I have met Mr Shelby and he was very polite. He stood and talked to me about cars and Vietnam. He noticed I was a Marine from a pin I wore. Even still I disagree with his viewpoint on the replica industry as a whole. My viewpoint says that Mr. Shelby would be nothing more than a footnote in the annals of racing history if it weren't for replicas. Arntzs, Butler, and Contemporary. These replicas brought forth the industry we know today.
They kept the fires burning.
After ten years or so more manufacturers started making replicas of the Cobra. Now this is where someone in the Shelby camp gets an idea because they see potential here. Suddenly there's a bunch of original old frames stored at the Goodyear dealership owned by Mr. Shelby. We all know that didn't work out too well. So what's the next step? Let's start a law suit. It took three years but that didn't work legally but it did cause Ford to look at the COBRA ownership of copyrighted material. When you have friends in high places you can get a few favors.
I also seriously doubt that Ford would have built the retro cobras and GT's if it wasn't for the replica popularity. Now a days Mr.Shelby endorses several replicas because it's big money when his name is affiliated with the product. He is back in good graces at Ford thus the Shelby Mustangs are back. So now he has what he wanted. Things have settled down a bit but replicas will continue and maybe one day before he passes he may acknowledge the replica industry for their part in reactivating the Shelby mystic and popularity of one of his ole race cars. (I won't hold my breath)
Just my opinion.
For some reason I still like the ole chicken farmer. SWR
Hersh
