The Shelby American (Summer 2022)

The SHELBY AMERICAN Insuring a GT350 in 1966: No Easy Thing Two of the reasons for the end of muscle cars in the 1970s were the requirement of Federal safety and emis- sions regulations for manu- facturers beginning in 1968, and the increasing difficulty for younger drivers, who made up a large percentage of potential owners for these cars, to obtain liability insur- ance. Insurance problems, however, did not begin in 1968. Denny Blocker was at- tending college in 1966 and on a visit home one weekend, saw a row of new 1966 GT350s at the local Shelby dealership – Gilboy Ford in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He stopped in at the deal- ership to get a closer look, and spoke with a salesman. Sensing that he had a “live one,” he invited Blocker to take a test drive. They went on some local back roads, with Blocker at the wheel, and when they returned Blocker’s smile seemed to have become a permanent feature on his face. Until, that is, he ran the idea of buying a new GT350 past his parents. He received a bucket of cold water immediately. “ Not until you graduate! ” Their response seemed non-negotiable, but that didn’t stop him from sending a letter to his insurance com- pany, inquiring about the cost of insuring a GT350. They turned him down flat, stating that the GT350 was strictly a racing automobile which they did not wish to insure. We’re certain that he was not the only young man to receive such a letter, and no doubt the difficulty getting insur- ance kept many young buy- ers from experiencing the pleasure of driving a Shelby. The Blocker story does have a happy ending. True to their word, when Denny graduated from Penn State in June of 1968, his parents green-lighted the purchase of a new 1968 GT350. There was one minor speed bump a month later when he re- He drove the GT350 for three years before succumb- ing to the first gas crisis and selling it. Forty-five years to the day later, after the car had been totally restored, he was able to repurchase it and it now sits in his garage. ceived a letter from his draft board informing him that we was about to be in- ducted into the Army. That meant a ticket to Vietnam. Fortunately, he had inter- viewed for a job with the Government and was able to receive a deferment. Summer 2022 19