rumor control--has SAAC lost its use of Shelby name?

[Excaliber]

That CW remark was priceless!

Rebadged was it?

[Wahoo]

so.....an old man is trying to take 'what was his' back. (whatever the hell that means) 50 pages of fussing over what is, has been and will continue to be a continuing issue. Just another day in the saga. I just hope that when he takes the dirt nap, that my in-law's Shelbys appreciate. End.

[GlynMeek]

Excaliber...go check out the picture of the trunk on my images...lol

Glyn

[Excaliber]

Even the license plate is AC, well done Glyn. Interesting AC emblems you got there. Does Lubinsky know about this???

[GlynMeek]

Ask me if I care?

I got them from a friend in England

Glyn

[Wayne Maybury]

A couple of pages back, Jamo mentioned a thread that Evan started on the Team Shelby site. I went there to read it and a few things quickly became very apparent.

First off as Jamo said no one knew what type of car Evan was talking about until pictures were posted, they had no idea about the importance of the letters CSX. Secondly, almost immediately some of the regulars there referred to Evan's car as a replica and Jamo managed to give Evan a mild kick in the rear. Fourthly, Evan was very polite and did not try to push the "REAL" aspect of his car. Fifthly, the people on that site seem to like to refer to the man as "Carroll", not the old man or old phart, the Texas chicken farmer, CS, etc, as you would often see here.

Most importantly however, it quickly became obvious that the traditional Shelby fans (fans of Cobras, GT-350s, GT-500s, etc) are a completely different group compared to the fans of the new Shelby Mustangs. Our love, our passion, our obsession, is with the cars (and the replicas of the cars) that were built in the 60's. The new group doesn't know, and couldn't care less, that Shelby produced anything other than a souped up version of the new Mustang. The two groups appear to have very little in common IMHO, except that they both love cars tied to a man called Carroll Shelby.

It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for Shelby to go after SAAC when it is obvious that their target market is another market segment all together. It would seem to make sense for Shelby to allow SAAC to continue to do their thing with Shelby automobiles made before 1996 (or some other specific date) and for Team Shelby to then concentrate on the newer cars. Instead it appears that Shelby doesn't want anyone else playing in the sandbox, or even being allowed to have their own sandbox in which to play.

This is all becoming very sad.

By the way, can someone tell me what the difference is between a 2008 Mustang GT and a 2008 Shelby Mustang? Is this just cosmetic (stripes & stickers), or are there significant mechanical differences? Do they all come out of a Ford plant or do they go to Shelby for the upgrades like back in the 60s?

Wayne

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

By the way, can someone tell me what the difference is between a 2008 Mustang GT and a 2008 Shelby Mustang? Is this just cosmetic (stripes & stickers), or are there significant mechanical differences? Do they all come out of a Ford plant or do they go to Shelby for the upgrades like back in the 60s?

Wayne

The newgen GT500 is a Ford-produced vehicle, sold to the dealer from Ford as a new model.
The Shelby GT (called SGT) is a vehicle OEM'd to Shelby Autos, where it is completed and finished with performance, handling and trim customizations.
...this is the one that is most like the old days.

That is the same way they did it with the newgen GT-H for Hertz.

A third permutation is now on the scene...where the customer buys the GT500 from the dealer himself...then send it to SA or an authorized local "mod shop" and has it converted into a GT500SS (SuperSnake) or a GT500KR edition. That is a hybrid of the two above examples.

As an aside, perhaps the funniest bit of irony is that what permeates the new Team Shelby forum is an on-going conflict between the GT500 owners and the SGT owners as to who has the "more real" car.

...some things will never change.

[imagine2frolic]

Different age group? They probably don't listen to the Beatles either! Possibly they don't even know who they are?

[427sharpe]

Hmmmm...
I think the car devaluation is a valid concern, long term. CS has shown an absolute willingness to 'mold' the truth to make a sale. Certainly the 'lost' chassis verify that. In reading the Cummings letter it appears CS is asking for all the paperwork SAAC has, including the holy grail, texts of the VIN/SFM# correlations. IF Cs gets these in his hands, what will become of them? Will you have to pay to validate your car? Will chassis appear in a warehouse from magic dust? What of the Cobra information? I have to ask if any of us believe that CS would have hesitated a nano-second to install his 30 or so 'lost chassis' as 'original'. Bottom line, what affect would snake oil have on the purity (even if perceived) of the registry? If CS's designs are pure of heart, why file to TM 'SAAC' before the cease and desist letter? And if SAAC is to function, how can they without all of the supposed TM's referred to by CS (Cobra,GT350,GT500,etc...)? As Ron said, we all will have to take a seat and wait for the outcome, but anyone who thinks the fall of SAAC would be a ripple in the water is, IMHO, a friggin' idiot.

[JWheaton]

Originally Posted by computerworks

The newgen GT500 is a Ford-produced vehicle, sold to the dealer from Ford as a new model.
The Shelby GT (called SGT) is a vehicle OEM'd to Shelby Autos, where it is completed and finished with performance, handling and trim customizations.
...this is the one that is most like the old days.

That is the same way they did it with the newgen GT-H for Hertz.

A third permutation is now on the scene...where the customer buys the GT500 from the dealer himself...then send it to SA or an authorized local "mod shop" and has it converted into a GT500SS (SuperSnake) or a GT500KR edition. That is a hybrid of the two above examples.

As an aside, perhaps the funniest bit of irony is that what permeates the new Team Shelby forum is an on-going conflict between the GT500 owners and the SGT owners as to who has the "more real" car.

...some things will never change.

That is funny.

Both the Shelby GT and the pre modified GT500 do have the Shelby lettering. I think that the only thing the "have nots" have is an extra 200 HP.

[Power Surge]

Another rediculous arguement by people who just don't have anything better to do. Do the same people who say the new GT500 isn't a Shelby, say the 69-70s aren't Shelbys either?

[Russ Dickey]

Originally Posted by Power Surge

Another rediculous arguement by people who just don't have anything better to do. Do the same people who say the new GT500 isn't a Shelby, say the 69-70s aren't Shelbys either?

Or '68s for that matter.

[RodKnock]

I'm not sure they know that Shelby's existed before the current decade. "More real" and "have nots" between SGT's and GT500's?

You just can't invent this stuff. Evan (aka TK) should just tell them it's an Austin Healy or Corvette. They might get that.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by computerworks

The newgen GT500 is a Ford-produced vehicle, sold to the dealer from Ford as a new model.
The Shelby GT (called SGT) is a vehicle OEM'd to Shelby Autos, where it is completed and finished with performance, handling and trim customizations.
...this is the one that is most like the old days.

That is the same way they did it with the newgen GT-H for Hertz.

A third permutation is now on the scene...where the customer buys the GT500 from the dealer himself...then send it to SA or an authorized local "mod shop" and has it converted into a GT500SS (SuperSnake) or a GT500KR edition. That is a hybrid of the two above examples.

As an aside, perhaps the funniest bit of irony is that what permeates the new Team Shelby forum is an on-going conflict between the GT500 owners and the SGT owners as to who has the "more real" car.

...some things will never change.

I think the GT500KR is a Ford product as well, but I think I saw something about a 40th anniversary edition GT500KR, maybe the anniversary edition is a hybrid too.

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by computerworks

No, not really. The basis of the legal request is to prevent SAAC from using the name "SAAC" on their published book...not a request for the content.
...not because they want to steal the name, but because the "S-A" stands for Shelby American... which is the mark they are revoking the license for.

Hey...if they are good business people, they would buy the classic volumes of the registry from SAAC wholesale and slap their own cover on it.

Just like aluminum cars.... whoa... ...did I say that? ..sorry.

Never really thought of it that way. I guess both are possible, but what you posted makes sense.

[427sharpe]

From Automotive News (Today)

Carroll Shelby says he is angry with the 33-year-old organization, which has been licensed by Shelby since 1996. He says Kopec and other club directors have excluded him from decisions on how the club is run and have not shared financial information.

"I'm tired of them," Shelby says. "I want the registrations and the records under my control. They've made a lot of money but never counted me in on anything. I don't want my legacy to go down under their thumbprints."

(**Italics are mine!

Shelby says he wants to bring the club in house. Kopec says he doesn't mind if Shelby wants to end the license and start his own club, but the group won't hand over registration information or comply with other demands.

"It came as a shock; we were blindsided" by the letter from Shelby, Kopec says. "We have put a lot of hard work into this club."

Kopec would not say how much income the for-profit club takes in. "The club pays for itself," he says. "There is no money left over."

He says revenue comes mostly from dues, which are $47 for the first year and $40 annually thereafter. The club also makes money from its annual convention.

[Curt C.]

Well that sure makes things much clearer doesn't. It is not just about the name as earlier speculated. It is simply about money and control. Not my words but Shelby's. Geeessshhh

[nikbj68]

Originally Posted by 427sharpe

From Automotive News (Today)
Carroll Shelby says he is angry with the 33-year-old organization,..."I'm tired of them," Shelby says...They've made a lot of money but never counted me in on anything. ..."

Does he want a slice of the Gas Stations too, that have made money off his cars, but never gave him a dime, either?

[computerworks]

The link to the article in Automotive News...

[Durt]

SAAC doesn't make any money relatively speaking. This is like a deadbeat dad who suddenly has an interest in his abandoned children - especially if one of the children won the lottery.