Press Release- Rick Kopec retires from SAAC

[Macstang]

...The issue here is that by not being able to openly discuss this, it casts the Board and the Moderator in a significant negative light...

All issues are open and being discussed. Nothing is being hidden or obscured or removed. I've been enjoying the flow of this thread and you guys certainly have hit the nail on the head.

If there's something not being openly discussed, raise it and collectively we can talk about it as a community.

To quote The Cranberries, there's "No Need to Argue."

[computerworks]

Doug
... you need to rest a bit.

[shelbydoug]

Just my normal Sunday morning over caffeinated situation. I get a lot of PM's that you are not aware of.
Some are not as polite as one would anticipate.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

That is correct 98SVT-was06GT the information on 06 and above cars is not available to the public even with them having a registration website.

They don't want you to know that they have produced nearly 150,000 cars since 06. It took SA over 5 years to manufacture about 7,000 cars. Ford manufactured another 6,000 from 68-70 with their wholly owned and controlled Shelby Automotive. If you look at truly built by the crews of CS and his SA manufacturing in the 60s compared to today they build in a year what took them 6 years to produce back then. If the registry was public you would see barring a few one offs there are far too many to be considered the instant collectable they'd like you to believe.

[TA Coupe]

I wonder if Rick wrote about the lawsuits against him/SAAC?

   ROY

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I wonder if Rick wrote about the lawsuits against him/SAAC?

Bingo give that man a cigar........

There are those who'd love to forget that chapter of club history. My thoughts are those who forget the history are destined to repeat it. 

[QuickSilverShelby]

There is more on the suit in the year by year section. Also there are some comments in Pete's intro that cast doubt on CS's sainthood. CS was always upset that owners of his cars were making more money selling them than he had made when they were new. He even thought he should be cut in on the SAAC conventions - ever wonder why SAAC quit doing the "SAAC Does Vegas" event and there is now a Shelby Bash in Vegas. If you get a chance look what the prices are for that event and you'll realize it's a profit center for SA and not a thank you to the owners. It's a Team Shelby event and SA has pulled TS inhouse to use it as a marketing tool.

I've been to 3 different SAAC conventions (Sonoma, Mid Ohio and Indianapolis) and 0 Team Shelby conventions AND I own a house in Vegas and spend 6 months a year in Vegas.   What does that tell ya?

QSS

[TA Coupe]

I wonder if Rick wrote about the lawsuits against him/SAAC?

   ROY

I was referring to the small individual ones that very few know about.

     Roy

[csxsfm]

Other than the legacy promotional value they provide for new sales, Vegas has no real interest in our old cars.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I was referring to the small individual ones that very few know about.

Rick did not go beyond what affected the club. The rest he didn't air. That indicates it was about how the club was treated and should be preserved. You don't get the vibe of a personal vendetta from reading the book.

[shelbydoug]

The full unpublished manuscript is available privately. Many were given pre-publication copies.

You can read it yourself.

It just won't and really can't be discussed openly here.


Everyone can debate that here on infinitum but it isn't going to change.

It isn't what YOU think is not damaging to the Shelby legacy, it is what SA's big law firm does and they have already seen the manuscript and telegraphed clearly that if it is published as is "EVERYONE" WILL BE sued.


The manor in which the book is written does strongly suggest that it is written in a chronologically "historical, as it happened" light BUT as stated by some, "the view of history depends on who wrote it". Shelby didn't write this book, so there in lies the main underlying issue?

[csxsfm]

History repeating itself.

[JohnSlack]

To many people CS was a Saint, most understood his failings and ignored them. Dave Dralle once told me that when he would see CS out and about they would not interact directly, however he said when CS would approach him friendly with his big smile and personality.....then Dave knew it was going to cost him something. I related that story to Don Araki and he agreed. They both indicated that it was best to avoid being seen.


John

[daltondavid]

Well Hope is mostly a good thing but should not be the plan but to me this is suggesting that this was a purge and it makes me wonder who in fact should be purged and who should not.
...
Is it inevitable that "all good things must come to an end"?

Hey Doug,

I'm very inexperienced on this forum and I don't know enough to place the forum name to your actual name but I have now realized who you are! I remember something you once told me, it was a quote about digging holes, not sure if you remember it but it's something which stuck with me even after all these years. I hope you are doing well.

Ultimately we're all just humans and we do make mistakes sometimes. Two posts were removed, if the consensus is that you'd like them back I believe Ron has the ability to undelete. Removing them was not a unanimous decision and I think I've just flipped my opinion the other way.

Regardless of bringing them back or not, I can promise to you and everyone that all I want is success for our club, and harmony among us all. Not easy, but I strive to achieve it. I'm not sure that all good things must come to an end, but I'll say this, there are many good things which are worth fighting for and I'm in the ring for SAAC all the time.

This forum was started because I was a moderator on Randall Shelby's forum and whenever SAAC issues came up there, they were quietly deleted. I realized we needed our own Forum and along with the Technical abilities of Ron Richards, the Political power of Dave Mathews, we approached Rick Kopec who gave us the blessing to start the SAAC Forum! to hear that censorship is taking place on this forum that is the bastard child of censorship to begin with, is a sorry state of affairs. 

[Macstang]

This forum was started because I was a moderator on Randall Shelby's forum and whenever SAAC issues came up there, they were quietly deleted. I realized we needed our own Forum and along with the Technical abilities of Ron Richards, the Political power of Dave Mathews, we approached Rick Kopec who gave us the blessing to start the SAAC Forum! to hear that censorship is taking place on this forum that is the bastard child of censorship to begin with, is a sorry state of affairs.

Hello Dave,

The post (#48 in this thread) was restored. No censorship. I'm seeing some transparency in this thread which is very refreshing.