The Shelby American (Spring 2019)

The SHELBY AMERICAN

Spring 2019 1

The SHELBY AMERICAN

#117

The magazine of the Shelby American Automobile Club

part of this publication may be repro-

duced or translated without prior ex-

press written permission from the

Shelby American Automobile Club.

saac@saac.com

SPRING 2019

ON THE COVER. If driving a ‘66

GT350 Hertz car up the Alcan Highway

from Seattle to Fairbanks on the Alcan

5000 Rally isn’t the antidote for con-

cours obsession, we don’t know what is.

As our society becomes increasingly ho-

mogenous, strictly regimented and po-

litically correct there are fewer and

fewer opportunities to engage in con-

trary activities. Alaska is one of the last

frontiers in this country and it is a place

everyone should experience. Most get

there by flying or on cruise ships. But

imagine driving. Now, imagine driving

a GT350 Hertz car. The mind boggles.

SAAC member Karl Eisleben and Joan

McCabe grabbed the bull by the horns

and made the trip. They came back with

enough memories to last a lifetime. One

look at their car and you’ll never look at

a concours car the same again.

THE MAIL SAAC.

13 pages.

The Super Snake sells for $2.2M at auction.

That’s news! Is your car next? CSX3170 is crowned Autocrosser of the Year.

Does

Road & Track

have one foot in the grave? You may want to hold off on

renewing your subscription. Don Yenko: Chevy’s version of Carroll Shelby?

Not quite. If you’ve always wanted a Mangusta but never find a project car,

we may have found one for you. A 427 Superformance Cobra joins the 200

MPH Club. Yeah, its a replica but it’s the shape that counts.

SHELBY AMERICANA.

11 pages.

It’s getting so you can expect certain

things in each issue: the three master eagle eyes are still trading blows in

this ongoing slapfest, our lady eagle eyes are continuing to make contribu-

tions, and we keep seeing auction companies using Cobras, Shelbys and

GT40 to entice us to follow their trail. And then there are the usual (actually

unusual) sightings from SAAC members just attempting to live their lives

when they are confronted by Shelby trivia.

ARE YOU CRAZY?

6 pages.

If John Wayne was still alive and he was look-

ing to make a point, the Duke would be driving a GT350 on the Alcan 5000.

And he would fit right in. Karl Eisleben and Joan McCabe made the trip and

lived to tell about it. They share some of their experiences in this article that

just may make you want to look into the Alcan 5000 and do a little thinking

as you’re driving to work on a clogged road amidst hundreds of fellow com-

muters. Maybe it’s time to break free and head out on a really open road.

DRAGON SNAKES.

7 pages.

When most people think about Cobra race

cars they envision road racers, driven by Ken Miles, Dan Gurney and Phil

Hill. But there were other racing Cobras. They competed on quarter-mile

drag strips and the factory car was built and maintained not by a huge team

of mechanics, fabricators and engineers but by a small group of Shelby em-

ployees from the production shop. Brooks Laudin talks to a couple of the

principals and uncovers the full story.