Bob, my initial post was not directed specifically to you, but rather to everyone reading to keep it civil. Yes you did state it was a serialized 1967 Shelby convertible. The one point I wanted to make was that the 1967 Shelby convertible was clearly intended for production as the June 1966 memo letter stated. A few weeks later Shelby American ordered the three sister 67 GT500s (#0100, #0131 & #0139) in each body style. As an appearance evaluation model they would seem appropriate. Testing the 428 motor would give them dual purpose, something I would expect from SA. There would not be a need for multiple convertibles since it was planned as a later spring launched model. I just can’t justify those cars (#0131 and #0139) sitting around for 4-5 months as knockdown units, knowing they were the first of each body style with future production intentions. The multiple package codes created for each body style supports that thought. It would certainly be nice to see photos of any of these 3 sister cars on arrival or sitting on the lot in their knockdown form. Car #0100 which was the first production GT500 fastback has the fortune of being photographed by numerous media outlets. There are no signs of the other two sister cars since the focus was getting the fastback completed and marketed to the public ASAP. There are no photos at LAX in the build phase or engineering development phase on any of the 3 sister cars. Yes, I believe Dave Freidman did leave Shelby American at the end of 1965, but still there are no photos of the 4 ’66 GT350 convertibles despite the future intentions. Freidman might be the person who took photos of the last prototypes built in late ’65 (the ‘66 vinyl roof car and the ’66 supercharged car). After that, prototypes photos from SA are nowhere to be found. Maybe I am missing something, but what other obscure prototypes were there from late ‘65 onward from LAX?
Certainly any vintage photo of (#0131 or #0139) getting built, driven, or tested would limit all of these discussions. I disagree that CS & others were unusually silent specifically about #0139. I recall most of CS interviews focused on the racing teams or how he helped Ford build a performance version of the “Secretary Mustang”. There was a video interview where he discussed the 1967 convertible. It’ s been quite a few years since I’ve seen it, but I recall him mention it was loaned to someone and stolen from their apartment building. That would indicate the car was completed and drivable prior to the ’68 fiberglass installation. The insurance papers filed afterward conveniently detail all the needed parts for the ’68 transformation. Another interview with Fred Goodell mentioned the same story in more detail. Fred notes it was parked overnight at the apartment when stolen. It was stripped very clean and rebuilt after the theft. Another clear indication it was a completed car prior to this incident.
I agree adding #0001 to this conversation is not productive. It comes across vindictive. The MM article is an older issue with some misinformation, it happens. Certainly the Shelby community is continuing to find new details about the entire story of 1967 model year. After my post last night two SAAC members emailed me. They also believe #0139 was completed in 1967 styling, but are fearful of posting for fear of repercussions from the SAAC concours community. One person was very intent of the documents as more than just circumstantial. It is sad our fellow enthusiasts are hesitant to post their viewpoints for fear of backlash. This morning Brian emailed me indicating he does NOT know Tony, but is thankful for his support and also for my post. It’s his choice not to join back up on the forum.
I’m glad Brian built #0139 originally in the ’68 fiberglass as the media / marketed introduction to the ’68 styling. The photos of it with the serialized 1967 fastback #0463 also in the ’68 fiberglass were neat to see paired together for that past point in history. His additional effort and expensive to re-restore it after he found the additional documents was surprising. He didn’t follow the easy path and he must have known some of the resistance he was going to face. I think the car restored in the earliest completed version was the right choice.