[BobsShelbyDakota]

Here is my 1988 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z in front of the Shelby museum in Las Vegas! Yes I know it is not a true Shelby Dodge since it is not numbered but it it still fun to drive.

[shelbymotorsports]

BobsShelbyDakota, on Jul 28 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

Here is my 1988 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z in front of the Shelby museum in Las Vegas! Yes I know it is not a true Shelby Dodge since it is not numbered but it it still fun to drive.

Bob

Just because your car isn't a "numbered car" doesn't mean its not a Shelby. Chrysler couldn't put the Shelby name on the Daytona without Carroll's approval so if Carroll felt the car worthy of his name that should be good enough.

Steve

[BobsShelbyDakota]

shelbymotorsports, on Jul 28 2009, 12:09 PM, said:

Bob

Just because your car isn't a "numbered car" doesn't mean its not a Shelby. Chrysler couldn't put the Shelby name on the Daytona without Carroll's approval so if Carroll felt the car worthy of his name that should be good enough.

Steve

Steve,
You would be surprised how many arguments I have had on other forums about the numbered cars being the only true Shelbys. I have been beaten down arguing this point before about my Daytona being a Shelby.

Bob

[sdac guy]

BobsShelbyDakota, on Jul 28 2009, 03:51 PM, said:

Steve,
You would be surprised how many arguments I have had on other forums about the numbered cars being the only true Shelbys. I have been beaten down arguing this point before about my Daytona being a Shelby.

Bob

Some folks prefer a very narrow view of what constitutes a Shelby vehicle. Whether it is because they are snobs, or purists, or because they are just ignorant of the facts.

I prefer a much broader definition. When the California Shelby Performance Center opened in Sante Fe Springs, its mission was to design cars or option packages that would put the Shelby influence to work in the product line. Those efforts led to cars that were engineered by Shelby. When the Whittier plant started producing special Shelby models, those were cars manufactured by Shelby. And when Dodge brought out performance models in other car lines, those were cars that were inspired by Shelby.

So we then have cars that were produced by Shelby (GLHS or CSX for example), cars that were designed by Shelby (Shelby Charger & Daytona Shelby for example) and cars inspired by Shelby (Spirit R/T for example). Which is a 'true' Shelby, to be honest, an answer of "All of the above" because if Shelby never got involved with Dodge and Chrysler Corp, none of those vehicles would likely have ever been produced.

[shelbymotorsports]

BobsShelbyDakota, on Jul 28 2009, 12:51 PM, said:

Steve,
You would be surprised how many arguments I have had on other forums about the numbered cars being the only true Shelbys. I have been beaten down arguing this point before about my Daytona being a Shelby.

Bob

Bob that argument has been going on since before the Dodge years and continues on today with the newest Shelby's.

Some people feel that only the 1965-67 Shelby Mustang's are real Shelby's because they went thru Shelby's California facility compared to the 1968-70 Shelby Mustangs that were contracted out to a third party by Ford.

Then in the 1980's basically the same narrow mindness started. Some feel that only the Dodge cars that went thru Shelby's California facility are real ones while all other Chrysler Shelby's are not.

And now on to today. Some feel that the only real Shelby Mustang's are the ones that go thru Shelby's Las Vegas facility while the Ford/SVT ones are not.

To me as long as Carroll is standing upright and gives the ok for his name to be affixed to a certain car then it's a Shelby.

I have a feeling the real argument will start once Carroll is no longer with us. One group will claim the real Shelby's are the once produced while Carroll was around and that any other Shelby's produced after that will be inspired by models since Carroll never actually saw/touched the car.

Steve

[neonsox]

I never bought into the whole "numbered vs. inspired" thing too much. I've had Daytonas, Lebarons, now this Lancer... They all have similar chassis and basically the same engine (sans a few head and intake differences), so I don't understand the elitism attitude sometimes when it comes to the various body styles. The numbered plaque and labeled schwag is cool, but in the end these cars are modified Chrysler vehicles of the era. All in the same family.

As to the age-old Ford vs. Dodge debate regarding Shelby, that will go on simply because of the brands. He worked for both companies with the intent of putting a little sport into cars that were initially designed for the economy segment. I think of him as a tuner or a hired gun that came in, took a look at the parts bin, and made something special with what he was given. What made him special was that he spanned two really different approaches to horsepower and made them both affordable and fast. What other tuner has done that?

I know what forums you're talking about and I've seen the nonsense, but there are some of us that don't think that way.