The Shelby American (Winter 2021)

suggested using an Aviaid oil pan in- stead of the aluminum T-pan because it was superior, so he acquired an orig- inal. The transmission had a full set of NOS nickel T-10 gears and Hovander found an original Cobra scattershield. The battery was mounted in the rear and carried a set of original Cobra bat- tery caps. Inside there was a radio delete plate and three-piece heater delete kit. A Cobra accelerometer was mounted on the steering column using a custom-made bracket. When he purchased 5S003 in 2008 it was still basically the way Don Day had raced it. No subsequent owners had begun to restore it as a street car and Hovander would eventually learn why: it was just too much fun to drive. When he bought it, his intention was to restore it exactly the way it was when the PR photos were taken in Benedict Canyon and LAX. But first he wanted to spend a little time get- ting to know the car. To drive it. “ The most fun I have ever had with a car was with 003. It was perfectly sorted, de-tuned slightly and fully in R-Model trim. I put 2,500 miles on it the summer before it was torn down. I drove it in the rain with no side win- dows and no wipers four times and got police escorts home three times. I drove it off the show field and back to my Monterey hotel after winning 1st Place at The Quail with Chuck Cantwell in the passenger seat, only to drive around with Chuck until mid- night because we got lost. Those were times never to return. No other car was ever considered. I already had a beautiful, crisp GT350 in 5S284, but 003 allowed me to touch history.” John Atzbach, the owner of 5R002, happened to live a few towns away from Hovander and when he pur- chased 002 it was in as-found-in- Mexico condition, in primer with a lot of the original parts missing. Hovan- der and Atzbach began showing 5R002 and 5S003 at various events like the 2010 Quail, SAAC-35 at Infineon Raceway and the Kirkland Concours near Seattle before beginning the restorations. They targeted the finish date for March, 2014 – the Mustang’s 50th Anniversary celebration at the Amelia Island Concours in Florida. With a hard deadline established, the restorations began. It was the win- ter of 2010. Atzbach chose John Brown’s Thoroughbred Restorations in Piedmont, Oklahoma for 002. Hovan- der began disassembling 003 himself. His plan was to have the bodywork and paint done locally and he would then reassemble it and complete the final detailing. He figured he had plenty of time. The bodywork was performed by Dave Mackey who perfectly restored all the modifications done by Moir and Day. Thirty-plus holes, added during its life vintage racing, were filled. No body filler was used and even the crushed frame rails were brought back with the use of a custom-made tool. He brought the car to the same painter who had handled 5S284. He considered him a friend but instead of taking it on as just another project, it gradually acquired the flavor of some- thing much more special – the first Shelby – and the cost of the bodywork and paint eventually swelled in direct proportion to the car’s perceived value. By the time the car was painted, near the end of 2013, it appeared there might not be enough time to reassem- ble it in time for the show. And, oh yeah – the price had doubled. Hovander was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. With The SHELBY AMERICAN Winter 2021 34 In its R-Model iteration, 5R003 was, Hovander admitted, “ the most fun I have ever had with a car .” 5R002 as it was found in Mexico. When it was purchased by Steve Volk it was put on display at the Shelby American Collection in Boulder, Colorado without the thought of immediate restoration. And that was a good thing because until Mark Hovander took a deep dive into the car’s history, it could not have been restored correctly.