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The SHELBY AMERICAN
Spring 2016 27
Howard Pardee found the website of Dutch automotive artist Henk Holsheimer and among the charcoal illustrations
were the ‘67 GT500 [
left
], one of 150. The size is about 16˝ x 20˝ and the price is
€
219.90 ($242.37 US); they are signed
and numbered. His illustrations were also used in an issue of the British magazine,
Classic & Sports Car
[center], and
another illustration of a ‘67 Shelby [right].
Even though there’s not much in the
Genuine Hotrod Hardware catalog
that we’re interested in purchasing,
we nevertheless spend a little time
thumbing through it when it arrives
because we can occasionally spot a
trend. Previously, items representing
hot rods were joined by Mustang and
Shelby related gear, Corvette and ‘55-
‘56-’57 Chevy stuff, the sporadic Cobra items and more re-
cently Camaros, Firebirds, Chevelles, Dodge Chargers and
Road Runners. We note that the latest catalog has three
items relating to the 1975 Mustang II Cobra II. Are these cars finally attaining the notice of collectors and hobbyists?
Or is this a matter of a mail order business just trying to add to their line of products? Keep in mind that in the 1970s,
automobile performance took a heavy hit when the federal government ratcheted up strict emissions mandates. The
U.S. manufacturers were sucker-punched and the only way they were able to comply was by choking their engines and
using numerically lower rear end ratios. Naturally performance suffered and they tried to offset this by employing eye
candy: mag wheels, badges, fake scoops and tape stripes. Historically Shelby and early Mustang owners and enthusiasts
scoffed at cars like the Mustang II Cobra II. After a decade-long diet of high performance red meat, who wouldn’t? Sud-
denly all they could get was tofu and arugula. What may be happening is that as younger enthusiasts enter the hobby
they might not be old enough to have been around in the mid-1970s when the performance tide went out. A Cobra II
was driven by Farrah Fawcett in the “Charley’s Angels” television series and an option to the 1/18-scale ‘78 Cobra II
was a figurine of her that can be perched on the hood. We can’t recall ever seeing a model with a Peter Brock figurine.