The Shelby American (Winter 2021)

The SHELBY AMERICAN Winter 2021 2 ‘65 T-BIRD TAILLIGHTS – SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON AN OLD STORY. 4 pages. Our esteemed Hertz Registrar Greg Kolasa takes a closer look at the ‘65 Thunderbird taillights as they were used on 1968 and 1969 Shelbys. His research also turns up the fingerprints of the late George Bar- ris, “The King of Kustomizers.” Truth is stranger than fiction. T-Bird tail- lights were considered for the ‘66 GT350 but were ultimately rejected because the installation was too labor-intensive. Another interesting story. GT350H - THE STORY OF ONE MAN’S HERTZ CAR. 5 pages. “ One of my lifetime goals was to own an early Shelby GT350 .” Jim Walsh achieved that goal, and is happy to tell everyone about it. And it’s another great story. He stood on the sidelines as the values kept increasing, always a little short of the buy-in. Then the planets spun into alignment and he was suddenly in a position to make his move. And the restis, as they say, history. ‘TIS BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND LOST THAN NEVER TO HAVE LOVED AT ALL.2 pages. With apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson. Every car has a story. How many times have we said that? Some stories are really segments of the car’s history: the car had a life before a particular owner and the history continues after his ownership. But in some cases – like this one – we zoom in on a specific owner. And there’s a fascinating story that makes this car unique in its own way. JAY TALBOTT. 5 pages. We catch up with SAAC’s perpetually hard-work- ing Membership Director. And while we’re at it we interview Jay Talbott, too. Of course he and Gwenn work as a team but we know who is doing all the hard work. Next time she will read the fine print. If you were wondering how he got here, this will explain it. SAAC’s membership office appears to be in excellent hands. INDIANA JONES AND THE 1963 MUSTANG II PROTOTYPE. 6 pages. Jim Kreuz might lack the Indiana Jones felt hat but he has the same inten- sity for the hunt. In his sights was Ford’s Mustang II prototype. It still exists and has never been in private hands. When it’s shelf life expired Ford do- nated it to the Detroit Historical Society. It was stored away in the Society’s warehouse, in a plastic bubble to keep it from deteriorating. When he was granted permission to see the car he wasted no time. Here’s his report. IS CLONE A FOUR-LETTER WORD? 4 pages. Well, it used to be, but we seem to have mellowed in recent years. As long as owners of these clones (or tribute cars or wannabees, or whatever you want to call them) are honest about what they are and don’t try to pass them off as real Shelbys, we don’t really have a problem with them. Truth be known, more prople want Shelbys than there are Shelbys to go around. So what are they supposed to do – sit around sucking lemons and scowling? 29 YEARS IN THE MAKING. 5 pages. How does someone come to own a Shelby? There is probably a different reasons for every car. Some got one as soon as they rolled onto the dealer’s showroom. Others only just recently. Brian Littlefield’s journey to the ownership of 6S2339 took 29 years. No mir- acles, no lightning bolts, or winning lottery ticket. Just desire and persist- ence. In this article he provided the details. It’s an interesting story. Aren’t they all?