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

[HI Cobra]

Here we are at 50 pages - that was quick. Any guesses how far this will go?
I can only hope that somehow a bit of sanity comes to this event, for all
concerned. I'm afraid to guess how low can it go. Got my fingers crossed.

[Durt]

[StreetSnake]

For all the experts, and not, could you please give a "HIGH LINE" interpertation on what is going on. Many people may be concerned but not know what the specifices are.
Thanks

[shelbygt350s]

My 2 Cents When Or If Cs Gets The Records Back From Saac And A Shelby Owner Wants Info About His Car He /she Better Have Deep Pockets Because Its Going To Cost You

[xlr8or]

Sure I can tell you the Ford S/N that should be under that plate. All it will cost you is a $200 donation to my charity.

[Paul F]

Ok, it's been a month and 50 pages.

Discuss....

[Ron61]

And I still haven't seen anything but a lot of rumors and such. Does anyone have any actual facts as to what is going on that can be posted at this time or is it still going to be speculation and guessing until the final settlement? What about the new Registry that was supposed to have been out a year ago? Is that going to be stopped by this mess?

Ron

[RACER X #99]

Originally Posted by Ron61

And I still haven't seen anything but a lot of rumors and such. Does anyone have any actual facts as to what is going on that can be posted at this time or is it still going to be speculation and guessing until the final settlement? What about the new Registry that was supposed to have been out a year ago? Is that going to be stopped by this mess?

Ron

Go over to the www.saacforum.com and you can catch up and man are there a bunch of guys over there with some real Shelby hardware.

RD

[Ron61]

Thanks RD. I will do that. I haven't been to the site but a few times since I dropped out of the club.

Ron

[John McMahon]

Rick Kopec and the SAAC registrars have been sharing info on the legal issues as well as all things Shelby related.

I give them too big thumbs up for stepping up to the plate during this difficult time.

[Ron61]

John,

I agree and I have e-mailed Rick a time or two asking him about the new registry and how this was going to affect it. He was very prompt in returning my e-mails, though he must be busy as all get out. I have been over on their site reading a lot of the posts and found out quite a but, but won't say that I understand all that is going to happen.

Ron

[imagine2frolic]

I think this thread will continue as long as it is being handled in the court system.....GREAT to have the site back up, and running

[John McMahon]

Originally Posted by Ron61

John,

I have been over on their site reading a lot of the posts and found out quite a but, but won't say that I understand all that is going to happen.

Ron

I don't think anyone does. Could be a legitimate suit or it may just go away. It wouldn't be the first time a Shelby suit was dismissed!

[Ron61]

Kind of like that joke one of them put in his post about all of the lawyers being chained together and found under the sea. They were the ones that have worked for Shelby in the past 25 years. I don't remember the exact wording, but with all of the law suits he has been involved in, there should be a shortage of lawyers in his area.

Ron

[Got the Bug]

Damn....I was hoping that this thread would have somehow magically vaporzied into the ether when the new server came on line.

[Dan Stryffeler]

Well...

Received the latest SAAC newsletter this a.m. Issue #112 - they certainly aren't holding back on their position in the two sections titled The Two Carroll Shelbys and You Do Have A Dog In This Hunt.

Just my opinion, but after reading this, one would get the impression that the sole reason SAAC currently exists and is fighting Shelby is to protect the current/future market value of the cars - when I joined I thought it was a group of like minded people who wanted to celebrate and enjoy the cars.

The last paragraph somewhat shoots a hole in the argument for protecting the integrity of the database by criticising enthusiasts who make knock-off replica parts for the original cars (parts made without licensing approval). Under this argument, would a 66 GT-350 with an original intake manifold be worth more than one with a Chinese knock-off?

- Dan

[computerworks]

Two points of clarification.

Just my opinion, but after reading this, one would get the impression that the sole reason SAAC currently exists and is fighting Shelby is to protect the current/future market value of the cars - when I joined I thought it was a group of like minded people who wanted to celebrate and enjoy the cars.

The celebration and enjoyment certainly still exists...the point being made was that the current legal action has an underlying objective of usurping the data that has been collected solely by SAAC over the course of its existence. thus diluting the value and undermining a significant cornerstone of the club's activities.

The last paragraph somewhat shoots a hole in the argument for protecting the integrity of the database by criticising enthusiasts who make knock-off replica parts for the original cars (parts made without licensing approval).

Not at all... that point was that the good old days are gone...people who now reproduce a logo'd part, for example, are subject to threat of legal action.

[computerworks]

...might as well post the whole editorial right here....

[computerworks]

Editorial - January 2008 Snakebite Bulletin

From the Desk of Rick Kopec

The TWO Carroll Shelbys

Carroll Shelby is a bona fide hero. His racing exploits in the 1950s are well documented. The Cobra is certainly no secret and has been elevated to historical icon status, although not many realize the real reason for this is only partially due to a combination of the car’s explosive performance, clever marketing and its racing record. A good deal of the credit has nothing to do with Shelby (although he is quite happy to take all of the credit and moreover, seems to think he deserves it). The Cobra has become an icon because it was, simply, in the right place at the right time.

The Cobra (and we use the name generically because there were actually two Cobras: the small block and the big block) came along at a time in American automotive history when performance was becoming an unquestioned virtue. When it was first introduced, the small block Cobra quickly climbed to the top of the high performance pyramid. In 1963-1964 there was little that could touch it. By 1965-1966, the 427 Cobra moved the bar even higher. Cobra production ceased at the end of 1967 and even though its closest rival—the big block Corvette—continued to flex its biceps past the end of the decade, by then the 427 Cobra had become the high water mark in sports cars as well as performance cars. Nothing else even came close.

Then the tide went out. The 1970s was an embarrassing time for performance cars. Stifling government regulations brought emission standards that Detroit was not prepared to tackle. The quick fix was to bolt on catalytic converters and choke engines into submission. Overnight, the Corvette found itself with an anemic 200 hp engine while other so-called “performance” models were decorated with an array of fake scoops, swoopy wings, flashy graphics and not much more. Gone were the Tri-Power GTOs, 427 Galaxies, Chrysler Hemis, Boss 429 Mustangs and 454 Camaros and Chevelles. The industry’s performance cars were neutered and it took nearly 20 years for them to stagger back. This left the Cobra as the uncontested king of performance. As good as it was (and make no mistake—it was plenty good) it continued to retain the title because there were, simply, no other contenders. And Carroll Shelby had little to do with that. In fact, when he detected things going south he grabbed his hat and bailed out. He preferred to spend time in Africa hunting big game, or playing around with chili cook-offs—which were little more than excuses for good ole boys to get together to drink and tell stories. What brought him back to automobiles was the scent of the long green.

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[computerworks]

That’s when the OTHER Carroll Shelby emerged.

Cobra prices started climbing into six figures and that definitely caught his attention. He woke up to a world where the cars he created had spawned a devoted following, shepherded by a group of enthusiasts who had assembled under the banner of the Shelby American Automobile Club (named after the company which had produced the cars—not the man himself; if Shelby had named his car the Ajax, the club for these cars would have logically called itself the Ajax Automobile Club). SAAC kept the flame burning for 20 years when nobody else cared. They kept track of every car, every change of ownership and every change of color. What had begun as a stack of 3x5 file cards maintained by a few dedicated individuals who didn’t even know one another eventually became, after untold of hours of work, a computerized database of historical data. Snippets of information came from thousands of individual sources. This information enabled SAAC to publish a series of registries over the years, documenting what individual registrars had collected, collated, sifted through, double-checked and categorized. All the while prices surged. Cars thought previously to be “gone” were pulled out from behind buildings, storage sheds and from under tarps. During this time SAAC and its registrars maintained a spotless record of honesty and integrity. This, in turn, helped the cars increase in value and desirability year after year. Without all of this work, Cobras and Shelby Mustangs would have become just so many used performance cars, sliding down the greased pole of depreciation.

The Cobras were so desired that enthusiasts without the means to purchase one did the next best thing: they made their own. Companies soon sprouted up filling this demand for “Cobra replicas.” Some were crude kit cars but others were excellent representations, and before long a whole subculture grew up around them. Slowly these cars came to be accepted. Some would even say that their presence contributed to the high level of interest in the originals. Shelby’s first inclination was to move in and get a piece of the action. “I’ll sue the SOBs” was his battle cry. But once in court he learned that if you let your claim to a car’s name or shape go without protection you don’t own it forever and Shelby became no stranger to the inside of courtrooms. He eventually started building his own Cobra replicas; if he couldn’t sue these upstarts out of business he would compete with them and by putting his name on “his” cars and running the rest of them out of town. But the Cobra was, by then, too much of a legend. So many people wanted one that there was room for Shelby as well as a dozen other companies creating passable copies.

While he was involved once again in the Cobra market, Shelby realized that those maintaining the records held the key to history. He saw the power of the registry. And he also saw a potential revenue stream that SAAC was not tapping into. These fools were giving things away which club members would surely pay for. If someone was interested in getting a report on the history of a car that was for sale, they would gladly pay for that service. If someone owned a car and wanted it “officially” authenticated (think “Marti Report”) that was worth something. If an owner needed a letter verifying the value of his or her car for an insurance company or as collateral for a loan, it could be provided—for a price. SAAC was letting all that potential income slip through its fingers.

Wrestling control away could be a simple matter of putting them out of business and then just taking over. The first step would be to start a competing organization. This was greatly simplified by wrapping it around the latest generation of Shelby Mustangs. “Team Shelby” would provide the perfect springboard. After getting it up and running, the next step would be to expand it to include the “vintage Shelby” cars. A registry for the current generation of cars could be easily started because factory records already existed. Who cares if these new cars have yet to acquire any history? Expanding this registry to include the original cars would be a logical next step. Taking over SAAC’s records might even be accomplished through the courts. After all, this small organization surely didn’t have the resources to muster a multi-hundred thousand-dollar legal defense which might take years to litigate. Shelby actually called each registrar personally to take their temperature. Should anything happen to SAAC, they would be welcome to bring their records and work for him. He would even pay them. One was offered a new GT500. Shelby was stunned when none rose to take the bait. While this was happening, he was directing that the licensing agreement he had with SAAC be terminated. If they wouldn’t walk the plank on their own, maybe he would give them a little shove.

Once Shelby became more involved with cars, in the 1980s, the agreement he had with SAAC was based on a handshake. SAAC could use his name and likeness in the promotion and operation of the club. In the 1990s when his licensing company was chasing everyone who produced anything he had trademarked, SAAC received an official 12-page licensing agreement. “Why do we need this?” we asked him. “Don’t worry,” we were told, “it doesn’t change anything. It just keeps my lawyers happy.” Sometime later we learned how to spell “naïve.” Yes, we’ve met the second Carroll Shelby and we can’t say as we like him very much.


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