[computerworks]

From a SAAC editorial....

In December of 1992, Paul Dean, an investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times, contacted Shelby. He was working on a story which was eventually titled “A Donor With a Heart.” It ran in the January 28, 1993 edition and it described Shelby’s building of 427 Cobras and their link with his charity, The Shelby Heart Fund. Shelby stated that the cars would be sold for $500,000 each and that proceeds would go to this charity. Dean spoke to dozens of people around Shelby and the resulting article portrayed him in a very positive light.

Two and-a-half months later Dean wrote a follow-up article which sand-bagged Shelby. Using the good will created by his previous piece, the reporter spoke at length to a number of people about the 427 Cobra S/C project and gained their confidence. They later found their comments used to cast Shelby in the worst possible light. The second article questioned Shelby’s right to give 44 new cars 1965 serial numbers and use 1965 titles. It called into question Shelby’s integrity and offered quotes from several so-called (but unnamed) “experts” who maintained that these cars were little more than over-priced replicas. After interviewing representatives of the California DMV, Dean succeeded in getting them to initiate an investigation of Shelby. Then he used the fact that Shelby was being investigated to allege potential wrong doing. In the end, Shelby was not allowed to use Manufacturers Statements of Origin to title the cars as original 1965 models (which would then not have to conform to any federal or state motor vehicle requirements). Instead, they would have to be sold as competition vehicles, which could not be registered or driven on public roads.