Messages

I am very interested in learning more about the crash, the location, the date, and the serial numbers of the cars involved.

Also, if anyone knows the numbers of the undamaged Shelbys on the same train.   

Not that I have any proof, but those rear bumper guards remind me of the generic aftermarket type seen on some taxicabs of that era.
Thoughts?

Trivia about the above '67 GT500 photo:

That's George Elliott, then-Editor of Popular Hot Rodding, with the "I'm just casually wrenching on the engine" pose typical of car mag writers the world over.

Years later (1982-87) he was my boss during my time at PHR.  (By then, he had become Executive VP/Publisher.)

George is an accomplished drag racer, motorcycle racer, tech writer, photographer, editor, former president of SEMA, and great all-around guy.  He's still in the car biz, today.   

Richstang: 
I looked through all the 1966-67 season episode info about "The F.B.I." on IMDbPro for any mention of Los Angeles Airport (and anything else possibly Shelby related that I could think of) in the synopsis, and found these two that sound promising.
 

Season 2, Episode 24: Flight Plan
Original airdate: Mar 5, 1967

A painting worth $500,000 is stolen from a Washington museum. A former U.S. government official is seriously injured trying to stop the theft. The thief flies to Los Angeles, intending to sell it to a collector the thief has done business with before. The thief, though, gets more than he bargained for when he meets a woman who falls for him. Erskine and Rhodes don't have much to work with. The FBI men begin to put pressure on the collector. Meanwhile, the thief concludes he'll need to kill the woman to ensure her silence.


Season 3, Episode 2: Counter-Stroke
Original airdate: Sep 24, 1967

An Eastern Bloc courier is shot and captured at an airport while entering the U.S. The courier had hidden tape intended for a mysterious operative known only as "Alexander." Erskine goes undercover, taking the place of the courier. He quickly discovers the situation is more complicated than he imagined. The FBI inspector is now in the middle of an espionage ring with conflicting allegiances. Alexander is loyal to Moscow, while other members now are loyal to China. On top of that, the courier Erskine is portraying was hired to kill Alexander. Colby and other FBI men can only keep track of the FBI inspector from a distance.

Good info, Stephen, thanks! 

Richstang: I definitely appreciate all the little details that you and the other guys on here regularly share. 
And it's always fun to see new things in an old photo.
Please continue!

Kiwi broiling in the hot Arizona sun, during the MT top speed test. 

105 degrees in the shade.  Crazy hot in the sun. 

Thus Kiwi's nifty aluminum foil hat liner. 

Pix from the aforementioned Motor Trend top speed shootout, circa 2000. 

Venue is Ford's Kingman AZ Proving Grounds banked oval. (4.5 miles IIRC.)

Gary Patterson in red helmet.

The one-off supercharged Series 1 had red stripes. The one in the auction has blue.  So I'm assuming it is not the same car. But, yes, it could've later been painted.

I took some time off as a magazine writer when CS asked me to come work for him in the Shelby Dakota production and early Viper development era.   

Several of those cars in the photos I have driven.  The white Dakota with the unique stripes had a hot rodded 360 V8 that we built for development of a 360 (versus the 318 that made it to production.) It was later beefed some more as a magazine test car.  Fun machine. I remember a Car Craft drag test/shootout of factory "toy box" vehicles in 1989. 

In that era, Shelby Automobiles also was working on a twin-turbo 318 Dakota that was painted red.  Wonder what happened to it.

A Pantera that CS drove had a Lotus-head Chrysler 2.2 turbo in it, when I was there. Not sure if this is the same car in the photo. 

The Series 1 performance numbers referred to in the Yahoo article are for a one-off supercharged version that Shelby built for a Motor Trend shootout, when I was at that magazine. (I don't know if that was S/N 001 or not, although I also drove the very early Series 1 engineering cars.)  The supercharged car was one of Gary Patterson's early "get 'er done" projects for the guys in the Shelby shop.  Gary was the only one crazy enough to drive it in the top speed tests.  That car could be a bit...er...treacherous.  No way that a stock naturally-aspirated Series 1 could do 0-60 in 3.2 sec, or 175 mph top speed. The little Aurora engine needed to be breathed on.

Fun times.   Will be interesting to see what the auction pulls.

Corvette in trailer:  Kindling for the pre-race cookout and ceremonial bonfire?

I'll bet they loved the smell of burning bow-tie fiberglass around the SA pits.

Looks to me like it might have been shot at "the Balcony" spectator bleachers at Willow Springs.

Regarding reply #61:  I wonder who drove that T-bird to the track?  I assume it was one of the cars Ford loaned to SA for executive use. 
Anyone have photos of exec cars with CS behind the wheel?
I think I recall seeing one on the old site somewhere with him getting in or out of a 1964-ish Continental.

IMO, that is one of the best teaser ads of all time.
Don Draper would be proud.

Who else remembers seeing drip pans under the engines of brand new cars on the showroom floor?

I am eager to see any and all of the photos you can post.
 
My KR's PO lived in that area, in those days.  Not sure if he was a SAAC member, but I'm hoping to see my car!
Many thanks!!