[Dirty Harry]

The concept was just 'way too crazy. Far too much power in a lightweight chassis made for far less ambitious driving. But CS pulled it off and pulled away from the pack. In fact, you could easily argue that he lapped the field. He was a visionary who backed it up with success after success.

I fell in love with the muscular lines of the S/C car and ached to have one. In 1992 I jumped into the then-sketchy kit car world and built one of the replicas that Shelby so detested. I didn't do it to spit in his face or to rip him off in some way. It was just that I loved those cars and couldn't afford a real one. Ol' Shel's cars could give you the itch that just had to be scratched.

The performance car world was never the same after Shelby retired from driving. I'm grateful for the lasting influence he leaves behind.