So much for honor and decency: Carroll Shelby has taken another legal step against the organization that sustained him for 30 years.
A lot of people are absolutely disgusted with Shelby, and I've been one of them well before his campaign against his fans and supporters. IMHO, he is the classic snake oil salesman, pure and simple. He has made a marketing business deal with Ford that probably nets him a nice little income, while netting for Ford some retro history image for the latest Mustang (based on a history that had no meaning whatsoever after the first 3 or 4 years). Which itself is a grotesquely obese and technically obsolete relic that Shelby himself actually had very little technical contribution to.
What he originally did in racing 50 and 40 years ago can't be disputed... but after a few years of actually producing original Mustangs with a couple of technical enhancements (versus simply licensing his name on them - as happened after Ford took over production in the late 60s) followed by a very few years of managing GT40 and other racing efforts, his contribution to the hobby and industry stopped cold. That should have been the end of his history and would have been if it weren't for a few Dodge Omnis with a similar licensing deal. And if it weren't for the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) - a very small group of diehards that formed a club to keep Shelby Mustangs alive and hold a conference once a year. I've been to a couple of those events, and the dedication of the members to their cars is extremely strong to say the least. The dedication of these members to Shelby himself was just about the only group of people supporting and honoring his original accomplishments for probably 30 years. If anything, the SAAC was too successful – original Shelbys grew in value well out of proportion to their original accomplishments, and from that Shelby himself was reborn as a demigod. Shelby would be in an obscure retirement if it wasn't for the SAAC.
There were also, as often happens in politics as well, a very very small group of fans who hoped to get some greatness rub off on their otherwise unaccomplished little selves by worshiping at the Shrine of All Things Shelby. Again, like politics, these types of people purposely blind themselves to faults and business machinations (note the parallel here to the supporters of Bill Clinton). Some even hoped to curry his favor by naming their children after him – an obscene act performed at the expense of the child; an offering made solely in the hope of gaining the (momentary) attention of Himself. There's probably a bunch of little Clintons running around as well, although not thru exactly the same means.
This mess then will be Shelby's enduring legacy. He made it himself and it will survive him.
Compare this legacy to that of Mario Andretti or Dan Gurney - there is no comparison. There accomplishments were even greater - but even more importantly they don't piss on their fans.
A press release from Shelby follows below. And be sure to read Pete DeLorenzo's article in the December 5th Autoextremist.com. As usual, he says it best: http://www.saac.com/other_quotes.htm
Shelby Press Release follows:
CARROLL SHELBY LICENSING ASKS COURT TO ENFORCE TERMS OF AGREEMENT WITH ORGANIZATION FORMERLY KNOWN AS SAAC
Gardena, Calif. – January 31, 2008 – Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc., (CSL) and Carroll Hall Shelby Trust (Shelby Trust) filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on January 29, 2008, against the organization formerly known as the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC), which is owned and operated by Ken Eber and Rick Kopec. In the lawsuit, CSL and the Shelby Trust filed for Declaratory Relief, Breach of Contract and Preliminary and Permanent Injunction against the organization owned by Eber and Kopec.
As outlined in a news release dated December 7, 2007, CSL announced that it had determined not to renew its written license agreement with the organization then known as SAAC. That decision was based, among other business considerations, on a continued disregard for the license agreement requirements. The annual, year-to-year agreement was personally signed by Eber and Kopec on behalf of their club in 1999.
In light of the organization’s repeated claims that the group did not recognize and had no intention of recognizing the termination of the licensing agreement and that it planned to continue the unauthorized use of trademarks owned by the Shelby Trust and licensed exclusively by CSL. Officials with the Shelby Trust and CSL had no other recourse than to file the suit. In their filing, CSL and the Shelby Trust seek a declaration from the court that will compel the enforcement of the terms of the licensing agreement both before and after its termination.
About Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc.
Automotive manufacturer and entrepreneur Carroll Shelby is one of the most famous and successful high performance visionaries in the world. In 1998, he founded Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc., which is the exclusive holder of trademarks and vehicle design rights for some of the most famous muscle cars and high-performance vehicles. CSL also holds trademark rights for Shelby-branded apparel, accessories and collectibles. For additional information about the company or licensing opportunities, call (310) 914-1843 or visit www.shelbylicensing.com
There doesn't seem to be any live television coverage of the Rally America events this year... but in return Rally America has a YouTube channel.
