanta area whoworks at Hooters between gigs.

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 7

GT40, along with GT350 type rock-er panel stripes and late model typetaillights... all things that can beexplained away as owner-installedmodifications. But then the trumpcard: a Shelby tag attached to thedriver’s door edge. That pretty muchclinched it for the hopeful owner.This was obviously a Shelby proto-type and he needed some kind ofofficial confirmation.

As soon as Burgy saw the pic-tures that were emailed to him, herecognized the one-piece fiberglassnose as something that was manu-factured in the late 1960s by a com-pany named Fiberfab. Rather thana quick bucket of cold water, he wasa little more diplomatic.

“I have talked to several otherShelby experts, and none of us isaware of any car such as yours beingbuilt by Shelby.”

As we have explained, time andtime again, a badge does not make acar. And since virtually all Shelbybadges are currently available, thepresence of one on a car meansabsolutely nothing.

YOU ARE TRAVELING THROUGH ANOTHER DIMENSION. A DIMENSION NOT ONLY OF SIGHT AND SOUND BUT OF THE MIND...A journey into a wondrous landwhose boundaries are that of imagi-nation. That’s the signpost upahead: Your next stop: The TwilightZone.

May we introduce one Dr. DavidHildago of Southampton, NY, ownerof 289 Cobra serial numberCSX2302. Following an intensivetwo-year restoration at the talentedhands of Cobra restoration maestroMike McCluskey, the good doctorwas taking his car on its inauguraldrive. It is a picture-perfect daywith the Cobra’s brilliant red paintand chrome gleaming in the brightsunshine. Five minutes down theroad he pulls up to a stoplight. A redand white pick-up truck pulls up onhis left. The driver rolls down hispassenger window and asks if it’s akit car.

“No, it’s real. Just back fromrestoration,” says the Doc, proudly.After a few more exchanges, withthe light ready to turn green, thedriver of the truck says, “Take this.”He tosses a magazine out of thewindow and Hidalgo just barely catchesit. The light turns green and the trucktakes off.

The pick-up is out of sight beforeHidalgo gets a close look at the maga-zine. It is the September, 1963 issue ofMotor Trend, and it looks like it waspicked up off the newsstand yesterday.

Hidalgo pulls off to the side of theroad to get a better look at the maga-zine. It contains the first road test forthe 1964 289 Cobra roadster. The cartested was bright red—a dead ringer forHidalgo’s CSX2303—including the topand side curtains, which McCluskey hasfabricated perfectly.

If there is an explanation for how atotal stranger, at a chance encounter,manages to come up with that particu-lar issue of Motor Trend containing a289 Cobra road test, it is something onlyRod Serling can come up with. It was,truly, an episode out of the TwilightZone.

COUGAR CORRECTIONS“As the product planner at Lincoln

Mercury Product Planning in 1968responsible for planning the CougarXR7G and the Shelby MustangPlanning Manager for the 1967 and1968 cars, I would like to correct someerrors in Jim Karamanis’ excellent arti-cle on the Cougar XR7G in the last issue.

“The XR7G was not developed byShelby Automotive, and was not devel-oped specifically for Hertz. The modelwas fully planned at Lincoln-MercuryDivision in response to the need to dis-tance the higher priced Cougar from itsMustang sibling, and to create a trafficbuilder model for the L-M dealershipsthat would provide an upscale EuropeanGT image. The probable reason for theconfusion is the fact that we used someof the Shelby Mustang components, andthe cars were built on the line as theShelby Mustangs at A.O. Smith inIonia, Michgan. As a side note,

this was the first Detroit vehicle to offera sun roof in production and was thevery first production sunroof project of

American Sunroof which went on tobecome the leading sunroof supplier inthe world.

“The XR7G was a natural to addadd to the Hertz Sports Car Club fleetalongside the Shelby GT350s, as part ofHertz’s program to differentiate itselffrom its competitors.

“Jim was also correct in saying thatDan Gurney had no involvement in theinitialization of the program, but waslater part of the promotion of the car.Another side note: As the person respon-sible for the GT40 Mark I program, Iobtained a Gurney Weslake version ofthe Ford 302 CID engine from Dan andwe developed it for later GT40 Mark Iuse in the car that won LeMans in 1968and 1969. There was a plan to offer anoptional version of the XR7G withGurney Weslake 302 (we built a proto-type that was an impressive performer),but the program was not carried out.”

Don H. ColemanLos Angeles, CA

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 8

VIVA LA CARRERA PANAMERICANA – LA AGONIA DE LA DERROTAThe most dangerous road race in

the world? A great many people wouldagree that that title belongs to theMexican “La Carrera Panamericana.” Itwas originally run between 1950 and1955 over five days. That first year itstarted in Juarez (just across the borderfrom El Paso) and ended in El Ocotal,Chiapas, near the Mexico/Guatemalaborder. It covered a total of 3300 kilo-meters (2176 miles) and included eleva-tion changes from 328 to 10,482 feet.

Initially the Mexican governmentused the event to celebrate the comple-tion of its Panamerican Highway. Therace ran almost entirely along this newhighway, which crossed the countryfrom north to south. It attracted inter-national attention because it wasincluded on the World SportscarChampionship’s calendar. A huge fieldof entries — 132 that first year —included drivers representing FormulaOne, Indy, rallying, endurance racing,NASCAR, hill climbs and even drag rac-ing. Entries were limited to sedans withfive seats. Large American cars likeOldsmobiles, Cadillacs and Lincolnswere favored but mixed in with the proswere ordinary citizens (including a cou-ple of Mexican taxis and their drivers).

For 1951 the race was run fromsouth to north, making it convenient forthe large number of American entrantsto head home after the race’s conclusion.Ferrari entered a team of cars (the 5-seat rule was bent a little to allow thevaunted marque). Two well knownMexican sportsmen were killed in thefirst two days, causing an uproar from

the Mexican press. Ferraris finished 1-2. A second class was added in 1952, forsports cars. A factory Mercedes teamwon the race in a 300SL. The field con-tinued to increase as the event contin-ued to catch the attention of the racingworld. A large number of internationaldrivers would try their hand during thenext three years, including Bill Franceand Curtis Turner, Mickey Thompson,Clay Smith, Ak Miller, Phil Hill, CarrollShelby, John Fitch, Umberto Maglioliand Juan Manuel Fangio. Following the1955 LeMans disaster which killed 80

spectators in the fiery crash of PierreLevegh’s Mercedes, the Mexican racewas cancelled in the name of safety.

The Carrera Panamericana wasresurrected in 1988 as a vintage event.It was stretched to seven days and cov-ered a 2000-mile route. An 80 entrylimit is comprised of 1950s and 1960sAmerican stock cars (with upgradedengines and suspensions) as well assports cars. There are 10 classes orga-nized by age and autheticity (whichmostly relate to the body style). It is runwith government backing over specialclosed stages of public roads and fasttransit sections through central Mexico(where speeds have reached 190 mph).At the initial navigator’s meeting thispast year they are warned that half ofthe accidents happen during the firstday in a particularly winding andtreacherous section.

Into this boiling cauldron of testos-terone jumped SAAC member JeffMcKain, spearheading a four car team(3 Mustangs including his GT350 look-alike) and a ‘58 Jaguar XK150. All threeMustangs crashed before the fifth day.None of the drivers or navigators werehurt seriously, but McKain did sufferedbroken bones in his arm and hand. SonJeff required some tendons to bestitched back in his leg. They wereundeterred and promise they will beback again next year.

If there’s any good news in this story, it’s that this is NOT a Shelby. Let’s get that out of theway right up front. Although Virginia Beach, VA SAAC member Jeff McKain owns 6S435, thisain’t it. He also fields a clone to race to keep the original Shelby out of harm’s way. So whilethis is bad, it could have been a lot worse.

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 9

TRANSMISSION QUESTION: AUTOMATIC ANSWERI have taken the automatic trans-

mission from my 1966 Hertz to a trustedtransmission shop to look it over. Isthere any little modification that Shelbymade that a fellow should look out for,or is this just a stock unit? I would notwant anything changed or deleted thatwould take it away from the originalcondition.

Jerry ThorpeTacoma, WA

We turned to Jeff Burgy for the answerto this one. Jeff is a retired FoMoCoengineer who is an expert on Hi-Poautomatic transmissions. He’s been aSAAC member since Day One and heknows his stuff. Here is his response.

Jerry:Be VERY careful with your original

C4. There are a number of unique partsthat CANNOT be replaced if they losethem. They are not unique to Shelby,but this was a special transmissionbuilt to go with the 289 Hi-Performanceengine. Shelby did not change anythingin them and, contrary to popular belief,they do not have a special (high stallspeed) converter.

It is quite common for a transmis-sion shop to just “swap” your unit foranother C4 that has already beenrebuilt. DO NOT let them to do this.Insist that they rebuild your originaltransmission.

The parts that are unique to yourC4 Hi-Po transmission include theValve Body, Intermediate Servo Pistonand the Governor.

The first thing you want to do issave the tag from the transmission. Thetransmission tag is held onto theIntermediate Servo cover by one of the 4attaching bolts. The correct tag for a1966 Hi-Po C4 should have a code of“PCW-BA” on it. I would take the tag offand save it before I send the transmis-sion to the rebuilder. Most trans shopsjust throw this tag away when they dis-assemble the transmission.

The C4 Hi-Po is a very good trans-mission and I would advise them torebuild your trans to stock specs. I alsorecommend using only Type F fluid.Most places these days use “Mercon III”or “Dex-Merc” fluid which will work in aC4, but I prefer Type F which is whatwas originally used in the 1960s. FordType F fluid will give a firmer shift thatthe alternative fluid. You may have toshop around but it is available. – Jeff

Intermediate Servo Cover. This will have a“C” cast on it. If your cover has an “A” or “B”letter on it then somebody has alreadyswapped your tranny for a non-Hi-Po unit.The cover on the top left is from a 1966 trans-mission. The cover on the top right, with theheavier letter “C” is from a 1965 trans. Thepiston [bottom, left]) of the 1966 servo coverhas a Ford oval logo. The 1965 piston [bot-tom, right] is a re-pop (there is no Ford logo).

The Valve Body in the Hi-Po C4 is special,and has settings calibrated for the 289 Hi-Poengine. The stock Hi-Po valve body will havea “1U” tag on it. Make sure they save this tag.

The other part unique to the Hi-Po C4 is theGovernor Assembly. It has a lightened sec-ondary counterweight that allows the transto shift at a higher rpm in “drive” than thestandard model C4. A standard C4 shifts atWOT (wide open throttle) at around 4500-5000 rpm. The Hi-Po C4 shifts at WOT ataround 5000-6000 rpm. The factory Hi-Pogovernor has a white paint stripe on it. Stockgovernor is pictured on the right; Hi-Po gov-ernor is on the left.

Secondary Counterweights in detail. Hi-Pocounterweight on the right has beenmachined to reduce weight. This results inhigher rpm shifts.

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 10

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 11

It’s taken about 20 years to get herebut it looks like the individual states’motor vehicle departments have finallygotten a handle on this whole replicathing. They didn’t get there by them-selves; they had a lot of help fromSEMA (the Specialty EquipmentMarket Assoc-iation), which a lobbyingorganization that represents the speedequipment and aftermarket partsindustry. Replica and street rod ownershave been experiencing problems in get-ting their cars registered in variousstates since the 1980s. Neither fish norfowl, these vehicles didn’t fit neatly intothe categories of various motor vehicleregulations and standards were some-times arbitrarily applied—often basedon the knowledge (or lack of it) of themotor vehicle inspectors doing the actu-al inspecting. Individual owners whobuilt their own cars were whip-sawed byoften contrary regulations. They had noone to speak for them and were left tonegotiate with the DMV labrynth ontheir own. As the replica and street rodbusiness blossomed through the 1990s,companies discovered that sales weredirectly related to an owner’s difficultyrunning the registration gauntlet. Themore difficult it was to get a car legallyregistered, the less interest there wasby buyers.

What to do? As SEMA members(which most of the larger replica manu-facturers are), they brought their prob-lem to the attention of the association.It went to work investigating the situa-tion and proposing model legislationwhich it presented to various states.The states saw that SEMA’s model leg-islation was fair and workable, and withthe heavy lifting done, began to fashionlegislation implementing SEMA’s ideas.

SEMA’s suggested legislation creat-ed a definition for replica vehicles(Cobras as well as street rods, streetmachines and other replicas) stipulat-ing that vehicles meet only the equip-ment and emissions standards in effectfor the model year and vehicle beingreplicated. An example is the lawrecently enacted in Idaho. It defined areplica as “a vehicle made to replicateany passenger car or truck previouslymanufactured using metal, fiberglass orother composite materials. Replica vehi-cles must look like the original vehiclebeing replicated but may use a moremodern drivetrain.” That should makeall owners happy.

Replica Reality READ THIS !

When it comes to suggesting books, wedon’t normally wander too far afieldfrom the subject of Cobras, ShelbyMustangs, GT40s and their ilk.However, this book is an exception. Wehave never read anything else quite likeit and everyone we’ve suggested it towho has read it cannot get it out of theirmind. If you like dogs, you need not readany farther. Just buy this book. Buteven if you’re not crazy about man’s bestfriend, this is a wonderful story narrat-ed through the eyes of a dog. His nameis Enzo and his owner, Denny, is a racecar driver. When Denny goes to workevery day he leaves Enzo home with thetelevision on and Enzo learns most ofwhat he knows through the television.Denny puts it on a different channeleach day, educational programs or rac-ing, so Enzo’s education is varied. Enzobelieves in reincarnation, and thatwhen he dies he will come back as aman. It is one of the most cleverly writ-ten and emotionally complex booksyou’ll ever read. When you’re done youwill never look at a dog the same wayagain. If this has piqued your interest,you can watch a short trailer as well asa few clips of interviews of the author,Garth Stein, on You Tube:www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrsMt1zrmUk&feature=relatedwww.youtube.com/watch?v=3WXNOclZkyg www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7jnKecly2w&NR=1www.youtube.com/

CSX3152? YEAH, RIGHT

We recently received an email from aCobra enthusiast in France who said hewas negotiating to buy what wasdescribed to him as CSX3152. Heattached photos and fortunately—forhim—he had the good sense to asksomeone before he made the actual pur-chase. We’re happy we were able to keephim from making a very expensive mis-take. But we’re left wondering about thenext enthusiast who will be looking atthis car and who may not have the pres-ence of mind to get an expert opinion.Because sooner or later this car will finda home, but it won’t be a happy one forvery long. Caveat emptor!

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 12

THE SECRET OF THE TROPHY QUEEN REVEALED !

Frank Zizzo showed CSX2021, his vintage race preparedsmall block Cobra, to this year’s annual John Force Car Show,held at Force’s showplace facility in Yorba Linda, CA. It wasabout a 40-mile trip with mufflerless side exhausts, which isalways interesting. The event drew nearly 1,000 cars of alldescriptions: mostly street rods, wild customs and drag racecars. The one-day show benefits the California HighwayPatrol’s “CHiPs for Kids” toy drive. Zizzo’s Cobra, accurateright down to the Vertex magneto, was chosen as one of theTop 40 cars and the award was presented by the trophyqueen, a typically pneumatic Hollywood blonde actresswhose recent credits escape us at the moment. But haven’twe seen that face somewhere before? What did not escape us,however, was captured by the camera’s lens in the blink of aneye. Most of us have wistfully wondered about those trophyqueens. They present the winners the trophy, but is there aspecial, ah, more personal prize being offered? She obviouslycannot make such a promising offer to every winner, so exact-ly how is the message passed? We’ve always wondered, untilwe saw Zizzo give her the secret signal. It looks so innocentbut—you old junkyard dog, you. It can only mean, “Stop backlater and I’ll give you the REAL trophy, Big Boy.”

AN E-MAIL FROM NIGERIA! SCAMMERS NEVER SLEEPJust about everyone with a comput-

er has received an e-mail from someoneoffering to share a percentage ofupwards of $20 million dollars which isallegedly tied up in some type of unfath-omable bureaucratic red tape in a bankin some thies world hellhole like Lagos,Mogadishu, Djibouti or Timbuktu. Ifonly you can provide your social securi-ty number or a bank account informa-tion which will break the log jam andfree up the money, a percentage ofwhich will be posted into your account.Obviously, if you fall for this scam sym-pathy for you will be in short supply.

Curt Scott, long time SAAC mem-ber and the owner/operator of the high-ly regarded website “Cobra Country”(www.cobracountry.com) has made itsomething of a personal crusade tochronicle the antics of the Nigerian“scambags” as he calls them, on thepages of his website. Scott was a con-tributing editor to several street rodand kit car magazines and started hissite in 1995 as a way to publicize a bookhe had written, “The Guide to CobraReplicas.” The website became popularas he expanded it to cover all Cobras (infact, once he began using that word henever used “kit car” again). Soon the siteincluded event reports and photos, prod-uct reviews, and readers began sendingin ads to sell their cars. This quicklyexpanded to consume a large portion ofthe site and because Scott demandedtop quality photos from sellers, the adswere unusually successful. He says thereal trick to selling a car is providingreally good photos, and to that end hehas written a guide to shooting photosof your car (which can also be found onhis website). All types of Cobras areadvertised: originals, replicas (includingDaytona Coupes) and GT40s (both orig-inals and replicas). In the interveningyears Scott has updated his “CobraReplica Guide” several times and it hasbecome indispensable to someone con-templating a purchase of one of thosecars—either new or used.

Scott says these e-mail scamsbegan about six years ago and hardly aday goes by that one of his readers doesnot share one of these “offers” with him.Initially they were the type describedabove, but more recently they have gonea few steps beyond the usual “funds tiedup in the national treasury” scenarioand have zeroed in on the Cobra andGT40 ads which have become a largepart of Cobra Country’s website. They

also feed off other websites that carryhigh-end classified cars, so they’re notlimited to Cobras. Just about anythingis fair game to these cockroaches.

There are several ways these scamstypically unfold. One is for them to grabthe description and pictures of a legiti-mate ad from a website and sit on it forsix months or a year. Then they adver-tise it on on some other website as theirown, at a price that is way under mar-ket. This is the hook. There is always aconvoluted story: the car is in one coun-try, the person offering it for sale is act-ing on behalf of the owner who is inanother country. The car must be soldquickly, etc. To seal the deal all theywant is a good faith deposit – usually$3,000-$5,000 – and they will put thecar into a container and ship it to you.When it arrives, if you choose not toaccept it you refuse and it gets shippedback and your deposit will be returned.What’s not to like about that deal?

Well... it starts and ends with thefact that there is no car to ship and oncethey get the good faith deposit, the goodfaith vanishes and the check is quicklycashed. The only guarantee you have isthat that’s the last you’ll hear from the“seller.”

Another scam unfolds when some-one answers your ad, posing as an“agent” for the real buyer. He agrees tomeet your price and asks for your backaccount number so he can wire thefunds directly into your account. Thescammer can then deposit a bogus checkinto your account and then withdrawcash based on that deposit. Or the scam-mer can merely clean whatever youhave in your account.

What most of these scams have incommon is poor grammar, lack of punc-tuation or all upper or lower case char-acters. Or all of the above. Part of thedeal may include a cashier’s check,which most people think is as good asgold. However, with today’s sophisticat-ed computers and scanners, counterfeit-ing a cashier’s check is fairly simple andby the time your bank discovers it is notworth the paper it was printed on youraccount has been ransacked. Yes, it’s acruel world.

An entirely different kind of scaminvolved getting you to make a phonecall. You might receive a message onyour answering machine or your pagerwhich asks you to call a number begin-ning with area code 809. The reasonyou’re asked to call varies: it can be to

receive information about a familymember who has been ill, to tell yousomeone has been arrested or died, tolet you know you have won a wonderfulprize—or perhaps that they're interest-ed in buying the car you have for sale onthe Internet. In each instance, you’readvised to phone the 809 number rightaway.

Since there are so many new areacodes these days, you may not recognizethe area code and will return thesecalls. If you call from the U.S., you willbe charged perhaps $25 per-minute!Sometimes the person who answers thephone will speak broken English andpretend to not understand you. Othertimes, you’ll just get a long recordedmessage. The goal is to keep you on thephone as long as possible—whichincrease the charges. When you get yourphone bill you’ll discover that you havebeen charged more than $100.

Here’s why this works: The 809area code is located in the Caribbean(specifically, the Bahamas, aka theBritish Virgin Islands). The 809 areacode can be used as a “pay-per-call”number, similar to 900 numbers in theUS. Since 809 is not in the U.S., it is notcovered by U.S. regulations of 900 num-bers, which require that you be notifiedand warned of charges and ratesinvolved when you call a “pay-per-call”number. There is also no requirementthat the company provide a time periodduring which you may terminate thecall without being charged. Further,whereas many US phones have 900number blocking (to avoid these kinds ofcharges), 900 number blocking will notprevent calls to the 809 area code. Nomatter how you get the message orwhat it is, if you are asked to call a num-ber with an 809 area code you shoul dis-regard the message. Be very wary of e-mails or messages asking you to call an809 area code number.

You’ll want to avoid becoming a vic-tim of this scam, since attempting tocontest the charges afterwards canbecome a real nightmare. That’sbecause you did actually make the call.If you complain, both your local phonecompany and your long distance carrierwill not get involved and will most like-ly tell you that they are simply provid-ing the billing for the foreign company.You'll end up dealing with a foreigncompany and they will argue that theyhave done absolutely nothing wrong.You will be chasing your tail.

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 13

SAAC BOOK OF SHELBY WORLD RECORDS

Eric Johnson of Firestone, CO (born 10/12/1963) boughthis ‘67 GT500, 67411F--0100 on December 27, 1979 [picturedabove] on the day he picked it upfor $8500. It was originallya factory engineering car. Eric had a little help from his par-ents coming up with the money, and you can bet they madehim promise them the moon in return. At that time he was16 years, 76 days old. His car is a red GT500 automatic andtoday [below] it looks better than it did back in 1967.

Roger Staib, Perrinevillen NJ.When he was 16 years and 11months old, Roger (now 51) paid the princely sum of $2,800 for8T03R205940-03277 to Morristown Ford in Morristown, NJ.That was in April of 1970. The car was actually purchased forhim by his father and the certificate of ownership was changed amonth later when he turned 17. Roger recalls tearing a photo ofa ‘68 Shelby out of a car magazine when he was in high schooland showing it to his friends, proclaiming that when he got hislicense this was the car he would buy. Naturally, they scoffed athim and laughed but he has had the last laugh because now,some 36 years later, these same friends are bringing their sonsover to see the car their mom or dad used to ride in when theywere in high school. The Shelby only has 28K on the clock andhas seen less than a half dozen rainy days under Roger’s owner-ship. It remains box-stock and all it needs is a coat of paint,which is scheduled for “soon.”

Please send all Shelby World Record submissions along with a photo (which will be returned) to:SAAC HQ attn: Shelby RecordsPO Box 788 Sharon, CT 06069

fax: 860-364-0769 email: saac@saac.com

WHERE DID ALL THESE YOUNG AND STILL PRESENT OWNERS COME FROM?

The last issue’s “Book of Shelby World Records” carried a list-ing titled, “Youngest Person To Purchase A Shelby And StillOwn It.” SAAC member Don Langford responded; he was 18when he purchased his ‘68 GT500KR in 1978. That touchedsome nerves from owners who were even younger. AltonSizemore of Birmingham, AL (born 10/9/1950) bought his‘68 GT350, 8T02J193227-02210 [above] from Southside Fordin Jacksonville, FL in 1968 when he was 18.

Chip Huffman of Warrenton, VA turned 18 on June 2, 1977. Twomonths and 28 days later he bought 67410F4A03145, a white GT500with blue stripes. He is the car’s third owner and he still owns ittoday. And how about this: when Chip bought this car at 18, it washis second Shelby. The previous one was a ‘68 GT500, #1854, that hetotalled. That car is presently alive and well in Virginia and hasreceived a new front clip.

The SHELBY E-MERICAN WINTER/2009 14