Recent discussion on Morrison's 67 G.T. 500

[Bob Gaines]

Kansas to clarify more because it is obvious you are not aware or understand that the "A" in the  67400F2 "A" 01888 Shelby vin code stands for black interior. "U" stands for parchment interior . As has been previously mentioned - Deal Breaker! because the Morrison car had parchment. That interior code would have been the first clue for anyone doing serious investigation but has been overlooked because of incompetence or on purpose agenda.  FYI The Ford vin that goes with 939 is known to the 67 Shelby registrar . He also has the Ford vin for car 1888. The Ford vin is typically discouraged to be shared between owners and the public at large.  The registrar has the Ford records which correlate what Ford vin with each Shelby VIN. The registrar will not share those numbers for security of the owners and integrity of the marque as a whole and only confirms or denies a relationship between numbers for specific cars.

[Coralsnake]

I can understand they want to believe the story and can see why they believe what they do.

Unfortunately, a basic understanding of decoding the Shelby VIN disproves all the circumstantial evidence.

If people are serious about finding the truth, they are going to have to explain this discrepancy.

[68stangcjfb]

My 68 Dearborn 428 CJ GT  has screens on the defroster vents to prevent anything from falling into them. The holes are too small for a 22 caliber bullet to fall through let alone a 357. I'm assuming 67 San Jose cars have the same screens?

[FL SAAC]

If a copy of the original owners card were posted without the redaction are you and the owner going to publicly apologize and retract your statements?

Are you and the owner of 1888 going to acknowledge Brett's foresight for securing the document?

Are you going to stop spreading the maybe/could-be story?

Even if I had not seen the original document, the interior is telling to me. 1888 was produced with a black interior. No ambiguity there. Deal breaker, not it.

+ 1

[FL SAAC]

Kansas to clarify more because it is obvious you are not aware or understand that the "A" in the  67400F2 "A" 01888 Shelby vin code stands for black interior. "U" stands for parchment interior . As has been previously mentioned - Deal Breaker! because the Morrison car had parchment. That interior code would have been the first clue for anyone doing serious investigation but has been overlooked because of incompetence or on purpose agenda.  FYI The Ford vin that goes with 939 is known to the 67 Shelby registrar . He also has the Ford vin for car 1888. The Ford vin is typically discouraged to be shared between owners and the public at large.  The registrar has the Ford records which correlate what Ford vin with each Shelby VIN. The registrar will not share those numbers for security of the owners and integrity of the marque as a whole and only confirms or denies a relationship between numbers for specific cars.

+ 1.

[FL SAAC]

I can understand they want to believe the story and can see why they believe what they do.

Unfortunately, a basic understanding of decoding the Shelby VIN disproves all the circumstantial evidence.

If people are serious about finding the truth, they are going to have to explain this discrepancy.

It's all about the BENJAMIN'S,  making a $100K car into a 1 million dollar car

[FL SAAC]

I wonder if all this is leading up to a April Fools in the making

LMAO great point, I love the drama and suspense.....acting !!!!

[capecodmustang.com]

"Rick Nuckolls is about as honest a fellow as they come."

But he changes the interior of his car after being told Morrison's car doesn't have a black interior??

[GT350DAVE]

Rick Nuckolls is the current owner of Car 1888. Not all of his story was able to be told in the Auto-Biography Program. He asked me to respectfully share the following information to tell his side of the story.

I am a friend of the owner. I also briefly appeared in the Autobiography Program and am trying to help the owner document this car. We are still in this process. Old information is hard to get.

Rick Nuckolls is about as honest a fellow as they come. The producers of the program contacted him and asked to have his car in the program. We were all in hopes this might help the documented truth to come out. He has never said 1888 is Morrison's car, but has been told by 4 previous owners it is and the car has a lot of circumstantial physical evidence that it could have been based upon stories of damage to Morrison's car. When he bought 1888 in 2009, he was just looking for a Shelby GT500 that he could afford and bring back to life.

1888 came to Kansas under bill of sale had been stored in Attica KS for about 10 years in a building there with the idea the owner Larry Casperson would bring to back to life. He ended up selling the car by Bill of Sale to Ron Pinkston who has a body shop in Wichita who in turn sold the car on Bill of Sale with a   title from NM from Richard Kreischer of NM to Rick Nuckolls.

Car 1888 is listed in the registry and by Kevin Marti and yes it does have a Ford VIN too as was asked by someone on this forum. All Nuckolls has asked from the beginning was the truth and documented proof that 1888 is or isn't the car and that 939 is as many claim.  Instead of being helpful the registry and Brett Mattison have been rather rude and dismissive to Nuckolls as to documentation and told him, Its not the car. He would be grateful to get such documented proof and to put the matter to rest. He is in the middle of 4 past owners who say it is and the SAAC Registry and others who say it's not. Wouldn't you want documented proof one way or the other if it was yours, just to know for sure?

Part 2
How the Morrison 1888 potential connection came about. The New Mexico Connection.
1)   The car in basket case condition was delivered to Nuckolls with a half parchment and half black interior. When questioning the delivery person they about this advised it use to be a rock stars car. He advised, "The Doors" Morrison when questioned by Nuckolls.

2)   Nuckolls contacted Brett Mattison about this claim after reading an article he had authored.
He called late at night leaving a voice mail. Brett called him back in just a few minutes saying
to him at least 2 times times; "You bought car 1888?"  "From Ron Pinkston? Brett advised
Nuckolls that he was supposed to be buying that car from Pinkston. Nuckolls claims he ask him 3 times to sell the car to him during the conversation. Nuckolls declined having just purchased
his dream car.

3)   An article came out in Mustang Monthly about Morrison's GT500 mentioning car 1888 which was at All Angles Collision Center in Wichita, KS. According to former All Angles owner Bart Brown, Mattison called him wanting details on the car and wanted to come to Kansas and see it. Brown advised that he declined to give him the locations but did answer some questions.

4)   In contacting past owners Nuckolls reached Gary Spear of Albuquerque, NM who had sold 1888 to Ron Pinkston in about 1997. Gary is a car dealer and devoted Ford man. He advises his wife use to work at Richardson Ford in Albuquerque and confirmed through his research with Richardson Ford that 1888 it was Morrison's. Spear interviewed former Richardson Ford General Manager Larry Poole who remembered the car. He verified through micro-fish that the car had been sold to Morrison he told Speer. No copy was ever made. The fish no longer exist.

5)   Nuckolls ask Gary Spear why Electra Records would purchase a GT500 from Richardson Ford in Albuquerque, NM, Spear relied " Ill tell you why" "Morrisons' lived in Albuquerque when Jim was young and after the Light My Fire Album was out Jim would visit Albuquerque seeing his sister and friends and had been seen admiring car 1888 in the showroom at Richardson Ford.

6)   Spear purchased the car from Richard Kreischer, a friend of Spears, also of the Albuquerque area. He owned 1888 from 1987 to 1997. They both bought and sold Ford cars in the Southwest. When Nuckolls contacted Kreischer by phone he told him, "I have been waiting for this call for 25 years. He told Nuckolls unprompted, "You know your car has prominence." "Nuckolls said I've heard that tell me what you know." He then advised that Nuckolls car had been Morrison's. Nuckolls asked both about the interior color question and they advised it had been changed out at the dealership.

7)   While Tony Funchess told reporters and Bart Brown, formerly of All Angles collision center in Wichita that Morrison's car had been wrecked and then crushed, ads in the LA times in Oct 3, 1971 indicate a 67 Shelby GT500 for sale bearing CA auto tag VRD 389, Morrison's tag. The ad stated the car had been stored a while. The staff of Autobiography traced the phone numbers to Ray Wolfe, formerly General manager of Carol Shelby's Hi-Performance Motors, Inc.

Part 3
Physical Condition Report Prior to restoration.

1)   When car 1888 was disassembled for restoration the following damage had been noted:
a.   The car had been hit hard on the right side behind the RH door.
b.   The RH inner wheel well had been pounded out and reused.
c.   The RH quarter panel and rear light panel had been replaced with genuine Ford
replacement parts from the day and had been braised on, a common technique.
in the late 60's.
d.   The car had apparently been jumped hard as the rear bump stops had pushed up the rear floor pan ,the torque boxes were badly damaged and the right one pulled apart and welded back together again.
e.   The roll bar behind the front seats was bent.
The above damage would be consistent with damage sustained by Morrison's car when it hit a light pole and his know habit of jumping the car according to Bret Brown an insurance accident reconstruction expert of Wichita, KS and former owner of All Angles Collision center.

2)   When the car was put on a rotisserie, 6- 357 bullets came out of the defroster vents. Bart Brown
of Wichita talked to Morrison body guard Tony Funchess who confirmed he carried a 357, but Morrison did not.

3)   When the radio was removed from the car it contained with fined desert sand such as in the Joshua Tree desert. I personally disassembled the radio and cleaned this fine sand out. afterwards the radio did work fine and was re-installed.

While the above is circumstantial it is interesting that circumstances surrounding Morrison's car, match damage that was found to car 1888.

According to Kevin Marti Car 1888:
Competed by Shelby American 05/16/1967
Date Order Received: 05/31/1967
Shelby American Invoice Date: 06/01/1967

In summation, Nuckolls has never said his car is Morrison's, but with the narration presented to him by past owners and the damage to 1888 consistent with what is said to have happened to Morrison's he would like to see documentation to prove it's not and to finally put the matter to rest. If the unredacted CA registration card owned by Bret Mattison were presented with the true VIN number or other documents with Morrison's name on it, the matter could be put to rest.

The Producers of Auto Biography advised us on 9/3/2020 they talked to Brett who advised them Morrison's Car was 939. They asked him to send an unredacted copy of the Morrison CA Registration card showing the VIN number which they claim he agreed to but never did.  Then he quit returning their calls.

Frankly, we all know if car 939 is truly Morrison's we would already know the Shelby VIN number so why hide the VIN on the registration card? What's the big secret?

Respectfully,
Kansas

Kansas, as an automotive journalist, I would have thought you would have done your research prior to writing something filled with so many inaccuracies. For starters why didn't you contact the 1967 Shelby Registrar or bother to look in the 2011 Shelby Registry and read about Morrison's car. It's all there in clear print including the Vin. number of the Morrison car and where it was sold new. You also didn't visit Brett's web site and view the original registration for Morrison's car which has been shown there for years. The printed Registry information now 10 years old and the original registration is more than enough documented proof that Rick's car is not the Morrison car. The decoded Vin. number has characteristics that Rick's car doesn't have. Rick is a nice guy and has said for years that his car is the Morrison car but being a nice guy doesn't make it so. Facts and documentation make it so. Ford Vin. numbers and being built to the original Ford characteristics make it so.
Maybe the Auto-Biography Program was so inaccurate because they were depending on you and your research for an accurate picture, the research you forgot to do.  Maybe your enthusiasm for this inaccurate ferry tail is preventing Rick from seeing the truth.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

According to Kevin Marti Car 1888:
Competed by Shelby American 05/16/1967
Date Order Received: 05/31/1967
Shelby American Invoice Date: 06/01/1967

Completed after Ford Motor Company took over Shelby American. This accounts for the Z stamped on 1888s VIN tag. 939 was completed and sold prior to Ford assuming the assets of SA so it does not have the Z.

The Doors recorded their first album in 1966. It was released 1-4-67. Morrison probably bought 939 before 1888 was even sent down Ford's San Jose assembly line.

[shelbydoug]

According to Kevin Marti Car 1888:
Competed by Shelby American 05/16/1967
Date Order Received: 05/31/1967
Shelby American Invoice Date: 06/01/1967

Completed after Ford Motor Company took over Shelby American. This accounts for the Z stamped on 1888s VIN tag. 939 was completed and sold prior to Ford assuming the assets of SA so it does not have the Z.

The Doors recorded their first album in 1966. It was released 1-4-67. Morrison probably bought 939 before 1888 was even sent down Ford's San Jose assembly line.

Is this new information about the Z? I never heard this before.

[Coralsnake]

It's only a theory as I understand it. 

[S7MS427]

Is this new information about the Z? I never heard this before.

Doug,

Check the the 1967 Shelby Research Group (www.1967ShelbyResearch.com) about this.  They've been looking into theories to explain the "Z".  One of the working theories is that the "Z" was a way to differentiate the cars built by SA versus Ford.

[shelbydoug]

Is this new information about the Z? I never heard this before.

Doug,

Check the the 1967 Shelby Research Group (www.1967ShelbyResearch.com) about this.  They've been looking into theories to explain the "Z".  One of the working theories is that the "Z" was a way to differentiate the cars built by SA versus Ford.

Theory, not fact. OK. I thought the Zorro theory was as good as any.

[2112]

Check the the 1967 Shelby Research Group (www.1967ShelbyResearch.com) about this.  They've been looking into theories to explain the "Z".  One of the working theories is that the "Z" was a way to differentiate the cars built by SA versus Ford.

So far, it seems to be a pretty well fleshed out explanation with quite a bit of documentation that supports the timing of the entire process.

Personally, I like it a lot better than the "don't rob parts off this car cause it's finished explanation". Truth is it is likely no explanation will be proven beyond a doubt.

To Kansas; I don't see the registrar's job as including the responsibility of disproving unsubstantiated claims.