those were the days... a glimps of SAAC Historical Publications

[98SVT - was 06GT]

For you kids. The Pelican reference is to the flip top Cobra. Somehow while Royal Kreiger owned it it got that nickname. The GT350W reference is to Kopec's GT350. The original Cragar wheels rims were rusty so he painted them white - hence the W designation. From what I've heard Bela Lugosi's car wasn't a real Shelby. He drove it often to the Cobra Club meetings at Galpin Ford. I was a neophyte at the time and did notice those in the know roll their eyes when he spoke about his "Shelby".
Who remembers Pardee setting up his ring toss concession at the Dearborn SAAC (OK maybe someone else set it up) - you remember the convention with all the fireworks, the onramp drag races behind the hotel, the pop bottle rockets bouncing off Corvettes - no wonder the Dearborn Hyatt and Fairlane shopping center are now a ghost town.
SAAC has been rough on tracks in CA. Ontario closed, bits of the defunct turn 9 wall were passed out to attendees at Fontana which also closed, the little gokart track we used is gone, Fontana is becoming a 1/2 mile oval, Willow Springs survival is up in the air. Sears still exists. Monterey is a whole new ballgame since they tossed SCRAMP. OK maybe Ontario was doomed from the start. A friend of mine turned the first laps on OMS. He worked for the paving company and once it was done he did about 10 hot laps in his work truck. He held the lap record for a few days until the first racecar hit the track.

[The Troll Free Zone]

Now we're talking. This is just what we need a few more you guys that are around since day one to fill in the blanks.

Thanks for the informative post.

Chris

[98SVT - was 06GT]

...... we need a few more you guys that are around since day one to fill in the blanks.

You ain't nobody until you've got one of these.......

They were mysterious at the time but I don't think I'll have to return mine if I tell the tale.
Kopec had these made and gave them to people who had visited SAAC HQ. My wife actually got hers first she worked for Lundberg Survey (the gas price survey company). They had sent her to Boston to do a study and sign up some new price sources so she went to CT to see Colleen and Rick gave her one. I got mine when we went to a vintage race at Lime Rock and stayed at their house. I actually held the original SA VIN ledger in my hands and looked up my car. If only I had have had my Minox spy camera that I bought years later at the George Barris garage sale with me.

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Pardee was one of the first to recognize the beginning of "the circus"

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