Bob Gaines, re my "positive spin" on 1291, as others have pointed out before, its unfortunate that you seem to have an issue with many fellow enthusiasts and SAAC members who post here only to be met with vitriol from you. It's the main reason why I, while somebody who clearly doesn't approach your level of expertise and experience, don't post here- and I know others who do the same. Again, unfortunate because there is a vast level of real world experience and insight that could be gained and blended with yours and other similar pillars of the Shelby community's knowledge to make us all more knowledgeable about the intricacies of the Shelby cars we love. It would also make for a more vibrant online community/ forum.
Case in point, as a former owner of 1219, somebody with firsthand knowledge of the car from when it left the original owner's care and what transpired with it up to the B-J sale (vs just seeing pics on a website) I felt chiming in on this thread was important. After all these auction threads are to review and discuss sale prices and determine the market for cars of varying quality. Yes, I thought the alarm the original owner put on 1219 was cool, I appreciated it still worked, and my family had fun "punking" people with it at car shows etc. I had and still have no dog in that hunt today. Ideally, yes, the car would have zero modifications but that was an acceptable "Day 2" one to me and I loved how spectacular that car was in so many other areas so I took it as a whole.
I do look at a ton of Shelbys in person at auctions, actually most of them, and see a lot of cars that aren't what they claim to be. For example in 2021 I inspected a '65 GT350 that was being sold at a Gooding auction that had a really "positive spin" on its history, owned by notable Shelby people, Div 2 winner etc. When I saw the car it was detailed very well but clearly had some significant issues with the legitimacy and origins of its body shell. That was one car I did not see discussed here, among others, and I was really curious as to your and other peoples take on it.
Now as for the other stuff like the $350k "Eleanors" and whatnot I certainly do not get the prices on those! Or the announced rebodies at B-J. Or even the unannounced ones
I did try to buy an excptionally nice '65 A Code Mustang convertible (B-J Lot 439) that was mostly original paint and was super minty underneath. It was owned by Jason Billups and clearly he knows a good Mustang. It sold for a touch over $50k and in hindsight / by comparison that was probably one of the better Mustang buys at that auction.
Ok....back to lurking. Lol
My best to all-
Colin Comer