Shelby Automotive, Inc. Records

[67411F--0100-ENG.]

Hello Everyone,

So, when Shelby Automotive, Inc. was shut down, where did all of their company records go?  Does the Ford Corporate archives have them, if not, where are they?  Do any of you know?

Thanks,
Eric

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Shelby Automotive was a wholly owned part of Ford Motor Company - CS was the face but really had zero input into the cars or company. Any remaining records should be found in Ford's archives. I'd imagine the only paperwork CS would have had was a personal services contract and paycheck stubs.
Ford still has stuff from the Model T days so who can say if they still have the 52 year old SA paperwork. There is nothing in their "heritage vault". 

https://fordheritagevault.com/scripts/mwimain.dll?get&file=[FORD_ROOT]home.html

[Coralsnake]

Im not sure which records you are looking for? A lot of the 68-70 information has been recovered. Build manuals, interoffice correspondences, meeting minutes, engineering specs, information about each individual car, dealer and sales invoices. While I'm confident Ford retains some items, recovering anything from them would take a small act of God manifested as a miracle.

[propayne]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that A.O. Smith lost all of their records from that time period (when they were converting Mustangs and Cougars into Shelbys and XR7-Gs) in a fire, and all we are left with is what Carroll Shelby had in storage. Plus I would guess whatever Ford has.

Am I mistaken on that account?

- Phillip

[98SVT - was 06GT]

..... all we are left with is what Carroll Shelby had in storage.

CS gave all his pre 1971 records to SAAC a loooooong time ago. Before he figured he could make a buck on them. The gift of those records was a real bone of contention when CS sued SAAC trying to seize the records and registries.
That stuff had been saved because they were corporate records. Those all came from the airport location. By 68 CS had become mainly a race team running the TransAm out of a warehouse in Torrance and aftermarket parts. I've never seen any records from those locations (or his office in Playa Del Rey). 
This memo is from SA after Ford had taken over development and production of the cars basically shutting down Shelby American and CS creating Shelby Racing, Inc.

PS - Shelby American was officially dissolved in 1988

CS building in Playa Del Rey - I think he was living in Marina Del Rey at this time and this was close to home for an office.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9570471,-118.4428539,3a,75y,291.49h,88.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUit7bWGZr4OkN37ZoS4h6Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

[FL SAAC]

..... all we are left with is what Carroll Shelby had in storage.

CS gave all his pre 1971 records to SAAC a loooooong time ago. Before he figured he could make a buck on them. The gift of those records was a real bone of contention when CS sued SAAC trying to seize the records and registries.
That stuff had been saved because they were corporate records. Those all came from the airport location. By 68 CS had become mainly a race team running the TransAm out of a warehouse in Torrance and aftermarket parts. I've never seen any records from those locations (or his office in Playa Del Rey). 
This memo is from SA after Ford had taken over development and production of the cars basically shutting down Shelby American and CS creating Shelby Racing, Inc.

PS - Shelby American was officially dissolved in 1988

CS building in Playa Del Rey - I think he was living in Marina Del Rey at this time and this was close to home for an office.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9570471,-118.4428539,3a,75y,291.49h,88.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUit7bWGZr4OkN37ZoS4h6Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

+ 1

[stephen_becker]

There was a warehouse full of paperwork and documentation, when CS passed, at his Gardena location and shortly after his death there were construction dumpsters placed in the parking lot and all of that paperwork were placed in those dumpsters.

The warehouse was cleared out.

I voiced my opposition but it fell on deaf ears. I was told that some other folks trolled through the garbage to get stuff out but the rest of it went to the dump.

CS was a packrat as far as paperwork and information goes.

It seemed unbelievable, to me,  that someone within the Shelby organization would do that shortly after he passed but they did.

[Side-Oilers]

One man's treasure is another man's trash.