The Shelby American (Fall 2021)

The SHELBY AMERICAN Fall 2021 2 RALLY FOR LUNCH. 3 pages. JimWalsh conducted brief, two-hour rallys in 2020 (pre-Covid) most Saturday mornings in the Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania area. About 30-40 cars of all kinds participated: Shelbys. Mus- tangs, muscle cars, hot rods, street rods, sports cars and exotics. Walsh set the example by driving his ‘66 GT350 Hertz car. The events were low-key and thoroughly enjoyable. These rallys were the alternative to the car show. And isn’t that why the cars were made? THE FORD IN CARROLL SHELBY’S FUTURE. 7 pages. Here’s a reprint Steve Smith’s article from the June, 1965 issue of Car and Driver in its en- tirety. We include it to show you exactly what he used from the Miles inter- view. During the three days he spent at Shelby American, Smith was also able to talk with Phil Remington. This is a fascinating insight into how an automotive journalist works, plucking just the right information from a bas- ket of facts and details. TEXAS-CALIFORNIA SPECIAL – A Long Term Relationship. 4 pages. Denise Tillman has owned her ‘68 Mustang GT/CS virtually all of her life. Her folks bought the car in 1972 and she took over the ownership in 2009 after her Dad passed away. Denise and her husband embarked on what was first a “refresh” project but it eventually turned into more of a restoration. It was never intended to be a show car, but in spite of that it has won its share of trophies. SAAC’S VIEW. 3 pages. SAAC’s membership director Jay Talbott gets more than his share of letters from SAAC members and potential members. A lot ask about the club’s policy with regards to non-original cars (1965-1970 Shel- bys and CSX2000-CSX300 Cobras). The club welcomes all of these cars, but we never want to forget that it all started with the original cars and despite our open arms, we’re still aware of our roots. We’ll let Jay fill in the details. KEN MILES – The Lost Interview. 13 pages. About a week after Daytona, in February 1965, Car and Driver dispatched Steve Smith to Shelby Amer- ican in Los Angeles to get the story on the GT40 race cars. Smith interviewed Ken Miles for background on the cars. The interview was used by Smith to write the C/D article which appeared in the June, 1965 issue. Then the tape went into a black hole in Smith’s accumulation of possessions where it re- mained until just recently. After fifty-six years we are happy to print it here. JIM EMERT. 6 pages. Most Cobra owners have at least one good story about their ownership. Jim Emert has a lot of good stories because he’s had a lot of Cobras. His name came up in last issue’s interview with Mike Shoen, and Mike suggested we talk with him because he owned a few Cobras back when. We passed the assignment on to Jim Kreuz, feeling like Perry White to his Jimmy Olson. He reported back with stories that made us shake our head. If you ever wished you could go back in time, hop on this ride. WHO WERE THOSE GUYS? 16 pages. Part 2 of the chronicling of the story of Ford GT40 drivers by our in-house historian, Brooks Laudin. In this installment he leads us through the 1966 season which ends in Ford’s mem- orable 1-2-3 victory at LeMans. The roster of GT40 drivers expanded because the number of cars Ford entered, likewise, expanded. Shelby’s Cobras were no longer being campaigned – that came to an end when they won the World Manufacturers Championship – so Ford had it its pick of drivers.