George Watters and I were recently discussing Hi-Performance Motors' first dealership location and he reminded me that he had taken a few photos of it in December 1979. He then mailed the date stamped photos to me and I noticed that they included views of the side and the back of the building that probably very few people here had ever seen before. The middle view below is two photographs that I stitched together to show the entire length of the building from a 45 degree angle. I then noticed (for the first time) the 'little block house' on the left side of the building. One of his photos even showed the back door of it! His story had been printed in the Shelby American some time ago, but it did not include a photo of that block house on the side or the back door on it. It would really be amazing if anyone here may have some information on what that room was actually used for when the dealership was in this building. I felt that a retelling of this amazing story would be a real treat for newer members. I've told George that in my opinion, this story is actually an important piece of modern Shelby American history!
Also (for those who don't know) credit for designing the iconic HPM logo goes to Pete Brock. It is just one of his many brilliant designs.
Kieth Champine
Here are George's words about 'The Logo':
At the time (1979) I worked in Hollywood, not too far from the first Hi-Performance Motors dealership at 1150 S. La Brea Ave. I was curious to see if the building was still here. It had been 14 years since Shelby had moved to the new HPM 2 location on Sepulveda Blvd, which was right around the corner from the LAX factory on West Imperial Highway. As I drove up to the building, I was shocked to see that the original Hi-Performance Motors logo was still attached to the front of the building! Two sections of it were missing. The building had a FOR SALE sign on it and I wrote down the telephone number. When I got back to work I called it and explained to the man that answered the phone what had been at the location years before. He said, "I own the building and I was the person that leased it to Carroll Shelby." He said that he knew all about Shelby and his cars. He told me that he was probably going to tear the building down. I asked about the logo on the front of the building and he said he remembered when it went up. I asked if I could buy it for a couple hundred dollars and he said I could, as long as I took it down. I sent him a check.
The following Sunday, early in the morning, I drove my '65 GT 350 #467 down and took a few pictures of the car under the logo. A couple of friends drove their pickup truck with some tools and a ladder and helped out. We backed the truck under the logo and put the ladder up. Unfortunately the logo was almost flush against the building and we could not get our tools in back of it. I got up on the roof of the building and leaned over but still could not get any of the logo off. The only thing left to do was to break it up into pieces. It was made out of a hard plastic so I took a hammer and broke it apart figuring that when I got home I could put back together like a puzzle, then glue it and make a backing to attach it to. When I got home, I spread it out and all of the pieces were there and did fit together. I figured that sometime in the future I would work on it. That sometime in the future never came. I put all of the pieces in one of the many large walk-in cabinets in my garage and forgot about it.
It has now been 41 years since the original story appeared in the Shelby American, and over time I have been asked more than once about the sign, so I guess I should finish the story. Unfortunately, it does not have a good ending. Over the years it was never moved from its original location in the walk-in cabinet and things got put in front of it so nobody would have even known the pieces were there. Years later I moved and I was not the one that did the final walk thru in the garage cabinets to make sure that nothing was left behind. Unfortunately it was still there somewhere and whoever found it would have never known of its importance. I'm sure they figured it was just junk!
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/52-210420183437.jpeg)
Note the two different colors of the logo still clearly visible on the building in George's photo, and as seen in this famous original ad for the first dealership:
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/52-230420122309.jpeg)
In this small gray ad below, I added that light greenish color to the upper right of the logo. It was originally a black & white magazine ad, but I think it's so cool because it looks like a white contrail behind that 'rocket like' logo:
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/52-230420122411.jpeg)
Thanks for posting - I love Pete Brock's design work.
I wonder what the process was like back then? That's a pretty "out there" logo. Seems to me the Shelby gave Brock a lot of creative leeway.
- Phillip
Great!! Thank you for posting! I miss the George Watters posts from the first forum. A lot of great information was lost.
Gone replaced https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0544343,-118.3435297,3a,49.1y,118.62h,83.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgmdIDwaB2NfjHIxNZiZxng!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1150+N+La+Brea+Ave,+West+Hollywood,+CA+90038/@34.0543215,-118.3430407,79m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c2bf285bb3452b:0x1001ed32a7710d63!8m2!3d34.0923907!4d-118.3437094?hl=en
What a fantastic post! I love the history lesson this story provides. Too bad George wasn't able to remove the sign in one piece, so sad how it ended. Just amazing that the original sign still existed on the building after all those years. Thanks for keeping history alive for us.
Spectacular! Great story from a really nice guy – George Watters. And, as always, KOP worked wonders in the way the photos are stitched and marked for easy viewing. Thanks to both!
I don't wish to sidetrack this, but doesn't George have a story involving the food truck at Shelby American? Maybe another topic could be created for that.
Steve
Great story and thanks for sharing
This was cool, thanks
Great job Keith!
George also points out another salient observation about the two HPM dealerships.
HPM 1 on La Brea Ave. was named "Carroll Shelby & Lew Spencer's Hi-Performance Motors, Inc." but HPM 2 on Sepulveda Blvd. was named only "Carroll Shelby's Hi-Performance Motors, Inc."
That's an easy detail to gloss over, but it's an important and interesting one, I think. Before I met George, what I knew about these dealerships wouldn't fill a thimble. Learning so much about them from him has been one of the most rewarding aspects in my quest for all things in Shelby American history!
Another great story from George!
Speaking of HPM stuff...I purchased the estate of Ray Wolff recently who was the General Manager of HPM. Here are a few neat little HPM pieces!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s6FS6R74-Py7tA8M5PBrinOBuQQS1BTjx4vTh8u_1H6TkzByJ8kyOOq3ff-oKYYIHf7eeVtqmNsWk4VTezRZCIKnq1duffvlHzXkKB1OnKSyMN6H1wR_HnD8xCOJS2ls6pL9EEKfJdYkAOnX5z3VPV9i9GinajTYkzlNLcqIMLtF-xNrutT3Bj5GA6uujMPa72vMjuMB_twBhD3VSicJyml2njmay208DiTZvtY_LO_9Vx3nnK5ZnuESyr1jVO4jAxo_OroLerTXJvyZMvAtOrt8n3ZZXmed8mkEbFT9Kpy6Q2ZRwhiNY9gZWR6M0zNhMuNxvCRF5-gDWvJwqLftP5O5mCOmGGIcPq-tKoCany02MImJ2YRe9TXiLwFWXOjj6rZw_kIiqIfW-poVyRvAIg49BZ0vBH5raO6rT0D9ZbqwCDdXp6FFWViHxxmkkry6zP-pp_5_NygXzfeuTjaQF0p1pgx4KMnegxELDeMsQ0HVhqDTs4SSXEUkhHdXv6tiKqudqn3bf8EKn0QQm0bNfD2RkwPofZ4EE5if0EPafC4rw9eA_wYAA4n7euJ9o6rwgMq1aS7ZljvgIG0kRuKYk8FH42VStm22zWWaMttHCZjAOiEVAHDFZoDuJBRSPIkpaQd95rg5r3BsvOyZ2SClJA3904Tl43QOEUTkLQi4TZYOK6IhJosIMQzuNDF67Q=s970-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QoILcny2DAWH7u12R0OOvFaDOfbrq5_pKVg3ndxIHfHgElP282qBVrnAKDEb0_ka1vVWUfw_9zEQbJXO_rUt88EwleYcrj1HlT6_rXmPjfV-gAwLdVt7HJ8ZEdz9gEnOVH8ILwcrdONo0FW27N4hpKA8O-kVvGbw3UWu8l_9DgUUSD2a8W6Y4_F5_EmBdxd0fqosPYcrmPeLUzSs2CjC6OPe-hsMH0YP7o5q4_ryIaM75yX7R9JGKnZ9OcGbQwydzUIdsJtDPicc5qgEmWInOYJGF6fJUEbsop2mXIzdUVd2T9VgZwijoEAnNXivkcYm6scjITJnI3NINAO120kE8bPtLH-pcXmAYTOcSQ1B9D1x9VLSl7_VBHKKjgWrhHacfkrnSFoAOoWWLmeTQjJMfXVGZullleHPFtT7Yw1bagn4BAwa7MKh1t5q_YHMRT8Df9S1GQ0st3L0hTE1mOUSXcfIqe61vZxHN3OuZC0mKi49m8hc3gRI9UjqrfkeRzPV5mJI0K1TkGI_u6WdiRpkRvjPlqOFL7BF_RV0NyG8E7ULZ0ZdXNy__20-UprOhyG-C_n40PKsjAwB9AjpkKPxh54EEqggKGZRdXN6FWuTCP8yExQ5RdMh592K6MNuvb1DIuNXb0S8CysVoeG3fhNgXFHgjld39KwSJ7I_D8nvG64QMaCiGDDc68tXeZR0FA=w727-h969-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t_q_qjmftuq1D7imDeRWImDq9CDH9vHKM-eC8VVOVVh9TlrDxDqpBWFMhY6Dzi9AAfqC_AnErgTnV-genR0O_dB3HF99h8Da5BlSGMTO5RgynSO2PSfxg5hcH_6psrtcV0NdDKQFS4knwbgBgNieaHFrFeoQ49cXqPBDnUzh0XiFL3pHHkKkiQKykf5g-tWCfH2eQhLyXAVuBg1-0z4HLqiO1xX_xBSU2AqeWLKjFdkYczTgN5GMDZ-FGabnuCzhqu58dkzoNHJoa2smrpIgaEQdVddyPMIqlx353lF-1AYataFNShEvG0fyG0I2Rcz0n2FZaCMfThmOrXqUHlCU6AGoSmKBrkkCOGQVWreG6lPlDaWZPfJqCFb1pcTSMlSze2FS23BlP64Yclr4dBMQpPcYYPxfPva2T-k6pUauxBpqSY1At8S2wvu4jUexHaSeAqfCyKogbB2CLZsfVdA6Xr84rnDH8Unj7lD3J9_01KB2dZX7W1Vj3oDD_4RdAfmcfkOeE-4VfijRLyRgZs9xs8F05GYAbUQ2HJ6BKI3ea0YrmNN6Z22IylzHWrxJXEt04QkPhRyvQttn6E3tN-fA4qETK2nk4o4u3dFAOwtgyoSSgcVWwwnLvZAxjG_3VYPDTkdy5dcbb76P5LLKA9xAmBASN4qcFPaQL4CbeVVWBjO20MVoDKwvi7t3xeF3xA=w727-h969-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/n-t5k13wT0A7Itu9_1Wiia_-IO-XdXZ_HCJ9yNa70TWWbmsMVJsKBnnEBfgFdu4bP8opFa7dpHmnwYGa7czo3LjwY3Umo-lMlDcdz9XFtiSc0UM8feKfgChlbpjrPSgjSWx_bF31qyq569U2hQHHX73KNas0TexV_6J4A-TAqsbUMO-ApDTH26mQnmOsiX_Egcla5OLvpryHtP59ZBGJBWCb474RmILxhNsDLyqHNpIIH87WairLH-cqX0mbBBrxl0J_eZyBpZtuJW2mRNZkyhuLfrpOqqlB9oR-WQnXQKqjtlC7_nO_O1rMzU_OZB2RP3z5sh2rnYXeVeQwCOWe8Gj4UcjICEiYmMhqo7RPe6oXAJqcS0dPkTU-9MzdUYHkTZTWwC1ca2WQYWEhgfpzXAT_q4uenq_MGocBBXhAqn4J-WveDh86p7y4yCcJh5N_-zHLkURA84IgLwql53XKSN0HnhH3yTIs-puvBcuZfVI5bcyHcF_jMpEJjMiCKin_jfPywGvE70GCwX5j3a4VPrp8ED7jSqC90i4ddPL6GKucNFpuM62cLrcQQRQxt66qyQtNFs2AP7tCpHaA6jpTzSE95X3t_L437uXqaUwlMf6FGGUxRySlAiYU5hH0V9S1CbrfBICoFnJ6IVRsbBOXkCG-s3hTh2NJ5yhynxOY1sPfb_HSboc_ZXzE2zZMfuucPrUMRYruG1icYP3_j0vqR2c-jm8RvEmRN0t_BSNHOUTqZJ3wm1ndJFY=s970-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RSvvDDoZr1pdKM5YA9gmWVqlDDjogO-qbh-UAmcPXV3hYTRByMGU5zuXfHQX4bv1XxK5aoy_yH4PCOK-DF8J79E8bXC_cyKYKyJE44-OseIq1eCq9-IQYwZyH2nMrFjt_yi3viw3f0rU0W07kwRXMWcobbOCZ1UWQbKM3S0cNIYOlCWY3Z7IqgYbgAPgK0ZhhasvaTeGKfVtr2Fvuc-us3cASg44pFBFKyDo9Udxw5uygI6TSa-X3TaEbqllr5bUk9YPhfoVRXGAM76vQXKcJRwvQqv6zayHEg-10mufC_P7or5HFzzmViliWtkN-CBkNzHj3_x8WxVeqau5sV8CQ3hFUfkXDzM4Ksxp7dUsxDV5znqKG-8xN8Xsh4Nh8loTAosgAiGdGTeV5zlKdqyZAeEEZ0iwzXVTmYq96wzkHSKCO2aVxrI6-q4wbAAhadcwllSg5a7v5uPxw01-2LhBsu6OcrI0zK2xYGOA20U_QOaN6NfYlnLA_-b9FQU0nitVf1IUkTYb1RaNaXGYDxG9qOY2j0o0IwB5GjX92jXXmp3tlB3Bhnm7R45RNEVlCQtUuP0rhVOzcGmM6c7_nm1boIVPnB2YDiQAnmm8KWQju6aCnMvz_YW1sRsJfpbPxymUOVlYGOkcDBzfusTCmS5hZ6i0vKcpPP4N-GZASN7UCn9T-ooZoDsLeNvAC52nquqVFF5ubBxc5DfXb4a95k0hyXGXtC2886zgs9NXVXcHPDyZBZFvFeyKOxc=s970-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_00RVIjlom6tQddiTFgIE46X6sFeEkFaiKczYGnPsLnJOzJ_a1mTdqzUHHf8sFTRmt23Szy3uBnVhVinwsl2MdVnil-1pJ9STT_kLBgpfufbDuJlloCjhUAOtYuwUQDGAx_UvicVCI59-mM8I4ycvRK0I1cvVHYfpYnl8JuW9vRUmbyM5Kbgd0gzhqJ8GJOUqZtLK5LO9yermou7uDJi_I5uY2AKuzF80s6tFwP9vxSwof44w2gF2N63RWkZaqlYROOid7qkAv6q690GlC6RMyqk2Tg0mz92OKVQPrtLXWq_MlNLqI6Fwhy03-_12VZzxu0xI8M1PtUFdkGPOXmdT82ayVN5bZmEGOn3PaOEe6JbEAkTUqi380UDhiHJ0_vfGsx4fANzYpSFRPmuQ0S10O2fJgcp7x0Ae1dDgLqdSX2pp7qxjjZgP7XXrQZAa8DehgxAMwpJ1Y5L-9OI-roaMdSFMlNcnE0ILl-SPhEtH9a2Q6m_f8AMsIOwCMsMcyXJEkD46rSXBuUyM8ujfwSmhlIQ772DJjYUWX1dT_3A1kobPEjnoq_XVTw77rX5nWBqSseyhEWjWOMlBZklBnrUGDSnqumB5AfHo0ySI8GptcYM77nMwyHjEJRyqqbgw1YftxoBPRkhctZZYCf2hthCuaaEfTh64p9sJqf-VYkvj9XpJoPCEim4hz8bVpxGaqwrIE4MVVbF20MofOdk39B86oEZ9cyyMdLGzzumMOKBKKTEf1JiNSTE6e4=s357-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ivXeAx0W2icuNL-ayW3DctQJ-DYVEZp5Hr0zAk7wi7rWkRnCHLeDsWelGYsBkN-KcpJKdsAlb1cqfjOX1Oj-XlWIKDCBH18hmJc4Js1BEgy00soOs9t0lIhSVXzqWFxTnkWT4Y3l6nIuuXjsNpO8YMuprD8CSATPkAUQNPDi1MY3RmGWcWmWf8rAsNSKKKo-o2009qEDvxNRyV0umh4ghuCBNGncR42fvMK1LOEqQfRb3Ty5bzffeu_-KuMqGhf2o9cIn2Wak-AD9OGShLW3Ke6ZmHRw-ZZbViBRB1_NCSXt05PlxNfX_T6Wg3m5_SB-M77khXi-pDYMwT90m3XwULxLv8l1ZP90Bt_dSJuEKbHwufIb_Kkb0mrA2cKFx6m68t0pgdtiJDdABhxZs6xYAwL_3trB4jwpIJSg5hP6NDTH-yzG9_0lBNuYJ59d3Gc1XWFsmZHqmyXRXzXJfs9Pg2xMbTQ4KCJcrGhhx-PySla36oyTHTBORnOf9QrEQyeVBi3D2dqkkEtU4JQorqBswUWboFn--h3EB0-qjlYQKiYIVMwqI5MfdkrC31ajLtbmpHYLTlju5dASvRL7LKjqR4EiCRCV7etrsq2qxitFbbHLL83F06kxsBkHde5Xr9QEV7A3qyEQ4U7bCrJvmhhhtqXwT2nVSyI4sfqeIOCSDH6I4a7xIQxUOTf0hoBzew=w727-h969-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WqAngTH7Qw0WDX4PPG-zv49XGtf1qH5dd7Qlglv7eukRs9ArO2HHlc7EwZAxuX_UKgTxlvRiIYEbFfcFUwKMEYj4-uEChL4rrfKA1LgOrdROWXUzW6ezfZkLABLcqGKokbycbu6cyqLUGgxN-Vx4oASjRRfu6Gv4gndkn5SubP232yCV6Ahr0Wm_Yn5ClFCRWiMDXmN5ZbA88tXQl1H_3fQCixhFmeBxcktJPu25dLJevKYmfVizplYG-3MPGVqcVHnfVGaTJN4-cKQoSMNn_gWJwoxN-L3ltXRRjvDl5gGKYAG-qzUFuGa0ej8CHkY_lKC4Q1ttzVLSeckl2AI28wU1q9gk1IBd2uRxKmxNBGXsd4pvR8ryDYltSiXiI8541HYS1kKDHqswewe9LqbG851h2Fe9cFvI0bVPc7mpIK7pCSvpKbzH6_6bnV1tuWWAf4hnqU2mzEFCM5B8r3zJn5t39OvG-PXNH7IEX4nV5dxL1AwTA94fC8Dk0GUIUQWj1u86q7dUTYc2cp4lExZxD2kAhk3UxLGth1xz6w-CXqWi0iMXIQtibqGrPqrcU6ehTpZrKDN-DJNt6QwUXz7YGx6r1xhblF9iQCTqFNQVRC8Z_Ri4g3ysLlf9fSMztrgDUSfaiJUkn9KzUvzTHzCGVKC3eAMZ2KVoGUrSUTK6ANStcU8mr2EBnPIc71MAyQ=w727-h969-no)
As many know, HPM was also a big retailer of Tigers...i had never seen this license plate before..
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/X0GmNT2hSccmaibUHuN9H2olbEWdhhKw1wL6peyJNlgwWDx1yvGzDBxZ74xtFU52kRauO34kZinUY2nPHOZwzqZb3kspeXBO3jtkJ3KysKi2aF1VPfvRFmwneX5EMpgd-J0JiKrrcDG8pftrRIsZddFtqMvNF_pzmpVBSMCPt_vBMUHAHuncBf-CKx5tJphCMvA6_rrrVA-EEzUfKLfwe5BRqaWg87VIBR6DH3q151C0zO4fryhmYZVUzd1sKqw_4l4BaI0UaJa7xriw6AALi3PPv3NZ2rO05sf31vdFRu2c6BRHUj3VAkTYj2McGvnCRtStopUVHXSRQ6KfZsOOwl0-idwC9_2i2BrOKhjJIXRGaBTz8w_y9ckJ-BsTtLreHgiYOZskEh66-UZaXQHLuEWKIcs_I2i2zzLuLjCCEUeRVQ77V7fvrrrq2kfqoq_JrKRIGUF4C6tFjzzHCjZxfGQjmbEnMcK7aLvXIQ0vSrxUsPegNhq5XrMFHPrFFaUkg36_p1ttK7srMO85idJV7Z2xwiWOhoJ96M9PMB-8NvVlqUoNvrRfEAkCX3eSjuepH5lxTJNc5zhFX_665-s4xtFx23bE_qXTKnYg2DTPlPTLyfEwpQCtpYIzzio2IqTmc7jCzNw0z1llq0leFgVSPwTQUDjvkdZse0zarHw-bJH3e4QohNuE26aAhX3bFQ=w727-h969-no)
Quote from: SFM6S087 on April 24, 2020, 03:55:41 AM
I don't wish to sidetrack this, but doesn't George have a story involving the food truck at Shelby American? Maybe another topic could be created for that.
Steve
Oh boy Steve, that
IS another cool story, isn't it? And the circumstances that brought it about is another epic tale of serendipity.
George and I would never want to bore members with stories they may have heard before, but as the years pass and newer members come aboard (and Forums crash :o) we also would not want to let those things pass into forgotten history either.
I shall approach George about it, and Thanks for the suggestion!
Kieth
HPM ad for the Tiger from a Riverside program '64.
Mike
Had never seen that one...awesome ad!
Here's a bunch of Cobras, my file says HPM '68, looks like a '68 Ford wagon in the garage beside the Cobra. Would that be on
Sepulveda in that time frame ? I think this was up on forum 1 ?
I count 11 Cobras, including the one you can just see the fender, in the foreground.
Mike
Here's another one, looks to be the same day, you can see more of the Cobras against the fence, and a '67 GT500 ! my file say this is #2705 ? ? from the 2011 registry " shipped 7/5/67 to Menlo College...Shelby American company car...assigned to Edsell Ford 11 Factory production order form marked...deliver to Fred Goodell Eng. Dept...del'vd to Menlo College 7/6 Shelby driver.
Mike
so another two Cobras in that back row, that makes it 13, ready for delivery ;)
Kieth, thanks for starting this thread, great story, I hope I'm not diverting from the thrust of the thread with my posts ?
Mike
Quote from: honker on April 24, 2020, 03:04:52 PM
HPM ad for the Tiger from a Riverside program '64.
Mike
(http://www.saacforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=10258.0;attach=42979;image)
Thanks Mike - George had a color version of this one as well!
(http://www.saacforum.com/gallery/52-240420163345.jpeg)
Quote from: honker on April 24, 2020, 03:47:22 PM
Kieth, thanks for starting this thread, great story, I hope I'm not diverting from the thrust of the thread with my posts ?
Mike
Nope, no problem Mike. It's all HPM, so it's all good!
Kieth
Very kool stuff thanks for sharing
Quote from: Vernon Estes on April 24, 2020, 11:18:04 AM
Another great story from George!
Speaking of HPM stuff...I purchased the estate of Ray Wolff recently who was the General Manager of HPM. Here are a few neat little HPM pieces!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s6FS6R74-Py7tA8M5PBrinOBuQQS1BTjx4vTh8u_1H6TkzByJ8kyOOq3ff-oKYYIHf7eeVtqmNsWk4VTezRZCIKnq1duffvlHzXkKB1OnKSyMN6H1wR_HnD8xCOJS2ls6pL9EEKfJdYkAOnX5z3VPV9i9GinajTYkzlNLcqIMLtF-xNrutT3Bj5GA6uujMPa72vMjuMB_twBhD3VSicJyml2njmay208DiTZvtY_LO_9Vx3nnK5ZnuESyr1jVO4jAxo_OroLerTXJvyZMvAtOrt8n3ZZXmed8mkEbFT9Kpy6Q2ZRwhiNY9gZWR6M0zNhMuNxvCRF5-gDWvJwqLftP5O5mCOmGGIcPq-tKoCany02MImJ2YRe9TXiLwFWXOjj6rZw_kIiqIfW-poVyRvAIg49BZ0vBH5raO6rT0D9ZbqwCDdXp6FFWViHxxmkkry6zP-pp_5_NygXzfeuTjaQF0p1pgx4KMnegxELDeMsQ0HVhqDTs4SSXEUkhHdXv6tiKqudqn3bf8EKn0QQm0bNfD2RkwPofZ4EE5if0EPafC4rw9eA_wYAA4n7euJ9o6rwgMq1aS7ZljvgIG0kRuKYk8FH42VStm22zWWaMttHCZjAOiEVAHDFZoDuJBRSPIkpaQd95rg5r3BsvOyZ2SClJA3904Tl43QOEUTkLQi4TZYOK6IhJosIMQzuNDF67Q=s970-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QoILcny2DAWH7u12R0OOvFaDOfbrq5_pKVg3ndxIHfHgElP282qBVrnAKDEb0_ka1vVWUfw_9zEQbJXO_rUt88EwleYcrj1HlT6_rXmPjfV-gAwLdVt7HJ8ZEdz9gEnOVH8ILwcrdONo0FW27N4hpKA8O-kVvGbw3UWu8l_9DgUUSD2a8W6Y4_F5_EmBdxd0fqosPYcrmPeLUzSs2CjC6OPe-hsMH0YP7o5q4_ryIaM75yX7R9JGKnZ9OcGbQwydzUIdsJtDPicc5qgEmWInOYJGF6fJUEbsop2mXIzdUVd2T9VgZwijoEAnNXivkcYm6scjITJnI3NINAO120kE8bPtLH-pcXmAYTOcSQ1B9D1x9VLSl7_VBHKKjgWrhHacfkrnSFoAOoWWLmeTQjJMfXVGZullleHPFtT7Yw1bagn4BAwa7MKh1t5q_YHMRT8Df9S1GQ0st3L0hTE1mOUSXcfIqe61vZxHN3OuZC0mKi49m8hc3gRI9UjqrfkeRzPV5mJI0K1TkGI_u6WdiRpkRvjPlqOFL7BF_RV0NyG8E7ULZ0ZdXNy__20-UprOhyG-C_n40PKsjAwB9AjpkKPxh54EEqggKGZRdXN6FWuTCP8yExQ5RdMh592K6MNuvb1DIuNXb0S8CysVoeG3fhNgXFHgjld39KwSJ7I_D8nvG64QMaCiGDDc68tXeZR0FA=w727-h969-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t_q_qjmftuq1D7imDeRWImDq9CDH9vHKM-eC8VVOVVh9TlrDxDqpBWFMhY6Dzi9AAfqC_AnErgTnV-genR0O_dB3HF99h8Da5BlSGMTO5RgynSO2PSfxg5hcH_6psrtcV0NdDKQFS4knwbgBgNieaHFrFeoQ49cXqPBDnUzh0XiFL3pHHkKkiQKykf5g-tWCfH2eQhLyXAVuBg1-0z4HLqiO1xX_xBSU2AqeWLKjFdkYczTgN5GMDZ-FGabnuCzhqu58dkzoNHJoa2smrpIgaEQdVddyPMIqlx353lF-1AYataFNShEvG0fyG0I2Rcz0n2FZaCMfThmOrXqUHlCU6AGoSmKBrkkCOGQVWreG6lPlDaWZPfJqCFb1pcTSMlSze2FS23BlP64Yclr4dBMQpPcYYPxfPva2T-k6pUauxBpqSY1At8S2wvu4jUexHaSeAqfCyKogbB2CLZsfVdA6Xr84rnDH8Unj7lD3J9_01KB2dZX7W1Vj3oDD_4RdAfmcfkOeE-4VfijRLyRgZs9xs8F05GYAbUQ2HJ6BKI3ea0YrmNN6Z22IylzHWrxJXEt04QkPhRyvQttn6E3tN-fA4qETK2nk4o4u3dFAOwtgyoSSgcVWwwnLvZAxjG_3VYPDTkdy5dcbb76P5LLKA9xAmBASN4qcFPaQL4CbeVVWBjO20MVoDKwvi7t3xeF3xA=w727-h969-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/n-t5k13wT0A7Itu9_1Wiia_-IO-XdXZ_HCJ9yNa70TWWbmsMVJsKBnnEBfgFdu4bP8opFa7dpHmnwYGa7czo3LjwY3Umo-lMlDcdz9XFtiSc0UM8feKfgChlbpjrPSgjSWx_bF31qyq569U2hQHHX73KNas0TexV_6J4A-TAqsbUMO-ApDTH26mQnmOsiX_Egcla5OLvpryHtP59ZBGJBWCb474RmILxhNsDLyqHNpIIH87WairLH-cqX0mbBBrxl0J_eZyBpZtuJW2mRNZkyhuLfrpOqqlB9oR-WQnXQKqjtlC7_nO_O1rMzU_OZB2RP3z5sh2rnYXeVeQwCOWe8Gj4UcjICEiYmMhqo7RPe6oXAJqcS0dPkTU-9MzdUYHkTZTWwC1ca2WQYWEhgfpzXAT_q4uenq_MGocBBXhAqn4J-WveDh86p7y4yCcJh5N_-zHLkURA84IgLwql53XKSN0HnhH3yTIs-puvBcuZfVI5bcyHcF_jMpEJjMiCKin_jfPywGvE70GCwX5j3a4VPrp8ED7jSqC90i4ddPL6GKucNFpuM62cLrcQQRQxt66qyQtNFs2AP7tCpHaA6jpTzSE95X3t_L437uXqaUwlMf6FGGUxRySlAiYU5hH0V9S1CbrfBICoFnJ6IVRsbBOXkCG-s3hTh2NJ5yhynxOY1sPfb_HSboc_ZXzE2zZMfuucPrUMRYruG1icYP3_j0vqR2c-jm8RvEmRN0t_BSNHOUTqZJ3wm1ndJFY=s970-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RSvvDDoZr1pdKM5YA9gmWVqlDDjogO-qbh-UAmcPXV3hYTRByMGU5zuXfHQX4bv1XxK5aoy_yH4PCOK-DF8J79E8bXC_cyKYKyJE44-OseIq1eCq9-IQYwZyH2nMrFjt_yi3viw3f0rU0W07kwRXMWcobbOCZ1UWQbKM3S0cNIYOlCWY3Z7IqgYbgAPgK0ZhhasvaTeGKfVtr2Fvuc-us3cASg44pFBFKyDo9Udxw5uygI6TSa-X3TaEbqllr5bUk9YPhfoVRXGAM76vQXKcJRwvQqv6zayHEg-10mufC_P7or5HFzzmViliWtkN-CBkNzHj3_x8WxVeqau5sV8CQ3hFUfkXDzM4Ksxp7dUsxDV5znqKG-8xN8Xsh4Nh8loTAosgAiGdGTeV5zlKdqyZAeEEZ0iwzXVTmYq96wzkHSKCO2aVxrI6-q4wbAAhadcwllSg5a7v5uPxw01-2LhBsu6OcrI0zK2xYGOA20U_QOaN6NfYlnLA_-b9FQU0nitVf1IUkTYb1RaNaXGYDxG9qOY2j0o0IwB5GjX92jXXmp3tlB3Bhnm7R45RNEVlCQtUuP0rhVOzcGmM6c7_nm1boIVPnB2YDiQAnmm8KWQju6aCnMvz_YW1sRsJfpbPxymUOVlYGOkcDBzfusTCmS5hZ6i0vKcpPP4N-GZASN7UCn9T-ooZoDsLeNvAC52nquqVFF5ubBxc5DfXb4a95k0hyXGXtC2886zgs9NXVXcHPDyZBZFvFeyKOxc=s970-no)
George through Kieth:
Just cannot thank you both enough for George sharing and Kieth for bringing to us this absolutely essential SAI history. The former (now lost) thread was IMO the biggest singular treasure lost. To whatever degree any parts of it can be reconstituted, and saved, is of incalculable value to our hobby for us and those who follow.
We are almost down to sole-source contacts for this type of original or near-original attributable information.
A most minor vignette on a 'day-in-the-life' at HPM is the transaction regarding the purchase of my car 5S339: The original owner (I am second owner) had a new black 1965 271HP 4sp 2+2 when he drove by HPM on the way home from work and the cars caught his eye. After stopping and 'getting the bug' he returned and traded in his slightly used HIPO 2+2 for a slightly used 'company' GT-350. His dealings were w Lew Spencer directly and the GT-350 was a driver used by his then wife, Faith, who also worked at HPM. Years later I discussed this in detail w Lew. FWIW Lew & Faith in the HPM days lived on Cheviot and Motor.
I never figured to ask Bill, the original owner, why he just didn't have his car updated w 'Cobra Kits', et al, by HPM at the time instead. Nobody was buying these as an investment then, in fact Lew commented that they had a hard time moving them.
One other 'super-anal' piece of HPM trivia: 5S339 has one of the near sequential HPM CA license plates NQR 8XX which really helps with the timeline regarding ops at HPM.
Steve A
Thanks, camp upshur, for the additional details. Cheviot at Motor was, and still is, a beautiful affluent area of rolling hills and lovely 1930s-1950s era houses. It is in West L.A.
Hello,
after a longer time not visiting the Forum i am very glad there is a Thread from you two guys.
Thanks for sharing Memory from the past with aknowlege from the present.
i save a pic from an old Visitcard from HPM 1...
Greets from Germany
Stephan
(https://abload.de/img/post-22209-0-51867700l5k5r.jpg) (https://abload.de/image.php?img=post-22209-0-51867700l5k5r.jpg)
Here's one from the '67 Shelby introduction.
Quote from: camp upshur on April 25, 2020, 05:08:18 PM
George through Kieth:
Just cannot thank you both enough for George sharing and Kieth for bringing to us this absolutely essential SAI history. The former (now lost) thread was IMO the biggest singular treasure lost. To whatever degree any parts of it can be reconstituted, and saved, is of incalculable value to our hobby for us and those who follow.
We are almost down to sole-source contacts for this type of original or near-original attributable information.
Steve A
Steve A,
Thanks for the kind words, it's very nice to know that it meant so much to others too. Speaking for myself, the loss of the George Watters Collection had quite an impact on me. I really felt back then that all the time and effort we put into it was worth it because it would be there for posterity, you know? I saw it as our contribution to Shelby American history that could always be accessed by future generations. Yes, I realize now how naive that was. It's what I call a harsh 'life lesson.'
Thank goodness I still have all the scanned photographs, but George's words and the comments and reactions of the members are all lost. And those were as much a part of the story as the photos themselves. I got jaded by the loss of Forum 1.0 - you know, the old "burn me once" thing. Once enough time had passed though, I noticed that I would still get a spark of enthusiasm now and then, but I felt I had to rein it in. It's not like I'm sitting around pouting or anything - things happen, I get it. But I also don't find myself wanting to plunge in headfirst again on another full time effort like that either.
As you can see by our recent HPM1 post though, the excitement of a new discovery or revelation can still pull me right back into posting mode. But I keep at arms length to avoid another colossal disappointment like the last time.
Thanks for letting me vent. And again, much appreciation from George and I for all of your appreciative comments over the years. It's something we all got to experience together here, and that was very cool. One thing that always keeps me excited though, is the proof from past experience knowledge that we are all going to see something new this year that we have never seen before. That has happened time and time again. We've "seen it all" right? And then that French video of LAX falls out of the sky! THAT's what keeps the fire lit for me.
I want to add here too, that despite the sad demise of 1.0, the SAAC Forum in and of itself is an
incredible mechanism for sharing. I have learned so much from it that it is invaluable to me. And truth be told, I have acquired some of the closest friends I have thru it. That's an amazing thing to me, and proof of its value right there.
Thanks again,
Kieth
PS - Oh, and Steve A, a VERY cool story about your 5S339, it's original owner and HPM 1. Thanks for sharing it. How would we all have ever learned that except thru this Forum?
When I need to save and document information published on a web page, I have found it's useful to print the page to a PDF.
You loose some but the essential text and photos are archived.
I don't know what copyrights are involved but for personal reference it's a tool
jim p
Quote from: SFM66H on April 29, 2020, 09:35:39 AM
Quote from: camp upshur on April 25, 2020, 05:08:18 PM
George through Kieth:
Just cannot thank you both enough for George sharing and Kieth for bringing to us this absolutely essential SAI history. The former (now lost) thread was IMO the biggest singular treasure lost. To whatever degree any parts of it can be reconstituted, and saved, is of incalculable value to our hobby for us and those who follow.
We are almost down to sole-source contacts for this type of original or near-original attributable information.
Steve A
Steve A,
Thanks for the kind words, it's very nice to know that it meant so much to others too. Speaking for myself, the loss of the George Watters Collection had quite an impact on me. I really felt back then that all the time and effort we put into it was worth it because it would be there for posterity, you know? I saw it as our contribution to Shelby American history that could always be accessed by future generations. Yes, I realize now how naive that was. It's what I call a harsh 'life lesson.'
Thank goodness I still have all the scanned photographs, but George's words and the comments and reactions of the members are all lost. And those were as much a part of the story as the photos themselves. I got jaded by the loss of Forum 1.0 - you know, the old "burn me once" thing. Once enough time had passed though, I noticed that I would still get a spark of enthusiasm now and then, but I felt I had to rein it in. It's not like I'm not sitting around pouting or anything - things happen, I get it. But I also don't find myself wanting to plunge in headfirst again on another full time effort like that either.
As you can see by our recent HPM1 post though, the excitement of a new discovery or revelation can still pull me right back into posting mode. But I keep at arms length to avoid another colossal disappointment like the last time.
Thanks for letting me vent. And again, much appreciation from George and I for all of your appreciative comments over the years. It's something we all got to experience together here, and that was very cool. One thing that always keeps me excited though, is the proof from past experience knowledge that we are all going to see something new this year that we have never seen before. That has happened time and time again. We've "seen it all" right? And then that French video of LAX falls out of the sky! THAT's what keeps the fire lit for me.
I want to add here too, that despite the sad demise of 1.0, the SAAC Forum in and of itself is an incredible mechanism for sharing. I have learned so much from it that it is invaluable to me. And truth be told, I have acquired some of the closest friends I have thru it. That's an amazing thing to me, and proof of its value right there.
Thanks again,
Kieth
PS - Oh, and Steve A, a VERY cool story about your 5S339, it's original owner and HPM 1. Thanks for sharing it. How would we all have ever learned that except thru this Forum?
Love the history and photographs - Thank you!
Quote from: honker on April 24, 2020, 03:41:47 PM
Here's another one, looks to be the same day, you can see more of the Cobras against the fence, and a '67 GT500 ! my file say this is #2705 ? ? from the 2011 registry " shipped 7/5/67 to Menlo College...Shelby American company car...assigned to Edsell Ford 11 Factory production order form marked...deliver to Fred Goodell Eng. Dept...del'vd to Menlo College 7/6 Shelby driver.
Mike
so another two Cobras in that back row, that makes it 13, ready for delivery ;)
Same background building. Original was probably taken where parking structure is now. The street has been renamed Pacific Coast Highway and turns back into Sepulveda a block north of here.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9285489,-118.3968876,168a,35y,39.49t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0
I remember going to HPM, circa '65, and being aghast at all the used Cobras parked out front with inches of rain water laying on their tonneau covers.