[Kim Petersen]

Well, with the encouragement of several members of this board, I attempted to convey the thoughts and concerns expressed by a number of GT40 SPF owners regarding the GT40 Registry to Lance Stander, owner of Superformance. The letter I sent is copied below:

Dear Mr. Stander:

I’m writing on behalf of a number of GT40 SPF owners regarding your advertised promise of our cars’ being eligible for the ‘GT40 registry’. Our efforts to date have been frustrated by a number of factors, not least the apparent oversight by Superformance and/or McMichael Motorsports to ensure that a pathway exists to accomplish this not insignificant and supposed benefit of ownership.

As background, I am very close to seeing my SPF Mk I delivered from the factory to Olthoff Racing, perhaps in the next couple of weeks. In anticipation of this, I thought that it might be a good idea to begin processing my car into the GT40 Registry. Each SPF buyer is well familiar with that enticing prospect, which one assumes may help to retain value over the years. (The SPF GT40 website boldly proclaims: "The GT40 Continuation also carries the GT40 "P" chassis number and is eligible for the GT40 registry" (emphasis added).

Now, not being an expert on such things as a GT40 Registry, I contacted McMichael Motorsports and spoke with Bill Baker who kindly referred me to the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC), the official keeper of said registry. Not wasting any time, I wrote the GT40 Registry Chairman, Greg Kolasa, and asked to have my car included in the upcoming SAAC Registry's GT40 Registry (it only comes out every two years or so). Greg wrote me back, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have already sent the GT40 stuff into typesetting, which means that we can't make any changes for the book. We hadn't planned on including the SPF cars anyway, not because we have anything against SPF, but just because we didn't have enough owner interest to justify inclusion. I believe you are only the second person (and may be the only) to inform us of your car. That's not to say that at some point in the future we won't include them in another volume."

After my initial disappointment, I found myself wondering how it is that SPF hasn't taken a more direct role in 1) ensuring that their cars are, in fact, eligible and welcome into the GT40 Registry through direct discussion with SAAC; and, 2) creating a process for its customers to easily, if not automatically, having their cars registered. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a strong proponent of SPF, you have a great product (I also own a MK III Cobra) ... but, if you are going to hype a benefit as often and unabashedly as you have regarding our cars' "eligibility for the GT40 registry", then is it asking too much that you at least ensure that the process exists and some arrangement made?

Perhaps there's another registry out there that neither I, nor McMichael Motorsports, is familiar. But it bugs me and not a few other fellow SPF owners (we have discussed this matter by internet and phone). Following much discussion, we've agreed to try to create a process that will see SPF owners' cars included in the GT40 Registry -- if not the coming edition of the printed Shelby Registry. The first order of business is this email and seeking some assurance regarding SPF’s preparedness to cooperate in seeing the marketing hype turned into reality. For obvious reasons, we'll need your company’s fundamental support to see this done right.

The next step will be to draft a letter from SPF to SAAC laying out the argument for SPF GT40s inclusion en masse. With that behind us, quite frankly, for this to work, it seems to me that SPF will need to directly upload production data to SAAC's Greg Kolasa (or whomever is acting as Registrar) with such pertinent data as: 1) model (MK I/II); 2) color scheme; 3) right or left hand drive; 4) factory options (e.g., 'Gurney' bubble, 'Gulf' flares, canard wings, FIA fuel cell, leather interior, etc.); and wheels (i.e., size, type). This should be accomplished as soon as the cars are completed and ready to ship and perhaps should include a photograph from the factory that could later be replaced by the owner once the car is completed.

Third, SPF should then prompt each car owner to provide -- perhaps by an addressed and stamped post card included with the factory's other paperwork -- the engine particulars (e.g., size, material, FI or carb, manufacturer, etc.) along with any other significant owner-provided vehicle characteristics. A completed photo might then be emailed to the registrar.

Fourth, we believe that the concept of a registry should be dynamic and not cyclical — that is tied to a semi-annual printed report. There’s nothing that says a GT40 SPF couldn’t be part of the registry, even if the printed record of that registry may not occur for many months or years. If SAAC isn't going to have an electronic, web-accessible version of their overall registry, then perhaps with our acceptance of eligibility behind us, perhaps you could build a publicly accessible 'mirror' page that would compile all of the data previously uploaded to SAAC. This could logically reside on your new GT40 website.

I hope you agree that, whatever the process, not only should SPF take a more hands-on role in making the GT40 Registry a reality so as to give foundation to your promises, but also taking such measures will enhance your product and prove to be an exceptionally strong marketing tool. Having brought this matter to you attention, I would be happy to work with you and your team to accomplish this goal. And as a businessman myself, share with you at some later date some additional enhancements to the buying process that many of us would like to see for those that follow in our footsteps as the first GT40 SPF buyers.

Thanks and I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best regards,

Kim Petersen


After a few days I received the following response from the Manager of Marketing earlier tonight:

Hi Kim

Congratulations with your purchase we wish you many hours of happy driving. Thank you for your email which informed me of our dealers ignorance with regards to the GT40 product.

Let me put your mind at ease in informing you that the GT40 by Superformance is registry eligible, all retail sales will be recorded into the official GT40 registry which is not the SAAC registry.

The Rollers are built by Superformance LLC under license from Safir Spares LLC. Safir Spares LLC own the GT40 trademark and are responsible for the GT40 official registry in which your vehicle will be recorded. Under License agreement with them, the chassis all carry a GT40/ P???? Serial number.

Once you have taken delivery please record your information on the www.gt40spf.com web site, we prepare records for Safir at the end of each quarter and your information will be supplied to them for there registry. Please post pictures of your car on the site as well.

With regards to the SAAC registry it is something that we will look at in the future.

In advertising the GT40 we make reference to the Safir connection, there is no mention made of the SAAC registry or Shelby.

Our Coupe is the only product that currently recorded in the SAAC registry and the MKIII (Cobra) is built under license from Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. but it is not eligible for the SAAC registry at this stage.

I apologize on behalf of Mc Michael for any inconvenience caused to you by them not supplying you with the correct facts. I have drafted a informative letter to them in the hopes that this does not happen again. I thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Kind regards,

Deborah Stander
Marketing Manager.
Superformance LLC

I'm still digesting Ms. Stander's letter and would be interested in hearing from others on the now official position of SPF. My initial reaction is mild curiosity that I've never heard that Safir is the caretaker of the GT40 Registry. I suppose an obvious question is: Where is this registry and how is someone supposed to access its records? It can't be that the registry is in the form of the GT40spf.com website, right?

What do you all think?

Kim