Shelby Day & Demo Day at the Simeone - April 11, 2026

[Cobrask8]

Simeone Museum Demo Days!

April 11 is Shelby Day. There will be a special parking area and group admission rate for all Shelby Club members. SAAC, Team Shelby, Regional Shelby Clubs. Details to be announced, but save the date. Also the chance to display historically significant cars inside!

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Please contact Dan Reiter (Lehigh Valley SAAC) for more info. Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1apmqpSoLy/


If you want to display your Shelby, please contact them with the information as an example on this form: https://simeonemuseum.org/america-loves-corvette-exhibition/

[Steve McDonald Formally known as Mcdonas]

I'm in 

[mark p]

Sounds great - I'll watch for additional details and plan to see you there 👍
The Museum guys always note that Shelby events are very well attended.





The "Corvette" form shown is for a multi-week exhibit... what is planned for this?

[Corey Bowcutt]

Sounds like a great day.  I will try to make it there.

Corey

[FL SAAC]

Simeone Museum Demo Days!

April 11 is Shelby Day. There will be a special parking area and group admission rate for all Shelby Club members. SAAC, Team Shelby, Regional Shelby Clubs. Details to be announced, but save the date. Also the chance to display historically significant cars inside!

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Please contact Dan Reiter (Lehigh Valley SAAC) for more info. Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1apmqpSoLy/


If you want to display your Shelby, please contact them with the information as an example on this form: https://simeonemuseum.org/america-loves-corvette-exhibition/

Looks like a great event

[tigerjack64@yahoo.com]

MY car will be on display at Simeone For the month of april  Shelby Exhibit. JES

[Cobrask8]

There will be a discounted admission for SAAC, Team Shelby, and all Shelby Club members.

BUT..............

You have to submit your name to me prior, as they want to have a list at the door. Otherwise, no discount. So, PM me if you are coming and club affiliation!

[Cobrask8]

Cars already loaded inside, weather is looking good!

[98SVT - was 06GT]

It's neat to see the very first Daytona Coupe to be restored and changed into street trim from race car. It's condition is due the decades of poor storage not just being put away after it's last race. I suspect that Dean Jefferies was the painter of the show quality paint job. It has been confirmed the interior was done by Tony Nancy. The engine was a new HiPo long block with the exterior "race" parts - the carbs would have been rejetted to street specs.

[mark p]

I wish that there was a recording of the special talk presented at the Museum (some number of years back) regarding the work done to the Coupe after Dr Simeone acquired it. I remember being surprised at what all was needed.
Agree or not... Dr Simeone's goal was to preserve the car (#1 in the HVA Registry) as much as possible.
IIRC, they noted that MORE time was spent to preserve vs what it would have taken to restore it.
I can barely imagine the patience and skill that must have been required just to remove all of Phil Spector's ridiculous lettering and graphics... 
If that car could tell stories - it would surely be quite the tale

[98SVT - was 06GT]

... Dr Simeone's goal was to preserve the car (#1 in the HVA Registry) as much as possible.
IIRC, they noted that MORE time was spent to preserve vs what it would have taken to restore it.

The time and money was spent to try to have the car meet his story and the museum focus on unrestored (as raced) cars. The problem is the car is in fact the very first Daytona Coupe to be restored. Jim Russell owner of Russkit slot cars bought it and had it restored to show car quality with a full street not striped race interior. It got a crate HiPo long block with Webers in street tune. He used it as draw in his booth at various car and toy shows. I've always suspected that Dean Jefferies was the painter. CS used him when he needed a fast turn around or show quality work - two ends of the spectrum. Jefferies could do quick stuff for the studios (he designed and built the Monkee Mobile in only 10 days). He probably painted 40-50 show car winners. His talents were known at SA to the extent that he was chosen to accompany Phil Remington to help redesign the J car into the MKIV. Within a week of arrival they were popping out new body panels.
The simple fact is he bought a 40+ year old restoration that was poorly stored not an "as raced" car. He should have restored it to it's day one condition - Viking blue paint and all.

Just visited the museum website. They're still pushing their BS story:
This car is the first of just 6 built and is the only one left in original, unrestored condition.
BS they know the car was restored by SA for Russell - the museum has a copy of the ad,

The history of this car after that great Bonneville event, which we honor in our exhibit, is strange. After one or two brief owners, including the likes of record promoter Phil Spector, the car ended up in the possession of Spector's bodyguard's daughter
BS complete know chain of owners. SA to Russell to Spectre to Brand to his daughter.

Martin and his secretary worked their magic and convinced car owner Dorothy Brand to sell the car. In an odd arrangement which I didn't understand, after we made the sale, we exchanged monies, and everything was proper, she ultimately willed the car to her mother and committed suicide.
When the news surfaced in the Los Angeles Times, among other places, somehow an individual claiming to be Dorothy Brand's boyfriend claimed that he had been promised the car by Dorothy, although there was no convincing evidence, according to the judge, that this had happened. Unfortunately for Mr. Eyears, the litigation required to prove that this was a commercially viable sale and to come to a settlement with the boyfriend, ended up in substantial costs which he did not expect.
More total BS The simple truth is the vultures got to work right after the suicide. The mother did not own the car but did know where it was. The friend (not a boyfriend/girlfriend) had the pink which had been signed by Dorothy to him and the keys to the car and storage locker. When he went to retrieve the car a week or so later it was gone. He filed a stolen car report with the police. They tried to unwind the deal but the mom had stashed the money with relatives and suing her would produce maybe a couple hundred grand not the 4.5 million said to have been paid. In the end a deal was cut with the true owner to hand over the pink and keys for what was rumored to be 2 million. Making the total price paid in the 6 million range which was the going rate at the time for Coupes.

[Cobrask8]

I have seen a private presentation about the work done on the car. Yes, it has been completely apart and put back together. Fact. At least they used replacement parts that were proper, used, proper part numbers and date codes, and aged correctly, so that everything is from the correct time frame. And many repairs done to the body, including the nose.

And as noted, the "streetification" has been un-done, so it's back to the Bonneville time period. So, has it been restored, repaired, returned to, or?

Only us enthusiasts and knowledgeable Shelby folks know the story behind the car. But, yes, it should not be called completely untouched and original. But then, any vintage race car is only original when new.

I personally am glad it was uncovered, the doctor did what it takes, and the car is back in the world.