Unique Performance Scam - Shelby Mustangs etc.

[Ron Earp]

Anyone know about these "Shelbys"?

cbs11tv.com - Video Library

Jeff sent me a link from the Lotus site about this:

Unique Performance in Bankruptcy - LotusTalk- The Lotus Cars Community

Ron

[Leonard]

Hmm....That whole deal and what they are doing really doesn't surprise me. I bet Foose is trying to cut his ties with them as well.

[woodz428]

Foose has severed ties, but unlike Shelby is aiding the customers to get what they paid for. I don't recall if he has hired anyone new, but believe he did. I just can't remember the name. I didn't look at that link, but the earlier one a few weeks ago with the Texas officer illustrated more of his lack of knowledge concerning Mustangs. I am not defending Unique, because I don't know the whole story,However the area that he was pointing to and saying that they scraped the #'s off is BS on 2 parts. First, is the panel he pointed to is a commonly replaced panel on Mustangs because of rust in that area. Secondly the numbers are STAMPED into the metal and can not be "scraped" off. There are actually several areas that have the stamping as well windshield and door tags. That is more an attack on the media and police making this a judgement in the press. That police officer needs some education on 60s era serial #'s, they are not like the computer printed tags that you see on newer cars. But then he didn't look like he had yet taken a breath in the 60s.
I do suspect there is some improper dealings though, that amount of money can turn some people. Just look at Washington D.C.. For some it is an easy turn.

[David Briggs]

The numbers can be welded and then ground down, and what worthwhile reason would there be to alter the original Ford numbers on cars that are to be sold as Shelby authorized replicas?
My understanding is that these cars were not sold as original Shelby's.
???

[Ron Earp]

Were they simply being removed to get a unique number that matched some new Shelby authorized reproduction car? Or were they trying to avoid some sort of new car/manufacturer law that would require the cars to pass emissions, crash tests, etc? Did they not have clean titles for the shells and trying to avoid salvage titles or the paperwork of recovering a title?

[Leonard]

Here is another link cbs11tv.com - Farmers Branch Exotic Car Company Raided that is saying there is "title-washing involved.

"....Many of the cars could be worthless because the vehicle identification number has been removed. Steel plates with illegitimate numbers covered up the scratched areas where the VINs used to be.

Tuesday, the founder and president of the company, Doug Hasty, would not comment on why the vehicle identification numbers were scraped off the cars.

Farmers Branch police said they have evidence that the titles on the vehicles were fraudulent. Police say they believe the company was involved in title-washing..."

[woodz428]

Originally Posted by Ron Earp

Were they simply being removed to get a unique number that matched some new Shelby authorized reproduction car? Or were they trying to avoid some sort of new car/manufacturer law that would require the cars to pass emissions, crash tests, etc? Did they not have clean titles for the shells and trying to avoid salvage titles or the paperwork of recovering a title?

Maybe a little of all of those. Yes they can be welded and ground, but after redoing over a dozen 'stangs, that is an area that gets cut out and replaced the majority of the time. What I was referring to is the news showing this guy discussing what they were doing, and having no apparent knowledge of the cars. He didn't say that they were welded up and ground off, he said they "scratched them off". The presentation on the news like that, will make it pretty hard to get a fair trial anywhere in that locale. Plus the spreading of pseudo information as fact to the unknowing, seems to be an effort to taint their image before the public with very little hard evidence. I am in the middle of a 1970 Mach I that I am creating an "Eleanor" type car, the customer was initially looking for a '67-'68 but every one that was up for sale had a price tag that was unreal. The little phrase with every ad that said "would make a great Eleanor clone" was indication that "Eleanor" cars had perverted the market value. If they were title washing and all that other stuff, get them for it, but don't portray them that way with that kind of "evidence". For me, it was compounded by the fact that TV news didn't do any research into the way these cars are numbered originally and just took the officers word as fact. Hardly a case of innocent until proven guilty.

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

67-68 fastback shells have gone nuts on price due to the "Eleanor" thing. I don't understand it, it is an ugly replica of a non-existant car! There are a hundred more attractive movie cars! The "Eleanor" is just behind the "Corvette Summer" car for fugly!

Unique was selling the cars with a "Shelby" type VIN that they were attaching to the car. Federal law prohibits modification, removal or changing the VIN attached by the MANUFACTURER of RECORD. Unique is not a certified manufacturer and therefor must keep the original FoMoCo VINs intact. Shelby American circa 1960s, WAS a "Manufacturer of Record" and thus could attach a new VIN to the Mustang chassis supplied by Ford. In the attempt to make the cars more "unique" (pun) they wanted a 'special" VIN. Old CS should have seen this coming, he has aligned himself with some people of questionable talent and ethics and now the chickens are coming home to roost! (yet another pun!)

I feel bad for the people who are getting boned on this deal, but not too bad....they were payning STUPID money for a really stupid car!

[Jonathan S]

Shelby was a great driver and an inspired car builder but he seams to have the leaden touch. Any gold he touches turns to lead. All his business ventures seem to end badly.

[fostereast]

"The "Eleanor" is just behind the "Corvette Summer" car for fugly!"

Well Said Rick Muck Mark IV, I keep thinking something is wrong with me because I can't see the attraction to the Eleanor.

[Mark Clapp]

If the '67 fastbacks are highly priced, might be worth going with new body shells like from Year One: YearOne Online Shopping

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Originally Posted by Mark Clapp

If the '67 fastbacks are highly priced, might be worth going with new body shells like from Year One: YearOne Online Shopping

The reason they don't do that is some states have issues with titling the shells. In fact, in most states they must be registered like a kit car or "home built" vehicle. However, using a new shell to rebody a rusty 67 Mustang is not legal either as you cannot legally transfer the VIN form the old unit to the new body. sort of a "catch 22"

Still I don't understand why someone pays big money for a "Shelby" that is NOT a Shelby...

[Mesa]

I too agree with Rick -
What a frikken ugly thing to do to a perfectly good Mustang fastback. Just proves you can't but style or taste. Not that I'd ever want to see a person get burned, this "Elenor" thing is a back yard looking sorry ass creation. Remindes me of the OLD kit industry in the style department.

[JackW]

You guys are all too purist. I think the Eleanor's look quite bad ass myself. I think I heard it described when the new version of Gone in 60 seconds came out as "a Msuatng on steroids" and when I saw the movie I couldn't have agreed more. I saw one at a Mustang car club day and this just hammered home the point. Regular fastbacks do look sweet, don't get me wrong, but the souped up Eleanor looked flat out Angry (I mean that in a good way). Still, this is part of the joy of living in a free society, and it is why Ron will never paint a GT40 in Gulf Livery and others wouldn't consider any other color. I do agree on one thing though - WAY overpriced. One sold here in Oz last year for $245K AUD. This at a time when the exchange rate was approx .775 so the USD equivalent was up around 190K. So so so sad.

Cheers

Jack

[emiel]

well said Rick and others.Eleanor is not a Shelby and it isn't a mustang anymore.To me it even doesn't look good.Too many people are making too much money on it(lucky for them )but what about value in the future when the people wake up.I don't give a single penny for it.Emiel

[Mike Dozier]

It's called " 15 minutes of Fame ".....

Once s/n (?) # 1 Eleanor sold on TV at Barrett Jackson for $ 150k, dozens of wannabees
sprung into action.

But the 15 minutes is up....and the next time Eleanor # 1 goes across the auction block,
I'd bet it will sell for half that amount....maybe less. All the other Eleanors are worth even less.

MikeD

[jdek]

Anyone see the irony in a company called UNIQUE being commissioned to build "400" of the same mustang?... lol.

[Nicholas Gomez]

US$15k for a Year One shell eh? Well, if the prices of old Mustangs keep going up soon no one will be able to afford them. Has anyone seen the Ring Brothers 'Reactor' Mustang, which was featured in detail in Build Book #5 (Page 1). Very inspirational work but not exactly my cup of tea on the styling side. Personally I would have preferred a more conventional/Shelby look but with the same level of workmanship. The GT500E imho was interesting but maybe a bit too radical for everyone to accept.

[Jakob V. Edvardsen]

I too think the Eleanor kit looks bad (in the cool way). That is why I am building our own out of our beaten up old Mustang.