I would like to thank all of you for letting me invade your forum. I am a Viper owner (2 of em). I very much enjoy racing them in the Viper Days Viper Racing Leage. I feel Cobra guys and Viper guys are cut from the same cloth. Both of us come out of the mind of Carroll Shelby. I am a former Lawyer, however I am in recovery. The 12 step process is almost complete. I own a Harley-Davidson Dealership in Coos Bay, Oregon and Dwayne is one of my closests friends. I do not spell very well, (that is what dictation was for) nor do I type very fast. I think alot faster than I type so bare with me.
I wanted to clarify some of the questions you all have had about Dwayne and his situation. The story about Dwayne is, sadley, very true. Dwayne did not ask me to do this. I am his friend and this is what friends do when freinds cannot do for themselves. Dwayne is a very simple man. He was a vet of nam. He worked for slopping out
oil tankers and fixing engines on
oil tankers. He spent a lot of time away from his family. He has one older son that he is proud of. While he worked for Exxon he was exposed to large consentrations of benzine. The doctors at Exxon new he had Bladder Cancer and did not tell him for several years. When he got sick, due to the cancer, they fired him. Dwayne spend the next five years battling his cancer and the courts against Exxon. The case went to trial Exxon offered him next to nothing. The jury gave gave him 5.1 million. After the appeal, lawyer fees, expert fees, he got about 1.8 million in his pocket. He spend most of the money buying an annuity to provide for his future health costs and his family. The one big ticket item he wanted was a new REAL Shelby Cobra. You see twenty years earlyer he had built his own. He spent several years and $50,000 for a fiberglass one. He said it never was right. Many times he would pull out the picture of that car and show it to me, long after it had to be sold to care for his family.
In late October 2002 (26 months ago!!) after much looking around he went to Vegas to see Shelby Automobiles, Inc. THEY RECOMENDED that he have Roy Hunt from Finishline Motorsports build his car. They told him that he built the finnest Cobras around, and he was just down the street. So on October 29, 2002 Dwayne Ordered his Cobra CSX4311. Dwayne is a big Harley-Davidson buff also and he wanted to it painted Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Silver with black stripes. Kroyer was going to build the engine 600hp and 570 ft of torq. (More than my Viper sad to say
Therefore, Dwayne gave Roy Hunt a Check for $50,000 and was told that his car would be done in NINE MONTHS (9 not 27).
At this time his he was cancer free and was expected to live for at least 10 years. It was only last friday that it was discovered that the cancer had moved into his liver and other near by organs.
In February of 2003, Roy Hunt called Dwayne and said his aluminum 427 was ready to go to paint and he would need another $50,000 since the paint job was expected to cost $11,000+. The paint was to be done by Shelby's People.
March 2003, I went to Vegas with Dwayne. I was in the room when Bob Marsh confronted Roy HUnt and heard Roy admitt he had lied to both of us that the car he showed us was not Dwayne's. He admitted that Dwayne's Cobra aluminum body was not even in existence. He admitted that the engine and components shown to us and represented to belong to Dwayne's car was in fact not his, but other customers. I told Dwayne to ask for his money back. Dwayne ask Roy if he could cut him a check for the $100,000 he had given him. Roy said that he could NOT right now, but would need a couple weeks to get that kind of money together. Roy prommised Dwayne that he would still finish the car and it would be of the highest quality. Bob Marsh said he "Roy builds the best Cobras". Dwayne said "I want my car and I want it to be perfect". Roy said he had another aluminum chasis in his shop (we had seen it) and he would use it for Dwaynes car, and let Roy continue on with the build. Dwayne said I do not feel that I should have to give you anymore money untill the car is done. Roy agreed that he would not need to give him any more money.
January 2004 we went to Vegas again to see the painted car. It had just come out of the paint booth days a couple days before. It was AWESOME!! In another Meeting with Dwayne and I Roy says I do not have the money to finish you car. Dwayne says I do not feel compfortable giving you and more money after you lied to us last time. Roy said he would use other people deposit and work on Dwaynes car as he could. It was left at that.
February 2004 Roy asked for more money because he did not have the $11,000+ to pay for the paint job from Shelby and Shelby would not release the car until the paint was paid for. Dwayne sent him another $20,000 as per the contract. At this Point they have $120,000 of Dwaynes money and all that has been done is a painted aluminum shell. At this time Dwayne got Brent involved and was told that if Roy did not finish the car they would. However, they had to let Roy try to get it done.
July 2004 Dwayne takes his attorney from Texas to see Shelby and Roy Hunt. More song and dance this time in a meeting with Brent and Roy Hunt. Dwyane asked them "Am I ever going to get my car" They said yes all they needed was another $20,000 so they could get the engine back from Kryoyer. Dwayne gave them another $20,000 and the car again was promised with in 60-90 days.
November 2004 (24 months now) Dwayne meets rRoy Hunt and goes to Kroyer the engine is almost done. The car still has no transmission, no seats, no brembo brakes, no dash, no 42 gal. fuel cell, no electrical. It is far from done. Roy has his hand out angian for more money. It is agreed that the car will be done for christmas.
Last Friday Dwayne was diagnosied with cancer in his Liver and and other organs, not just the Bladder cancer he has been battling. We sold his motorhome and car trailer this week to pay for his trip to the Mayo Clinic. We got his will in order, the one thing he wants is to drive his car. He does not want to cut in front of anyone in having his car built. We think that over TWO YEARS is long enough to wait to have any car built. We do not want to see Shelby go out of business, we think Caroll who gets most of the money from these cars needs to step up to the plate and see that this car gets finished NOW. The balance on the car is $8,000 for a total of $148,000. Shelby's people told Dwayne that the car he ordered was worth every penny of it.