Right after the sunami that happened a few years ago, Dave Kirkham called me to ask my opinion about a polished aluminum 427 SC roller that they were planning to auction off and donate the proceeds to the sunami victims. The workers in Poland and Provo were donating their time and the Kirkhams were donating the material. His concern was that they were going to disperse the monies through the Morman church. They were doing this so the money would not be eaten up by executive charges. I said I thought it was a great idea and did not have a problem with the dispersement. I donated a new set of four 15" pindrive wheels and tires as I had put 17" pindrives on my car. Two guys on Club Cobra gave me $300 each to defray the cost and shipping. Dave said initially that they were going to auction the car off on Ebay, but then they contacted Barrett Jackson who at first said no because of time constraints (the auction was in 2 weeks) but then agreed because it was for a good cause. Speed Vision called Dave and said they would interview he and Tom prior to the auction on stage and after the car was auctioned to give them a little air time. I was watching the auction lot numbers and after the car prior to the Kirham went off the stage they broke for commercial. The break had to be 5 minutes long, when they came back the car after the Kirkham was up. I called Dave to see what had happened. He said when they got on stage they were told to stand away from the car to the back. The auctioneer asked Craig Jackson what to start the car at, around 50K? He said no, 15K. The car had the best of everything on it, Penske Wilwood, ect had been donated by the companies and guys from CC. The bidding got to 54K and they stopped taking bids. I talked to 2 guys that were bidding on the car and they said they were waving their bid cards and running up to the guys in blue blazers on the floor but no one would take their bids. The bidding was closed at 54k. The car was worth closer to 80K in that economy. When Shelby started buying cars from Kirkham and selling the as "bodies and frame he had in storage" he was supposed to pay in an alloted period of time. He did not. Finally the Kirkhams said that all new orders would be FOB. Shelby was not happy with this. Shelby was at the auction, Shelby and Craig Jackson are friends. And that's what happened to the Kirkham auction. They might as well have dipped their hand into the sunami victims pockets and taken out 30K. The commisions came off the top of the 54K and left even less. Don't talk to me about the Great Shelby please!
Carroll Shelby vs Factory Five Racing
- Thread starter Bill D
- Start date
You mean Pete Brock, not Brock Yates. Pete Brock is the designer of the original coupe, and (working with one of the original 427 Cobra chassis engineers whose name escapes me), he completely redesigned it for the 21st century for Superformance. As payment, Superformance gave him one of the cars, and he drives it all the time.
Brock Yates is a well-known auto journalist and founder of the legendary Cannonball Run cross-country race, and has nothing to do with the cars, either past or present.
The question was asked how close the FFR is to an original and quite frankly you look at them next to each other, they look like different cars. The FFR is a full 4% larger, 95" wheelbase, wider and taller. They also have rounded flared fender wells and the original were very flat down the side of the car.
There really is no way that anyone that is even slightly educated in these cars could confuse them.
There really is no way that anyone that is even slightly educated in these cars could confuse them.
Bob Negstad, the Ford engineer who contributed to both the GT40 and designed with Klaus Arning, the 427 Cobra frame/suspension (although it was NOT built to their design [see 90 inch wheelbase story elsewhere] and the Mustang IRS that never saw light of day due to one Mr. Shelby).
Bob had an AC MK IV with a kick-a$$ Roush 402 in it. He told me that if he and Mike Kranefuss revved to 6000 RPM and dropped the clutches, they could change the Earth's rotation.....................
I met Bob when he was working at SVO and he had just designed a bolt in IRS for the then current Thunderbird (circa 1984) that he knew was a good idea but was "probably not gonna happen".
Very interesting. I wonder if the design was what they used as a basis for the IRS introduced in the 89 bird
The differential would have been the same but he rest was different. Bob designed it to be a "bolt in" replacement on a Fox chassis and originally intended it for the SVO Mustang. At the time there was consideration of building a "SVO Thunderbird" and Bob was pitching the IRS for that.
Very neat guy...he had a kick-ass Fairmont two door sedan that was full SVO under the skin, a real "Q Ship" as it looked like grannies car but went like the hammers of hell
I think I have drawings for the early Mustang IRS. Picked them up while working as a chassis engineer at Ford. I believe they are deeeeep in my archives.
Anway, the bolt-in IRS assembly was to be built by a vendor. Don't know how the project was killed. I do know the Ford bean counters and product planners stopped a lot of neat projects dead in their tracks. A few included the front-wheel drive T-Bird (Toranado), Pony Car, a two-seater powered by a BDA Cosworth, a mini van, which ended up at Chrysler via the Italian, an OHC 289 (I have the mule car), Bendix fuel injection (Became Bosch) and on and on.
Anway, the bolt-in IRS assembly was to be built by a vendor. Don't know how the project was killed. I do know the Ford bean counters and product planners stopped a lot of neat projects dead in their tracks. A few included the front-wheel drive T-Bird (Toranado), Pony Car, a two-seater powered by a BDA Cosworth, a mini van, which ended up at Chrysler via the Italian, an OHC 289 (I have the mule car), Bendix fuel injection (Became Bosch) and on and on.
I have pictures of the IRS circa 1964. Klaus has it set to bolt in using the existing leaf spring mounts on the Mustang chassis. There were for and aft arms to locate the hub carriers and the halfshafts were the upper arms (ala Lotus and Jaguar).
The IRS even appeared in some early dealer information about the Mustang. Story goes that Lee I. asked Shelby to evaluate the IRS. Ken Miles took an IRS Mustang and a GT350 chassis mule around Riverside and the solid axle mule was faster. Of course, Riverside is a racetrack, with minimal bumps, potholes and such we encounter in the real world. Shelby told Iacocca that the IRS was not worth the cost and as such it was deep sixed from the options list of the Mustang.
FWIW, I saw a Ford mini van mule at Autodynamics circa 1980 made by chopping a short wheelbase Econoline, using the "Twin Traction" beam suspension from a 1980 F100 and the transfer case from a Bronco to route the drive to the front axle. A real cob-job but that's what a first gen mule is.........................................
Hi Bill,
not sure if you meant me when you said John.
I forgot you were the man for the FF coupe (should have read back up the posts as I've spotted its in there - Doh !)
I've sent you an email anyway
Hi Bill,
not sure if you meant me when you said John.
I forgot you were the man for the FF coupe (should have read back up the posts as I've spotted its in there - Doh !)
I've sent you an email anyway
John, I'm not sure, but I think Bill was replying to your post on the "Taking a Break" thread and somehow stuck it in here, as his message was in context to your comments re: PM's on the other thread...
If I'm wrong then I'll go quietly back to sleep for a while.. :zzz:
Ah, I understand now you pointed that out Keith, thanks.
Bill, the idea is that not ALL (or rather, everybodys) PMs go to 'Mr Moderator', only those sent to the moderator requesting intervention.
Its like having one login that all the moderators share (if they wish) and can manage.
Maybe a moderator can move this, my previous, Keith and Bills posts to the correct thread please.
Assuming this is what Bill meant of course
Bill, the idea is that not ALL (or rather, everybodys) PMs go to 'Mr Moderator', only those sent to the moderator requesting intervention.
Its like having one login that all the moderators share (if they wish) and can manage.
Maybe a moderator can move this, my previous, Keith and Bills posts to the correct thread please.
Assuming this is what Bill meant of course
Gordon, I had quite a lot of freedom to shape out the FFR Daytona Coupe body with little input from FFR. I took on the project and funded it myself. All I had to work with, was an FFR roadster chassis, and a Jag XJS windshield. The Jag windshield was as close to the original Daytona as we could get. I didn't have any wheels or tires to work with, just a rough idea on the width of the car. The idea, was to make the body look as close to the original as I could. The windshield dictated the shape to the back and the wheel ( track )width dictated the shape of the fender flares. The trick was; not to let the fender flares make it look like a Camaro. After I had the body about 75% shaped out, FFR came and took a look and decide to go with it. I never dreamed the car would be so successful. When they stop production, I think they will have made five hundred cars.
Bill, I thik they want to take a little time to promote the 33 and GTM and concentrate resources for a while. I think they are probabvly having a bit of a market crunch as the rest of us are.
By the way, do you have the molds for the fenders and nose from Charlie's car?
I also think the latest lawsuit probably has more to do with Shelby lawyers trying to justify their retainers. Unfortunately there are smaller individuals involved that have no help from above like Lang of LK motorsport or FFcobra. These guys are looking at $200K in legal fees to fight this.
I have little or no faith in the legal system when frivalious lawsiuts like this are permitted.
I know AZ has a law on the books that says if the complaitent can't prove or looses his case he can be responcable for all of the defentants legal fees. I hope this is the case in CA where this has been files.
By the way, do you have the molds for the fenders and nose from Charlie's car?
I also think the latest lawsuit probably has more to do with Shelby lawyers trying to justify their retainers. Unfortunately there are smaller individuals involved that have no help from above like Lang of LK motorsport or FFcobra. These guys are looking at $200K in legal fees to fight this.
I have little or no faith in the legal system when frivalious lawsiuts like this are permitted.
I know AZ has a law on the books that says if the complaitent can't prove or looses his case he can be responcable for all of the defentants legal fees. I hope this is the case in CA where this has been files.
Hi gents,
All considered, I have to say this. What Mr. Shelby did for the Cobra, Daytona Coupe and the GT40, replicas and kit cars did for Mr. Shelby. If there was none of the last mentioned, Mr. Shelby's and ford's sucsesses in the 60's would have been a vague memory in very few peoples minds.
If I didn't by chance buy a Hot Rod magazine in June 1980 with an article of the Arntz Cobra replica in it, I would never have had the pleasure of eventually having my own Cobra and partially built GT40.
Never forget that if it wasn't for people like yourselves (hot rodders, inventors and the likes), building, planning working on those cars, there would have been no history to celebrate, replicas or not. One of my dreams still is only to see an original, any original!
Like we say in South Africa " Viva, replicas, Viva!!!"
All considered, I have to say this. What Mr. Shelby did for the Cobra, Daytona Coupe and the GT40, replicas and kit cars did for Mr. Shelby. If there was none of the last mentioned, Mr. Shelby's and ford's sucsesses in the 60's would have been a vague memory in very few peoples minds.
If I didn't by chance buy a Hot Rod magazine in June 1980 with an article of the Arntz Cobra replica in it, I would never have had the pleasure of eventually having my own Cobra and partially built GT40.
Never forget that if it wasn't for people like yourselves (hot rodders, inventors and the likes), building, planning working on those cars, there would have been no history to celebrate, replicas or not. One of my dreams still is only to see an original, any original!
Like we say in South Africa " Viva, replicas, Viva!!!"
Welcome to GT40's Monty...
I do agree that CS did step out there a bit to build some of the most awesome cars on the planet during the day... I also have to say that there's a LOT to be said for his crews that actually built these cars and maintained them at the tracks.. No one is really trying to take that away from him.
However - He does seem to be trying to reach into every available pocket that he can - and that - just does not seem right..
Please start a thread about your GT40 build and tell us more about it!
I do agree that CS did step out there a bit to build some of the most awesome cars on the planet during the day... I also have to say that there's a LOT to be said for his crews that actually built these cars and maintained them at the tracks.. No one is really trying to take that away from him.
However - He does seem to be trying to reach into every available pocket that he can - and that - just does not seem right..
Please start a thread about your GT40 build and tell us more about it!