GT350s: four ‘65s, seven ‘66s and two
‘67s. It was an awesome display and
there was a good variety of colors as
well: white, blue, red, green, even
Tom’s rare white ‘66 with gold Hertz
stripes. Tom also had impressive decal
clingons made with each participants’
serial number to place on our doors.
The Snowbird fed us well, as three
meals a day were included in our stay,
including a delicious four-course meal
every night. Prior to the evening meal
we would gather around the fire pit to
share a cocktail and a few car stories.
Each night for dinner Tom made sure
that different participants would pair
up with someone they had not yet met
to ensure we all knew each other be-
fore the end of the trip. Tom also ad-
dressed the group about the agenda
for the following day and then opened
the floor for anyone who wished to
relay their Shelby story. Chuck
Cantwell was also present and one
evening he enlightened us with a few
of his historical tidbits.
Rain, rain, rain. Remember ear-
lier, I mentioned that Tom had every
last detail planned? The tour was
planned nine months in advance and
there was no way he could anticipate
inclement weather. The remnants
from a hurricane that came into Texas
and was moving northeast made sure
we were wet for all three days of the
tour. While it was not a complete
washout with torrents of heavy rain, it
was steady. My wife packed her rain
boots and several people remarked on
her smart wardrobe choice.
Most of these cars probably have
not seen any rain in over twenty years,
but it was what it was. Everyone that
owns one of these cars knows how well
the wipers and defrosters work, right?
A couple of times we were in such high
elevation that we were in the clouds
and visibility was about nil. This was
not ideal for modern, everyday trans-
portation; much less for a fifty-year old
GT350. In a strange way, because we
were using these cars in whatever con-
ditions nature could throw at us, it
made the tour more interesting.
A special surprise guest joined us
on Monday for the start of the tour, au-
tomotive journalist Steven Cole
Smith, who was writing an article for
Automobile Magazine
. He arrived
driving a brand new 2016 GT350 that
he had just taken delivery of from
Ford’s public relations department.
The manufacturer’s tags still at-
tached. Smith was doing a road test on
the new GT350 and how much more
fitting could it be than to join a baker’s
dozen vintage GT350s on some of the
best driving roads in America. This
immediately elevated the tour’s “cool”
factor. Smith and the new GT350
stayed with us for all three days of the
tour and each night he shared some
interesting automotive stories.
Tom Cotter is very disciplined
about having all participants lined up
and ready to go promptly at 9:00 a.m.
It was quite a sight to see all the cars
lined up and snaking down the steep
and curvy driveway of the Snowbird as
we headed out on Day 1.
As we headed up into the moun-
tains, the roads became very tight and
curvy with plenty of switchbacks and
S-curves. With no power steering (on
the ‘65-‘66s, anyway), it was quite a
workout and we joked that our fore-
arms had grown by the end of the day.
We passed by several waterfalls and
stopped a couple of times for scenic
photos. It was the peak of the fall col-
ors in this part of the country and it
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Winter 2016 32
Day 1 - a Wet Ride to Highlands
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