New owner of KR convertible

[TXLakester]

I have been into Mustangs for ever, and have owned over 40 of them and owned a Mustang restomod parts business, so am pretty well educated on those.  But, never owned a Shelby until now.

I traded a mediocre 65 Corvette convertible for #3210 Shelby KR convertible.  I understand the car was rebodied at some point.  For my purposes, the rebody does not matter to me. And I could not afford, nor do I want, a concours car.  The Vette was only worth about $40k, and I had been looking at Shelby clones for $50k.  So, I figure, worst case, I have a real nice clone for a real decent price.

The car has an incorrect CJ from a 69, and an AOD tranny. Body and looks and interior are pretty nice.  Of course, it has mostly aftermarket parts from Branda, I suppose.  Registry says it was found in an abandoned junkyard in Dallas. I figure if it was in a junkyard, it must have been hit hard, and all the Shelby parts probably disappeared in the first two weeks.  And for it to have been left behind when the yard was abandoned... well, I can imagine what was left.

Someone did a fair job reassembling the car with aftermarket parts so it looks legit to those who are not experts. 

I am fine with the car and just want to make it a nice driver.  If I ever did sell it, it would be explained as to what it is.

My question is this.  Does anyone here know anything about this car?  I don't know if it was junked in 1969 or at a later date.   Or any info at all?   I plan to restore it to make sure everything works as it is supposed to (something the previous assembler did not aspire to) and make it look right. Someone put a ton of money into it, so I think I am OK moneywise with it.  Just would like to see if there is any actual knowledge of the history of the car.

[557]

Not to be a smart ass ,but if it's a rebody(and all the Shelby parts were taken off the original body) and it has a replacement engine and tranny,what is original Shelby?The vin plate?(which could be a crime......)

[Shelby_r_b]

Welcome to the forum!

Do you have a copy of the last 68-70 Shelby Registry? That would have all the public knowledge of the car. And, you could contact the 68 Shelby Registrar (Vinny Liska). He'd be happy to help. 👍🏻

[Coralsnake]

I havent seen any evidence 3210 was destroyed, however, I know a little about the car. It came out of Oklahoma. It appeared on eBay as a bare chassis within the last few years. I dont think I would use the term "rebody" to describe the car. Total fabrication is better. All of the tags are reproductions, the body is not original. Sorry to tell you that, but you asked.

There is nothing "Shelby" about the car.

Its going to be quite an interesting day if the real 3210 ever shows up.

Welcome to the forum!

[TLea]

Ouch! Pete is this the car I think it is?

[557]

Is the car actually registered under that Shelby vin? Because.......

[CharlesTurner]

For whatever it's worth, the previous registry noted 're-body'.

[Coralsnake]

I would think the tags would have to be original to meet the definition of "rebody" , not the case here.

So I would respond, more information is available since the last registry.

[shelbydoug]

I would think the tags would have to be original to meet the definition of "rebody" , not the case here.

So I would respond more information is available since the last registry.

The Registrar generally only knows what is reported to them. In a few cases they actually have seen the car itself and will tell you on the spot what they have determined.


The Cobra Registrar is the one who coined the phrase, "air car", i.e., one that has been created out of air, thin air in many cases.

That term probably applies here best if it is true that there were no original tags OR Ford stampings or ID on it?


As far as having the original car show up in some sort of documented form in the future, it doesn't always solve anything necessarily.

A few things could happen. There could be a civil law suite initiated over which was the "legitimate" car entitled to wear the Shelby id or more likely, the local State would impound the car and issue a new serial number to it, essentially destroying what little value it would have left.


In any case the 68 Registry has already acknowledged that they were informed it is a rebody.

As the current owner states, he doesn't care. The Registry hasn't been accepted anywhere as a legal document and probably would get challenged in court by the opposing party anyway.

One of its initial purposes was to help prevent unknowledgeable buyers from buying a bill of goods but often the adage that you can't cheat an honest man proves itself time and again.


Ask Ned about Cobras with the same number and how and if it has been litigated?

Lots of times one of the contesting parties scoffs at the legitimacy of the Registry itself. For them it's just a big heavy book and apparently they already have a book and don't want another?

[Coralsnake]

Agreed Doug, the Registry is reported information.

The new owner was certainly informed on some aspects of the car.

He just shouldn't represent it as a "Shelby" in my humble opinion. Not even a rebody.

I will check my information to see if I have more...

[shelbydoug]

Agreed Doug, the Registry is reported information.

The new owner was certainly informed on some aspects of the car.

He just shouldn't represent it as a "Shelby" in my humble opinion. Not even a rebody.

I will check my information to see if I have more...

It probably shows as a Ford on the state registration already.

[TXLakester]

I figured the car was mostly just a clone. It does have the dash vin tag showing the Shelby's original Ford serial number that matches the Ford part of the full Shelby vin. Like stated, I know it is not much of an original car, but suits my needs as something interesting to drive that is one step up from a T code clone.  After seeing full cloned cars with T code titles going for over $100k lately, I am hoping it will at least have the same value as a clone built car.  Like stated, my Vette was worth about $40k.
At local shows, it allows people to at least see what a Shelby looks like, since it is very rare to see a concours example show up. 

I do appreciate any and all comments, pro or con. Hopefully nothing criminal was done by the car builder. I was fully informed about the rebody thing when I got it. Is there really a concern the damaged original body could reappear?

[CharlesTurner]

Is there really a concern the damaged original body could reappear?

Most definitely.  If the real unibody/car still exists out there and someone has legitimate claim of ownership, things could get very messy from a legal perspective. 

[TXLakester]

Is the car actually registered under that Shelby vin? Because.......

What exactly is this post inferring?

[Bigfoot]

If it's not a Shelby then it should be registered with the VIN under the "Shelby" tag if there is one.
The reason being,....that's the donor body which started out life ,....and is still extant .