30 replies to this topic

[shelbymotorsports]

Here are a few pics from Eduardo Velazquez.

Steve

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•  Shelby_de_Mexico2.JPG   293.7K   304 downloads
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[shelbymotorsports]

More pics.

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•  Shelby_de_Mexico4.JPG   270.08K   56 downloads
•  Shelby_de_Mexico5.JPG   236.05K   81 downloads
•  Shelby_de_Mexico6.JPG   200.9K   82 downloads

[SGT/SC#0471]

Cool add one bottle of Cazadores and a sixer of Sol and I think you'd have a party...haha

[JeffJ]

Colorado Mustang has one of these for sale.  They brought it to the Rocky Mountain Mustang Round-up last year.  Pretty cool car.  I guess only five exist in the US.

Here's a link to their website:
http://www.coloradomustang.com/

Here's a link to a real good history on the Mexican Shelby's:
http://www.darkhorse...the_boarder.htm

Funny, I just noticed that some of the photo's in this link are also from Eduardo Velazquez.

Edited by JeffJ, 16 March 2009 - 03:34 PM.

[07SGT4578]

Wow, what a sweet car.  Maybe he will bring that one to Tulsa this year. Thanx for posting Steve.

Chris

[08SGT1977]

Very nice. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

[DutchGT500]

Beautiful rare car.

[07SGT0547]

Looks like these are of the same car??? At least the license plate in both the older pics and the CO Mustang pic looks the same...

Gregg
07SGT0547

Edited by 07SGT0547, 21 July 2009 - 01:21 PM.

[EL SHELBY]

WOW! You don't see many non-Shelby notchbacks, in fact I didn't know Shelby ever did Mustang that wasn't a fastback aside from the EXP cars.  Very cool!

[shelbymotorsports]

07SGT0547, on Jul 21 2009, 02:21 PM, said:

Looks like these are of the same car??? At least the license plate in both the older pics and the CO Mustang pic looks the same...

Gregg
07SGT0547

Same plate and likely the same car. The pics I posted are from Mexico so I'm guessing the car has been restored and is now in the states. Most noticeably the interior has been returned to stock.

Steve

[Cali_KR]

I looked at one for sale back in 1990, reems of documents to support the car, all black in color, I think the cost was 19k then...

I bought a Dodge RT Challenger with a 383 Magnum from the guy for 10k instead, Before you wince and say, bad deal... I then parlayed the Challenger with a 1965 Corvette Roadster I had to get my....wait for it....wait for it.....





.......1968 GT500KR...which I still have today  

[Cali_KR]

Followed closely behind by the HUGELY successful SHELBY EUROPA

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•  shelbyeuropaconvertibles_1.jpg   37.22K   104 downloads

[JeffJ]

07SGT0547, on Jul 21 2009, 03:21 PM, said:

Looks like these are of the same car??? At least the license plate in both the older pics and the CO Mustang pic looks the same...

Gregg
07SGT0547

Wow, good eye.  I never noticed that.  That is quite something!

[DutchGT500]

Cali_KR, on Jul 22 2009, 03:39 AM, said:

Followed closely behind by the HUGELY successful SHELBY EUROPA

Last year I met Claude Dubois who was the man behind the Shelby Europa. Carroll allowed him to built them. Claude is very healthy for his age and he still races. He wrote a book and I gave Carroll one of these personally. Claude wrote a message for Carroll. See photos.

Claude Dubois: Europe's Shelby ConnectionFrom SAAC records and an interview with Claude Dubois, we've learned that Dubois, a Ford dealer in Belgium for the Benelux countries from 1966 to 1972, created 14 Shelby Europas in 1971 and 1972 under a license agreement with Carroll Shelby. A race car driver himself, Dubois met Carroll Shelby at Le Mans and recognized the potential market for Shelby cars in Europe.

During the '60s, Claude sold more than 120 Shelbys in Europe via his associated partners. Then, in early 1970, he received a note that Shelby was ceasing production of performance cars. Claude quickly visited Shelby American to ensure future business by purchasing over 30 '70 Shelbys from the remaining stock. He also discussed with Carroll the possibility of a licensing contract so he could offer Shelby Europas overseas. Dubois later ordered 14 cars via Bob Ford dealership in Detroit and added the Shelby performance parts, delivered directly from Shelby American, in his garage.

At the Brussels Motorshow in 1971, Shelby visited the Dubois booth, which had the first Shelby Europa on display. Dubois sold 12 Europas at the show, with a delivery time of three months.

Dubois' files and memory reveal that most of the 14 '71-'72 Shelby Europas, 12 SportsRoofs and two convertibles were powered by the M-code 351 4V engine. Dubois admits he didn't care for big-blocks, saying, "They were too heavy up front in a Mustang." He does remember building a white 429 SportsRoof into a unique GT500, which has not yet surfaced. In the Shelby Europa sales brochure, horsepower is listed at 320 for the standard GT350, while the GT500 was either 360 (modified 351 4V) or 405/410 hp (429). The standard GT500 was indeed equipped with the same 351 4V engine as the GT350, only it came with a high-performance Shelby cam, a 780-cfm Holley carb on an aluminum intake, and a Shelby/Mallory ignition. Still, all Shelby Europas received GT350 designations on their ID tags due to the available paperwork.

All around, Dubois added adjustable Koni shocks to the factory Competition Suspension, which was aided up front by a special geometry setup that Claude based on his race experience. In the rear, he added twin torque links between the chassis and rear axle, along with extra coil springs to stabilize the rear tires during acceleration. The Traction-Lok 3.25:1 differential allowed European drivers to reach 220 kmh (136 mph) at 5,400 rpm. Automatics with the 3.00:1 could theoretically hit 230 kmh (142 mph). At this speed, visibility plays a vital role, so a pair of Marchal-like Cibie "Iode" lights was installed in the grille. Although sales literature mentions the availability of either fog lights or driving lights, and SAAC records mention the typical Shelby Marchal brand, only Cibie lights have been found on surviving cars. Maybe these were indeed used due to their availability in Belgium.

The Shelby Europas were striped with unique side decals, produced in Belgium, one with GT350 lettering and the other with GT500. The grille emblem was basically the same as found on '70 Shelbys. The emblem was also attached to convertible rear quarters and fastback C-pillars. A special Shelby snake-embossed gas cap was also used. Another addition was the Shelby lettering across the rear decklid, not always installed the same height, according to surviving cars. With such a low number of cars produced, there was little consistency to the series.

Special Shelby Cal 500 slotted 15x7-inch alloy wheels removed weight and allowed better ventilation of the brakes under performance conditions. Power-assisted stopping was enhanced by ventilated heavy-duty discs with anti-fade brake pads up front and large-diameter rear brake drums.

Performance options included the Ram Air hood and English-brand Avon tires. VR70x15s were listed in documentation, but Rauno's original paperwork shows ER70x15VR. An Italian steering wheel added a sporty flavor to the interior, although Rauno found a '69 Shelby steering wheel in his green Shelby Europa and subsequently added the same wheel to the brown car. It was recently confirmed by Claude that an Italian steering wheel was one of the standard modifications.

On the luxury side, the driver was surrounded by air conditioning, power windows, electric rear-window defrosting, power steering, dual racing mirrors, tinted glass, and a tilt wheel. Color choices were Dark Green Metallic, White, Light Pewter Metallic, Grabber Green Metallic, Bright Red, Medium Brown Metallic, and Bright Blue Metallic. The Shelby Europas received a special Claude Dubois manufacturer's plate; however, homologation was quite risky, as Claude used 1970 GT350 documentation to get the cars approved for European roads. Claude's business was also undercapitalized at the time and the oil crisis caused additional harm. Sales were subsequently discontinued in favor of the Shelby Europa GT250, a Mercury Comet with a 289 GT40 engine.

The Shelby Europa GT350 sold for about 350,000 Belgium francs, just 20,000 francs over the price of a non-Shelby '71 351 Mach 1 with the same factory options.

Nine of the 14 Shelby Europas are known to have survived, although not all are yet confirmed. Most of the other known Shelby Europas are undergoing long-term restorations; one remains a daily driver while another was stolen years ago in the Netherlands. Two others reside in Sweden, and one is in the hands of a collector in New Zealand.

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•  Claude_Dubois_002.jpg   383.31K   61 downloads
•  Claude_Dubois_004.jpg   317.21K   63 downloads

Edited by pjcobra9t7, 22 July 2009 - 09:49 AM.

[Cali_KR]

Nice write-up Patrick.

I remember when you gave Carroll the book at his 85th as I was sitting beside you & Astrid at dinner that night...

Tom

[TransamEd]

Cali_KR, on 22 July 2009 - 10:37 AM, said:

Nice write-up Patrick.

Yep, Patrick quoted a big portion of our article from http://mustangmonthl...tang/index.html
Thanks Patrick:)

For an update (and reason for my webcruising finding this post), we just may have found the only existing Shelby Europa 429 with Rene Dolls input, but will have to verify it still.

[DutchGT500]

TransamEd = Wolfgang? Is it you? Welcome to this forum.

[falcongtho3]

Wolfgang/TransAmEd (I checked his info and the link he's listed is his wonderful site) has posted recent pics of the '71 GT500 Europa, and it appears to be in the US. Check out www.ponysite.de and go to the breaking news section. Very cool stuff!

Edited by falcongtho3, 21 December 2010 - 05:01 PM.

[DutchGT500]

I know Wolfgang very well. He is from the First Mustang Club of Germany. I am the President from the Team Mustang Netherlands. He does good investigation work, tracing back rare Mustangs.

[TransamEd]

DutchGT500, on 22 December 2010 - 08:18 AM, said:

I know Wolfgang very well. He is from the First Mustang Club of Germany. I am the President from the Team Mustang Netherlands. He does good investigation work, tracing back rare Mustangs.

Yes, Patrick, have not been at TMCN meetings since your 45th. unfortunately, since my car is still in a garage for framework.  The "digging" is still thrilling.
We hope that this GT500 429 turns out as a real deal with our local investigators help:).