5R538

[Shelby73]

I had a fellow to come in the car lot a week ago and when he came in he said you must like Shelby Mustangs seeing pictures on the wall. I said yes I have a few. He said his dad bought a racing Shelby new and used to race it. I said do you know what the serial number was? He said he didn't have any idea. He said I have a picture in my phone somewhere. I told him to look for it I wanted to see it. He found it and when he showed it to me I said I've seen that car before having the fluorescent painted valance. He said his dad painted it like that to distinguish his car from other Shelby's at Daytona on pit row. He said his dads name was Roger West and sure enough I found it in the registry it was 5R538. Here is the only picture he had.

[JD]

WOW, that's a interesting occurrence.

So is there a Roger West as an owner of a White '67 (probably a GT500?), not where my '67 SAAC registry is, maybe someone else is close to one.

OK, looked at the 2022 '67 Registry, no Roger West owning a '67 Shelby, but one car was sold by a dealership in Alabama.

[Shelby73]

He also said his dad was a Shelby dealer but didn't have a Ford dealership. He said he had a import dealership in Alabama. I think he later had a Ford dealership and then a Dodge dealership. This is what his 60 year old son said I don't personally know. He did have a picture of a trophy that his dad was the B production southeastern champion in 1967. I have this fellows phone number if any of the information helps anybody.

[shelbydoug]

40 years ago there was a white 289 Cobra that appeared in the Poughkeepsee, NY area. It had been raced in the 1960's by a West and the son had the car when I saw it.

The son was in his early 20's and a friend and customer of Bob Aliberto and Eastern Mustang.

The Cobra was a very early one. Worm and sector car. No one at the time said anything about being in Alabama but maybe this was a military family which relocates often? Stewart Air Force base was in the area.

[FL SAAC]

thanks for sharing

[CSX4781]

Hey Andy,
  Was probably Foreign Car Center, I believe it was in Birmingham, Alabama. A friend owns 6S2301, was sold new there.

Dave

[deathsled]

Interesting.  That sort of thing doesn't happen in conversation very often.  A rare occurrence given that it is a rare car.

[Richstang]

I had a fellow to come in the car lot a week ago and when he came in he said you must like Shelby Mustangs seeing pictures on the wall. I said yes I have a few. He said his dad bought a racing Shelby new and used to race it. I said do you know what the serial number was? He said he didn't have any idea. He said I have a picture in my phone somewhere. I told him to look for it I wanted to see it. He found it and when he showed it to me I said I've seen that car before having the fluorescent painted valance. He said his dad painted it like that to distinguish his car from other Shelby's at Daytona on pit row. He said his dads name was Roger West and sure enough I found it in the registry it was 5R538. Here is the only picture he had.

5t538 first appeared at the February 1966 Daytona event without the fluorescent front valance.
At the next race at Sebring, we see the "R" with the painted fluorescent Red valance (B&W) images.
Here's a color photo said to be from Sebring in 1967.

I'd love to see a higher-resolution, clearer image of the white outboard '67 Shelby.
It might help to ID the '67 Shelby number if we knew if it was a GT350 or GT500.
Any other photos his son might have would be very helpful too!

[shelbymann1970]

I like that one shot where car number 6 is next to the GT350 and it showed 3rd place on the board above it.

[shelbymann1970]

I had a fellow to come in the car lot a week ago and when he came in he said you must like Shelby Mustangs seeing pictures on the wall. I said yes I have a few. He said his dad bought a racing Shelby new and used to race it. I said do you know what the serial number was? He said he didn't have any idea. He said I have a picture in my phone somewhere. I told him to look for it I wanted to see it. He found it and when he showed it to me I said I've seen that car before having the fluorescent painted valance. He said his dad painted it like that to distinguish his car from other Shelby's at Daytona on pit row. He said his dads name was Roger West and sure enough I found it in the registry it was 5R538. Here is the only picture he had.

So cool    when a Shelby is pulling another Shelby. My 69 Mach1 drag pack  4 speed car once had a trailer hitch on it!

[JD]

Car #6 Chaparral (Jim Hall car, might be a 2F) 

[Coralsnake]

Did Foreign Car Specialists receive any 1967 Shelbys?

[sfm5]

I believe Adamson Ford were the Shelby dealer in Birmingham "back in the day". They are the listed dealer for my '65 GT350.

[67_1183]

Did Foreign Car Specialists receive any 1967 Shelbys?

According to the 1967 Shelby Research Group, 27 cars went to Foreign Car Center in Birmingham, AL.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSGdbaEpF3hchiKzapR-sQfCV1G8KfvKNxeLwwAt3p-0IyRhoKMQrwwv3AMedYa5YwVQqSusbVHEX0K/pubhtml?fbclid=IwAR1EgPJpwpMHHv7Orl7YiQG0PsxqUOh-O-tWPa1IvcfAne5ioTTyeBog_ZY

[67_1183]

https://groups.google.com/g/shelbyresearch/c/iPp5YNlt21M

Brian Styles
unread,
Apr 29, 2020, 10:07:08 AM
to 1967 Shelby Research Group
We have no literature or details on FCC.
Only info I have found with a couple quick searches is:

Foreign Car Center, Inc.
Alabama Domestic Corporation
filed on October 8, 1957
The company's filing status is listed as Merged and its File Number is 725-325.
No Registered Agent is on file for this company.

The company has 4 principals on record: Elizabeth M Beddow, William H Beddow, George O Wright, and June S Wright.

If you have the time, my approach would be to research the principals, their offspring, and other surrounding business owners that might remember FCC (Repair shops, junk yards, car dealers).

On the principal angle, you might be able to find their offspring.
Elizabeth M Beddow & William Beddow, deceased 1975
George O Wright
June S Wright
George Onley Wright III 1928-1988
-> maybe George  O Wright 4th, born 1957 is likely a sibling? (addresses and phone numbers are available if you follow the link)