Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  28 / 150 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 28 / 150 Next Page
Page Background

The SHELBY AMERICAN

Summer 2016 28

Back in the last issue [

Spring 2016,

page 20, lower right

] we cautioned

that sloppy facts in non-authoritative

places, such as on the Internet, in cat-

alogs and toy descriptions, were how

misinformation would gradually seep

into the hobby by infecting younger

enthusiasts who would see something

in print and believe it – because it was

in print. We hate to be the persistent

curmudgeon, but we are beginning to

feel like we are warning everyone but

no one can hear us. Or they don’t think

it’s important. It’s frustrating. Here

are just a handful of examples from a

recent Summit Racing Equipment cat-

alog for gifts, clothing and memora-

bilia. 1. This is described as a 1967

Shelby GT500 but judging by the front

end, it’s actually a GT500E Eleanor

car. The wheels are obviously after-

market Halibrand-style with knock-

offs and the gas filler is located on the

rear fender, Eleanor style. Trivial?

Maybe, but accuracy is accuracy. 2.

This car is described as a “tribute”

Trans-Am so maybe the Terlingua rab-

bit on the black hood and the rocker

panel stripes are correct, but it should-

n’t have the GT grille. The description

says the original car as raced in 1967

was driven by Jerry Titus and Ken

Miles. Sadly, by 1967 when this car

was racing, Ken Miles was no longer

alive. 3. John McComb purchased one

of the 1967 Trans-Am race cars and

when team driver Jerry Titus wrecked

his team car in practice at the Kent

Trans-Am, and Shelby asked McComb

1

2

3

4

5

to turn his car over to Titus because he was a better driver and would benefit from the driver’s points. Titus failed to

finish, but it was the only race in which he drove McComb’s car. The catalog description makes it sound like Titus drove

the car all season. The catalog claims the car is the only survivor of the 1967 Trans-Am series. We’re sure that would

come as something of a surprise to a number of owners of 1967 Shelby trans-Am notchbacks. 4. The catalog’s description

of Charlie Kemp’s 5R538 makes a big deal of the car’s being “

Quicker than a Cobra!

” The car was clocked at 184 mph

at Daytona, “

setting the record for the fastest 289-powered Shelby of the time – including Cobras!

” That claim probably

has poor Dick Smith spinning in his grave. His 427 was clocked at Daytona at 198 mph. 5. The GT40 MK II diecast is

the 1966 LeMans-winning GT40 driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon. The catalog describes it as “Gulf Blue.”

The Gulf cars didn’t come on the scene for two more years. We realized these are only toy catalogs. But history matters.

Click on Allstate Insurance’s blog and

you’re staring at a red 427 Cobra.

That’s what Howard Pardee discov-

ered recently. As a man of a very few

words, we’re not sure if Pardee discov-

ered this on his own or if someone

tipped him off. That doesn’t really

matter as long as we’re able to show it

to you.