Shelbyite, on 08 September 2010 - 03:24 AM, said:
If you keep reading mguirks posts you would think he is on shelbys payroll. Maybe he is shelbys new pr person
Yeah, well, there was a time here when almost ALL TS members were PR guys for Shelby. It didnt take a paycheck to buy our loyalty. We all had cars that were the love and passion of our hobby. I miss those days, and I miss those people. Now many posters on this site either want to bitch about somebody else's hood problem or want to swear off Ford because their tires only lasted 6k miles. MM puts more time into promoting Team Shelby than any of you could even imagine. He and a handful of us have been working the last several months at organizing and building TS into what we hope will be a MUCH better club with localized gatherings and events that will only add value to you all. Those of you who have been to events know that is half the fun of owning these cars.
Those of us that have been involved with this build process, and going through it now, are for the most part very happy how it has taken shape. Let me give you a couple facts:
We had a reveal on a car that wasnt quite perfect with the prototype. I remember a lot of criticism both positive and negative back in January and February. All of the changes that were made to the final production of the 350 were suggestions made by US. Get rid of all the extra badging, stripes all the way down the back optional, GT350 hood stripe optional....etc. Personally, I wanted PBF badges on the fenders, and the classic running pony in the grill. NOW, I've got the car I dreamed of and hoped it would be.
If Shelby even COULD have rushed these cars out by say end of June, we would have a bunch of 65K GT350s at 520HP that would be getting stomped by stocker 5.0 with 624HP. Ford did us owners a favor by dragging their heals. Now we have a GT350 that will outperform a GT500 (or any other mustang) on a track or dragstrip by A LOT.
Ultimately, I wanted my car for Mid-America, just like I REALLY REALLY wanted it for Terlingua and Granbury, and maybe, just maybe my wish will come true still with the latter, but if it doesn't, I just want a car that was not put together in haste, that doesnt have mismatched lines on body parts, that wont trip codes the first time I get on it out on the track. If I get that car, and it takes a full year, then so be it.
In the end, don't dump on MM or myself or other guys in line for this car. All we are doing is keeping it old school with how the members of this site used to treat SA with some sort of respect and gratitude. I know we don't have the communication and input we all once had with SA like a few years ago, but just because we dont have a president that posts here daily, and Sharon and Robert have a HUGE more than fulltime job taking care of and running the store, we have to take care of ourselves for now, and maybe it is OUR place to be the PR guys of the website. If not us, who? What do lurkers and non-Shelby owners think when they read our own members dogging Shelby left and right?
I see one of two things happening here with Team Shelby: We either come together and be a value added bonus and advertisement for SA that they cannot afford to do without, or we bitch and moan ourselves into isolation, and kiss any kind of positive relationship goodbye, including SA sponsored events.
I really hope most of you are WITH us.