The Shelby American (Fall 2021)

these cars have no significant race his- tory, and some of them that are only five years old have already changed hands many times. Keeping owner- ship records for these cars is some- thing best left to CarFax . Cars which Carroll Shelby “blessed” during his later years are not going to be in the SAAC Registry, either. Notwithstanding the licenses from Shelby American to produce these cars, SAAC will not put Classic Regis- tration, Revology, or other cars in our Registries, even if the advertisements for these cars say, “ eligible for the Shelby Registry. ” They may be eligible for some registry, just not ours. We have chosen to limit our efforts to the cars which were built from 1962 to 1970. When people ask about how SAAC views these cars, perhaps they are asking, “ If I bring my continuation/ tribute/replica/outright fake to a con- vention, will I be a pariah? ” I cannot speak for every member of the club; in fact, I can only speak for one member – me. From my perspective, I am glad you brought your car to the conven- tion. Enjoy it here: go out on open track or parade laps. Enter it in the popular vote car show, in which we do have classes for cars outside of the 1962 – 1970 cars from SA, up to and including current year GT350s and GT500s. When it comes to SAAC con- ventions, it’s definitely the more, the merrier. I suspect that if I owned a seven fig- ure CSX2000 or CSX3000, and some- one showed up at an event with a $30,000 car that they were trying to pass off as an original, I might take umbrage. But if someone shows up with a “tribute” car and clearly pres- ents it as such, I would be glad to see that car for a number of reasons. The “originals” are not affordable for some 29 year old kid (at my age, anyone under 30) with a wife, two kids and a mortgage, so he buys what he can af- ford and enjoys it. This helps keep the hobby alive, and that’s important be- cause, let’s admit it, you are older now than when you started reading this ar- ticle, and your age is only going in one direction. As a club, and as a hobby, we need new blood. Someday you may be in the position to buy an original Shelby and it would be nice if there was a club there to support you. I remember in 1991, Peter Brock said at a SAAC convention that he was glad to see these continuation/ replica/tribute cars, as they help carry on the spirit of the original cars and increase the exposure for the club. So, do we want you as a member if you don’t have a car that Shelby American made between 1962 and 1970? You bet we do. Not because your membership will help swell our cof- fers, but because we want you to enjoy your car as much as possible. That’s the reason why we exist. If being a SAAC member inspires you to some- day own an original, that’s great. Until then, drive what you have, enjoy it, and let those Bow Tie boys sulk. The SHELBY AMERICAN Fall 2021 94