The Shelby American (Winter 2021)

phone call from Hans. He called to tell me that he had recently been diag- nosed with brain cancer and he didn’t know how much longer he had to live. I was crushed, scared, sad, mad, con- fused and just at a loss for words. Can- cer is a hard topic to understand. Hans called me to tell me to get in contact with his sister about his GT350 because he wanted me to buy it from his family after he was gone. This was a lot for me to actually process and difficult to fully under- stand at the same time. A good friend calling to tell you that he is dying is never something you are prepared for. Unfortunately, a week later Hans had a stroke and was admitted to the hospital for three months and then he passed away. Not a fair way to go and not something I wish on anyone. I vis- ited Hans a few times in the hospital and felt very sad for the situation he was in. I was losing a good friend. Our daily emails came to an end and I find myself often missing them. Hans was very passionate about Shelbys and you instantly got that feeling the mo- ment you met him. He was a member of the original Shelby Owners Associ- ation and a member of SAAC since the beginning. He bought his Shelby be- cause he loved it and he vowed he would never sell it. Nearly 50 years of ownership proved his love for the GT350. On December 7, 2019 by some amazing confluence of luck, chance and desire, I was able to purchase Hans’s car. An enormous, lifelong, never ending THANK YOU goes out to the Pedersen Family, the WASAAC club, my wife Lynda, my parents, Mark Hovander, Craig Johnson, Scott Wahl, Joe and Hunter Stone, Mike Kuenzi, SAAC NW, and the SAAC na- tional club to help me keep my dream alive for all of these years. This was not an ideal way of buying this car and I wish Hans was here to enjoy my first GT350 with me. It is bittersweet to have his car and I feel very lucky. My goal and plan with this car is to just keep telling the story of Hans Peder- sen. I intend to keep his legacy alive by sharing the car with other people at car shows so as many people as possi- ble can learn how much Hans loved this car. It is time to drive it and enjoy it. Back roads and cruises are in the plans too; and minor upgrades as time allows, but no major restoration just yet. Probably not for a while. So now at the age of 36, and 29 of those years spent dreaming of owning a GT350, my dream has finally come true. My wife calls the car “Kitchen” because its purchase depleted the house kitchen remodeling budget. A restoration will have to wait until the real kitchen is finished. Until then I will enjoy its originality and enjoy the GT350 dream I continue to share with Hans Pedersen. The SHELBY AMERICAN Winter 2021 62