The Shelby American (Fall 2021)

“ How does SAAC view the... [fill in the blank: CSX4000, Superformance Cobra, Classic Recreation GT350CR, Factory Five Cobra, Revology GT350 or newer cars like a 2007 GT500, 2017 GT350 R, or 2005 Ford GT. It also in- cludes tributes, replicas, and some cars that approach outright fakes].” The question may sound simple, but the answer is not something which is easily answered in a three or four sen- tence email. So the purpose of this ar- ticle is to help members, both current and potential, understand how SAAC sees “these cars.” And by “these cars” I’m talking about cars other than CSX2000 and CSX3000 Cobras, 1965- 1970 GT350s and GT500s, the original GT40s and Trans Am cars that went through Shelby American in the 1960s. When SAAC was founded back in 1975, there was no question it was dedicated to the care, preservation, history and enjoyment of the World Championship cars from Shelby American. But how has SAAC's pur- pose and mission changed since then? Is that all that we are today? Or has SAAC evolved in the 46 years since it was created? Let's look at some of the things that might help answer that original question of “ How does SAAC view...?” You’ve heard this a thousand times: back in 1975 a Shelby was just a used car. They could be purchased for a few thousand dollars (and some for much less). Today, if you want an original you should be prepared to shell out a a couple of hundred thousand dollars, or more. Why is that? Since SAAC's The SHELBY AMERICAN Fall 2021 92 – Jay Talbott WEAREOFTENASKED