With the creation of the 'Shelby Automotive' company and Ford's takeover of production, FORD MFG plates appear on Shelby's in late 1967.
Here's a list of the vehicles found in period photos. (I do not know all the Shelby VIN numbers at this time.)
-'14M -024' - PR photo; front view of a '68 GT500KR #2356 blue/saddle
-'14M -241' - PR photo; back view of a '68 GT500KR #2356 blue/saddle (same car?)
-'14M -241' - PR photo; back view of a '68 GT500 convertible red/saddle (same rear plate as above Acapulco GT500KR
other (non Ford) MFG plates on Shelby's in Michigan
-'10M -214' back view of a '69 GT500 Grabber Green
-'15M -381' back view of a '69 Convertible, B&W PR photo, #9F03M480001 Royal Maroon
-'17M -216' front & back view of a '69 GT500, B&W article SCG 2/69
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-070721122038.jpeg)
This appear to be the same car as posted above with a different rear plate...odd
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-070721122716.jpeg)
http://www.thecoralsnake.com/History16
Thats 2356
The plate was used on other vehicles as well
Thanks Pete!
Here's another vehicles with that same rear plate.
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-070721123222.jpeg)
Interesting that a Ford studio photo of any car would have the fugly front license plate installed.
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/8-070721184616.jpeg)
I can identify this car if we have some more pictures
Tires on driver's side are different from passenger side, appears to be same photo shoot.
That convertible is a tough car to find pictures of. I only had the one photo.
Hopefully someone else had found another view of it.
It looks like just the Acapulco Blue fastback and that red convertible wore the Ford MFG plates in the PR photos.
Here's one more of the KR engine that shows the same license plate.
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-070721200009.jpeg)
Quote from: Coralsnake on July 07, 2021, 12:29:58 PM
http://www.thecoralsnake.com/History16
Thats 2356
The plate was used on other vehicles as well
Looks just like mine (2375) but my interior black
Quote from: Coralsnake on July 07, 2021, 06:47:35 PM
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/8-070721184616.jpeg)
I can identify this car if we have some more pictures
Tires on driver's side are different from passenger side, appears to be same photo shoot.
Also noticed the body color quarter reflector frames; not chromed.
I wonder if there is any way of finding out how the plates were assigned internally. I'd suspect that engineering and marketing at the very least had their own plates. A further breakdown could include powertrain engineering, vehicle testing, executive pool cars the list could be pretty big since Ford likes to bill every penny of costs to a specific division or function.
We'd need a FORD rep to answer that question if there was a list by dept at Ford of the MFG plates
Here's a 69 GT500 that was posted on the old forum 1.0
I believe this is another MFG Ford plate, but with '10M' as the Ford identifier
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-080721121312.jpeg)
Could this be the prototype black convertible with white interior?
The plate reads '15M-381'
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-080721122007.jpeg)
In Michigan; the manufacturers' plate do not necessarily have to be for one of the auto manufacturers.
It could be for anyone in the auto supply business.
Suppliers such as Hurst, Firestone, Goodyear, etc.
Thank You for sharing that information!
So the '10M' and the '15M' on both of these '69's are likely from different companies and NOT from Ford.
Quote from: Richstang on July 08, 2021, 12:23:03 PM
Could this be the prototype black convertible with white interior?
The plate reads '15M-381'
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/204-080721122007.jpeg)
Didn't the black convert have Cougar power windows?
Yes it did...does. Good Catch.
Here's a 69 GT500 road test from Sports Car Graphic February 1969
This one has a '17M-216' Plate. Lot of manufacturers in MI...
Quote from: Richstang on July 08, 2021, 06:03:56 PM
Yes it did...does. Good Catch.
Sorry guys, but THAT photo is NOT the black prototype convertible 9F03Q102336. During the prototype project research, the team determined that particular photo is the production MAROON car #9F03M480001 which was used for West Coast Marketing & PR purposes while assigned to Ray Geddes.
Don
Quote from: 68blk500c on July 08, 2021, 08:20:37 PM
Quote from: Richstang on July 08, 2021, 06:03:56 PM
Yes it did...does. Good Catch.
Sorry guys, but THAT photo is NOT the black prototype convertible 9F03Q102336. During the prototype project research, the team determined that particular photo is the production MAROON car #9F03M480001 which was used for West Coast Marketing & PR purposes while assigned to Ray Geddes.
Don
Thanks Don, that's what Bob was saying (it was not the Black prototype convertible).
Thanks for identifying it as the Maroon convertible.
If assigned to Geddes, do you know who registered the car with that MFG license pate?
Quote from: Richstang on July 09, 2021, 10:26:51 AM
If assigned to Geddes, do you know who registered the car with that MFG license pate?
That's a problem with MFG and DLR plates. They are registered to companies not specific vehicles. They can be swapped at will between any car they have. There is no known paperwork trail so pinning down which car is in a photo is a crap shoot.
Here in CA it was common for dealers to have a couple rubber straps attached to the top of their plates. When a salesman wanted to demo a car he grabbed a plate, popped the trunk then slammed it shut catching the straps, presto instant legality for the test drive or lunch.
Quote from: 98SVT - was 06GT on July 09, 2021, 12:04:09 PM
Quote from: Richstang on July 09, 2021, 10:26:51 AM
If assigned to Geddes, do you know who registered the car with that MFG license pate?
That's a problem with MFG and DLR plates. They are registered to companies not specific vehicles. They can be swapped at will between any car they have. There is no known paperwork trail so pinning down which car is in a photo is a crap shoot.
Here in CA it was common for dealers to have a couple rubber straps attached to the top of their plates. When a salesman wanted to demo a car he grabbed a plate, popped the trunk then slammed it shut catching the straps, presto instant legality for the test drive or lunch.
I was just curious which company the plate was registered to?
Poor Ron mentions numerous MFG plates were issued in Michigan to various auto suppliers and auto manufactures.
I was assuming '14M' was Ford (just like '013' to Shelby American in CA)
If so, then does anyone know who had '10M, 14M or 17M'?
Or was it just the 'M' for manufactures in Michigan with random numbers issued to all the MFG's.
There were some notes from Shelby Automotive that refereed to the engineering cars by license plate number.
Those papers were given to the 68 Registrar. At the time, since there were no references to the cars serial numbers, they really didn't help answer any questions.
Quote from: Richstang on July 09, 2021, 10:26:51 AM
Quote from: 68blk500c on July 08, 2021, 08:20:37 PM
Quote from: Richstang on July 08, 2021, 06:03:56 PM
Yes it did...does. Good Catch.
Sorry guys, but THAT photo is NOT the black prototype convertible 9F03Q102336. During the prototype project research, the team determined that particular photo is the production MAROON car #9F03M480001 which was used for West Coast Marketing & PR purposes while assigned to Ray Geddes.
Don
Thanks Don, that's what Bob was saying (it was not the Black prototype convertible).
Thanks for identifying it as the Maroon convertible.
If assigned to Geddes, do you know who registered the car with that MFG license pate?
The various dated SA inventory sheets that are in possession of the registrar include (sometimes) the mfg. license plate, along with the car's identity. They were usually assigned to either Engineering or Marketing, functionally. They also may list which SA employee had which car assigned to them, at that point in time (Geddes for example). Assignments did change. Vehicles moved around the country (and overseas) for marketing/publicity purposes.
It is presumed that this was part of a larger accounting/administrative process to track the actual vehicles for internal use and costing purposes. No, I don't know who, or which department was responsible for assigning or registering steps. We noticed a few notations/memos that alluded to insurance tracking, also.
Quote from: 68blk500c on July 10, 2021, 06:50:51 PM
Quote from: Richstang on July 09, 2021, 10:26:51 AM
Quote from: 68blk500c on July 08, 2021, 08:20:37 PM
Quote from: Richstang on July 08, 2021, 06:03:56 PM
Yes it did...does. Good Catch.
Sorry guys, but THAT photo is NOT the black prototype convertible 9F03Q102336. During the prototype project research, the team determined that particular photo is the production MAROON car #9F03M480001 which was used for West Coast Marketing & PR purposes while assigned to Ray Geddes.
Don
Thanks Don, that's what Bob was saying (it was not the Black prototype convertible).
Thanks for identifying it as the Maroon convertible.
If assigned to Geddes, do you know who registered the car with that MFG license pate?
The various dated SA inventory sheets that are in possession of the registrar include (sometimes) the mfg. license plate, along with the car's identity. They were usually assigned to either Engineering or Marketing, functionally. They also may list which SA employee had which car assigned to them, at that point in time (Geddes for example). Assignments did change. Vehicles moved around the country (and overseas) for marketing/publicity purposes.
It is presumed that this was part of a larger accounting/administrative process to track the actual vehicles for internal use and costing purposes. No, I don't know who, or which department was responsible for assigning or registering steps. We noticed a few notations/memos that alluded to insurance tracking, also.
I ONLY had sheets pertaining to the 68 models. As I recall, they identified the car ONLY by the license plate number and the person to whom it was assigned.
On those sheets, there was no reference to either the Ford VIN or the Shelby consecutive unit number.
As I was the then 68 Registrar, those sheets were given to me by Kopec having come out of the hoard that was given to him and Howard from the Ford Archives.
The sheets for the 69's may have contained more specific information but I never saw them unless one inadvertently wound up in my pile. If it did, I forwarded it to Vinny.
For '68s, I don't recall any of them for Registry purposes being of any significance. IF at some point a cross reference to a -0xxxx unit number was discovered, it was noted in the footnotes at the time.
Assuming on your part that these sheets were consistent from model year to model year is an incorrect presumption. It does no harm to presume it, but it is just not an accurate statement.
It WAS realized that the numbers being referenced to, as the people they were assigned to, were Manufacturers license plates and the personnel likely SA employees but the significance of that data at the time was not determined at that point.
The sheets I've been fortunate to view spanned SA 68 and 69 model year information. You are familiar, so being able to tie plates to specific cars is sporadic.
Quote from: 68blk500c on July 11, 2021, 11:44:40 AM
The sheets I've been fortunate to view spanned SA 68 and 69 model year information. You are familiar, so being able to tie plates to specific cars is sporadic.
Correct and it is the exception rather then the rule.
We had so much paperwork that some of the significance of it flashed right on by.
We were forbidden to look at other Registrars information and in some cases like with the engineering cars always being six months to a year behind the actual production, we just didn't see the correlation sometimes.
Some information continues to surface like the correlation of the order sheets and DSO/build sheets (some call them delete sheets now) on the '67s.
Check out the Manufacturer Plate that I purchased at an indoor swap meet last weekend in Kalamazoo, MI.
What are the odds of finding this plate?
And then the odds of connecting the dots ......??
Fun stuff - You just never know.
Lowell
WOW, the proverbial needle in a haystack, great score!
Dave
I would say go and buy a powerball ticket but then again you probably used up all of your extra luck finding that gem.
That is so cool! Car and license plate, back together again.
Quote from: Side-Oilers on February 11, 2023, 12:13:07 AM
That is so cool! Car and license plate, back together again.
I hope that I am wrong but the car and plate are not united. The plate and the picture of the car it was used on are however.
There are examples in that thread of the plate being used on other cars.
The blue KR press car is still in hiding. I should go look for it. Its not far from here
Quote from: 67st102 on February 10, 2023, 08:02:13 PM
Check out the Manufacturer Plate that I purchased at an indoor swap meet last weekend in Kalamazoo, MI.
What are the odds of finding this plate?
And then the odds of connecting the dots ......??
Fun stuff - You just never know.
Lowell
great find