[Excaliber]

Personally I grow tired of hearing about how Shelby had little or nothing to do with the developement of the Cobra.

Yeah right! Like AC had a clue about HOW to build a world class car that could BEAT FERRARI! Like FORD had a clue, building their GT-40 with "dreams" of conquering Ferrari. Nope, Ford couldn't pull it off, they hired Shelby to FIX the GT-40! What did Shelby do to the GT-40 anyway? Basically he took a "complex car" and made it "simpler". Less of lots of stuff! It takes GENIUS to make simple from complex, true in the 60's, true today!

Shelby did for Ford what he did for AC. Made them both WORLD CHAMPIONS, not ONE manufacturer, but TWO! How did he do that? Oh yeah, he hired the right people, put together a team, THEY really did the work, blah blah blah. BULL! I say it was Shelby that was the "core" thinker in this game, and heres why!

Shelby was at the top of his game in 1962. He was among a VERY small group of drivers in the 50's to race internationally. Certainly among the first of American drivers to do so! As the years went by and he drove for the great teams of that era, do you think he might have "picked up" a few ideas on what did and didn't work on a race car? Do you think he was slowly working out what it would take to make a great race car? Talking to the great drivers of his time? Hanging with the great engineers of his time? By 1962 his knowledge of "what it would take" was unparalled at even the highest levels in the automotive world. I believe the "great engineers" of that time and THIS have ONE common problem? To much "schooling" and not enough "seat time". They are in the "box" and they WON'T come out easily!

Society does not REWARD "simple" very often! We LIKE complex! It takes an IN DEPTH knowledge and understanding of a project to take a complex thing and make it "simple". This, in the 60's or today, does not ALL come from "schooling". It takes "seat time". It is a rare thing to find a man with the COURAGE to make it simple. Your friends will see it and think, "Heck, I could have done that, looks easy." Kinda like so many of us say today, "Well, the Cobra IS a simple car after all". And THATS THE POINT!

THAT was the genius of Shelby, he had the "seat time", he understood how important it was to "keep it simple". Fords answer to the Ferrari "problem" was a complex GT-40, it didn't work until Shelby "fixed it"!

Shebly ordered important changes to the FIRST AC (Cobra) car he worked on! HE told AC what to do and they DID what they were TOLD. Heavier suspension parts were among the first changes. It wasn't long before SO many changes had been made it was not reasonable to call the car an AC. It was a Shelby Cobra, a name that had been EARNED. Of course Shelby consulted with his "team", I would have, only a fool goes it alone!!! You can BET it was Shelby that made the final decision. You can BET he got conflicting ideas about WHAT to do and HOW to do it! He had the "seat time", the "smarts" to sort out all the "data" and MAKE THE RIGHT CALL for the project! You can BET he knew that in SOME areas others had more "seat time" than him, and he listened to their opinion. In the end, it's the CEO that makes the call, win or loose!

In his day, he was without peer, truly a world class race car building genius who dared to take on Ferrari and WIN!

So what you think about Saleen? Roush? Other "greats" of yester year or today? You think all they have done is "hire" a great team? All they do is make a few phone calls? Hate him or love him in his day, when he was at the "top of his game", HE, himself, the man, NOT his team, pulled off something so great WE still talk about today!

Ernie