SAAC Forum

Thanks to a paper item that Vern offered for sale a while ago, we know that S-A had an office at 8405 Pershing Dr, Playa del Rey, CA 90291.  It is close to the backside of LAX. (I will post a pix of that paper item as soon as the SAAC server allows photo uploads again.)

I know quite a bit about that area, as we lived within a couple blocks of that address in 1961.  Of course, Shelby wasn't likely occupying it that early in S-A history time.  Also, the fact that there is a zip code in the address means it was no earlier than July 1963 (when zip codes began.)

Would be really fun to know where Carroll lived during that time.  The Playa del Rey area was very nice and overlooked the ocean.

Here's a pix and map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/8405+Pershing+Dr,+Playa+Del+Rey,+CA+90293/@33.9572871,-118.442991,3a,75y,230.88h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1YZSN6e1rgmUeYILjRKPCQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c2b06084f14fe1:0xd59f6a959afa5338!8m2!3d33.9570879!4d-118.4432657

Directions from 8405 Pershing to 6501 W. Imperial.  Less than 4 miles.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/8405+Pershing+Dr,+Playa+Del+Rey,+CA+90293/6501+West+Imperial+Highway,+El+Segundo,+CA/@33.9440259,-118.4372578,14z/am=t/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x80c2b06084f14fe1:0xd59f6a959afa5338!2m2!1d-118.4432657!2d33.9570879!1m5!1m1!1s0x80c2b13120295fb5:0x7bcde969f594a3a6!2m2!1d-118.401614!2d33.9324982!3e0

Wow.

https://abc7.com/pets-animals/fearless-great-grandma-kills-cobra-in-her-pennsylvania-yard/5362544/

I knew him, and he was a helluva great guy in addition to being the winningest Baja racer of all time.  50 consecutive years of racing there.

The following statement is by Edsel B. Ford II:

Rod Hall was an off-road racing icon and pioneer. From an overall win in the 1969 Baja 1000 driving a Ford Bronco to racing the Baja 1000 fifty times to raising a multi-generation racing family, he is to be honored for his tremendous grit, driving prowess and leadership. Rod holds a special place in Ford Motor Company's motorsports heritage. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Hall family.

Gotta love this...
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/couple-takes-family-photos-with-supercharger-for-their-mustang-because-thats-their-baby-211828291.html

Not mine. Not affiliated.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Shelby-Cobra-License-Plates/253990478826?hash=item3b230323ea:g:ENcAAOSwcapb8yNb

I have the "Cobra Le Mans" valve covers that were on my KR's 427 side-oiler when I bought it in 1982.  Removed them in '83 when the engine went BANG.

I have recently been thinking about putting the covers on the KR's current aluminum side-oiler.   Or on my Kirkham's similar side-oiler.

Question:  Were these originally on a '67 GT500?  Cobra?  KR?   Or, just available as a separate S-A part?
 
Mine have been electroplated chrome (or chromed by some other method) and painted black in between the ribs.  I realize that probably wasn't original.

They are cast with "Shelby American Inc. S7MS6582".

One cover has the round breather grommet C7AE-6A892-A

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

MONTEREY, Calif., April 17, 2019 – The return of Trans Am racing to the Monterey Peninsula May 3-5 for the Trans Am SpeedFest can't but help bring memorable flashbacks to the late 1960s and early 1970s when sports car racing fans remember names such as Follmer and Gurney, Posey and Jones, and Donohue and Penske dominating road courses. Piloting unfiltered Camaros, Mustang Boss 302s, Javelins, Challengers, Firebirds, and Barracudas around the original 1.9-mile Laguna Seca road course configuration challenged the drivers and thrilled fans.

The inaugural Trans Am race at Laguna Seca that counted toward the series championship was held August 24, 1969, though the Trans-American Sedan Championship – as it was originally known – had competed at the circuit as far back as 1966 during events such as the U.S. Road Racing Championships.

"When Trans Am was in its heyday, we had the factories involved and good people working on them, building them, and driving them," said George Follmer, two-time Trans Am champion (1972 and 1976). "It was very, very competitive. You never knew who would win, because everyone was pretty even. It was hard. All these teams wanted to win, so they found good people to drive them. It was pretty good in '69, '70. It was a dogfight."

The 1969 field was stacked with talent in both the over and under 2-liter groups. Parnelli Jones in the Bud Moore Ford Mustang Boss 302 was running strong until a differential failure put him out on lap 44. Follmer, in the second Bud Moore entry, experienced a wheel failure that forced retirement late in the race on lap 92.

Still going strong at the checkered were Mark Donohue, winning in the Penske-Hilton Camaro, followed by Ed Leslie in another Penske-Hilton Camaro, while Dan Gurney finished on the podium in third in the Shelby Ford Mustang Boss 302.

The Monterey track was so popular that the 1970 Trans Am season kicked off at Laguna Seca in April when Parnelli Jones sprinted ahead in the Bud Moore Ford Mustang Boss 302 to capture victory. Jones covered the 90-lap race by hustling his Mustang around the 1.9-mile course at an average speed of 91.38 mph. He finished ahead of Donohue and Follmer.

In 1971, Trans Am returned to Monterey, but not the big bore V8s. This year only the highly competitive under 2-liter division came to decide its national championship. The all-important championship-deciding race was hotly contested by Horst Kwech in the Alfa Romeo GTV and John Morton in the BRE Datsun 510. When the checkered waved, it was the Alfa that crossed the line first and seemingly capturing the win and championship. Yet, suspicions immediately were raised as to how the orange and blue Alfa could complete the 54-lap race without a single fuel stop.

Hours later, scrutineers discovered the little Alfa had a larger, and illegal, fuel tank, thereby awarding the red, white and blue BRE Datsun with the win and 1971 National championship title.

Following Morton's successful event title defense in 1972, Trans Am was hosted sporadically at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Winners in later years include Greg Pickett (1978 in TA2; 1980), Bob Tullis (1978 and 1979 in TA1), Peter Gregg (1979 in TA2), Follmer (1981), Elliot Forbes-Robinson (1982), Kenny Wilden (2000), Justin Bell (2001) and Tommy Kendall (2004). Notably, Follmer's 1981 victory at age 47 was the great driver's final Trans Am win that provided a bit of redemption two years after a Can-Am crash on the same track nearly ended his career.

"I wasn't going to run there," recalled Follmer. "Those were old IROC cars. I talked Roy [Woods] into buying a couple of them in the anticipation of running Trans Am. His racing partner [Ralph Kent-Cooke] didn't want to do it, so I ran a couple races. I was good friends with Roy – we did a lot of stuff together. I was standing around, and he asked, 'Do you want to want to drive it?' I said, 'Sure.'"

The resurgent Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returns to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after a 15-year absence with professional drivers competing in race-prepped Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers, Corvettes and Vipers in the TA1 and TA2 categories as well as other domestic and foreign makes in GT and SuperGT. Joining "America's Road Racing Series" at Trans Am SpeedFest will be Historic Trans Am among the 12 historic race groups from the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association.

The aluminum stroker FE (482 cubes) in my Kirkham 427 just ate a rocker arm, which in turn messed up the pushrod and cam, of course.

Now trying to figure out the best cam to put in her.

It had a solid lifter conventional cam. I'm thinking about changing to a roller hydraulic like is in my KR. Can't put my hands on those cam specs for the KR, though, so does anyone have a favorite?

My goal is tons of torque from idle to 5000 rpm or so, and a 6000 rpm redline.  Big hp numbers aren't as important, for me, but I'd think with all those cubes I could feasibly get 550-575 hp with the 10.5 compression I'm running.  That's what the solid lifter setup made.

The engine is a Genesis block with Edelbrock heads and a single Holley. 3.54 rear end gears.  TKO 5-speed.

Most use is on the street, but it sees Willow Springs track use twice a year. 

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.  Thanks!

Did I mention that I love torque?

Pretty cool find from the 1930 Census.  Not sure if this has been posted before.
Even the census taker misspelled his name.

Found this old proof sheet in my files from Willow Springs COCOA meet, May 1983.   My pix, but I can't recall who these cars belonged to. 
Anyone?

Just got back from a 2-week trip to Italy. Wore my Shelby hat almost everywhere, including to the Roman Colosseum.

The only interesting cars I saw on the entire trip were two Alfa Spiders...a Series 1 and a Series 2. They were traveling together with a pair of newer Fiats along the Adriatic Coast.

Where have you been recently, and what cool cars have you seen? 

Bonus points for flying your Shelby colors. 

I just saw this info online and don't know if it's already been posted here.
RIP Don Pike.
November 28, 1929 ~ July 28, 2018

https://oconnormortuary.com/obits/donald-roy-pike/

Anyone know whose car this is?  (Appears to possibly be fiberglass, due to type of damage on front fender.)

Happened 5/22/18 on Vista Del Mar in El Segundo (that's just south of LAX, on the coast) Southern California.

https://twitter.com/dept_el/status/999102116907008000

"ESFD personnel just responded to a traffic accident at 302 Vista Del Mar, involving a single vehicle roll-over. Two critical patients were transported via ESFD Paramedic Rescue Ambulances, to a local trauma center. "

I just got this press release from Ford:

DEARBORN, Mich., March 12, 2018 – America's favorite sports car gets even more style and technology for 2019 thanks to the revival of the legendary Mustang GT California Special, new technology features including rev-matching on 5.0-liter manual-equipped models, the first-ever custom-tuned B&O Play premium audio system for Mustang and three new vintage-inspired colors and over-the-top stripes.

"No doubt, 2019 is an exciting year for Mustang enthusiasts, especially fans of our California Special and Bullitt models," said Corey Holter, Ford car group marketing manager. "This year further targets hardcore Mustang enthusiasts who want even more performance from BULLITT, while new technology including rev-matching on manual transmission equipped Mustang GTs and active valve performance exhaust on EcoBoost® models means even more thrills."

California dreaming

When Mustang first hit the streets in 1964, owners clubs sprang up around the country, with many regional dealers creating their own personalized pony car designs. One – inspired by the 1967 Shelby GT notchback coupe prototype – came to be called the California Special.

That original version featured blacked-out grille, fog lamps and a side racing stripe that ended ahead of a new rear fender scoop. It wore a Shelby-inspired spoiler, custom tail lamps and twist-lock hood fasteners. Impressed, Ford put a limited number of California Special cars into production for 1968. Before long, the California Special had joined the ranks of Shelby, Boss and Mach 1 special-edition Mustangs.

Today, the 2019 California Special for Mustang GT is a visual standout, featuring a trademark fading stripe that traces from the 5.0 side badge to the rear fender scoop. A signature Ebony Black and Race Red script California Special badge adorns the trunk lid. At the front, the car follows the blacked-out open grille and picks up the Mustang Performance Pack 1 splitter. The California Special wears unique five-spoke painted machined wheels.

Inside, driver and passengers will discover rich black Miko® suede-trimmed seats with embossed GT/CS insignia and contrast red accent stitching, and custom embroidered GT/CS floor mats. Signature California Special script badging appears on the passenger-side dash panel.

"Few things are more satisfying than dropping the top on a California Special and taking a drive down the majestic Pacific Coast Highway," said Mark Conforzi, Ford designer. "This signature design takes its cues from the original California Special, while enhancing the personality of today's Mustang."

Rev-matching to level the field
Mustang GT's retuned 5.0-liter V8 engine packs 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque and tops out at 155 mph.* When that torque gets delivered to the pavement via 6-speed manual and available Performance Package, you better hold on, because that's where rev-matching gives Mustang drivers a leg – or a heel and a toe – up.

Advanced rev-matching helps smooth out shifts by predicting shifts and then quickly matching engine rpm – similar to the heel-and-toe methods the pros use. On downshifts, the engine rpm instantly kicks up to smooth out the transition between gears.

Sensational B&O Play audio

Like Ford Mustang, Bang & Olufsen is an innovator in both iconic design and heart-racing performance across its line of audio products. And now, for the first time, the B&O Play audio system comes to Mustang with a stunning 10-channel amplifier producing 1,000 watts across 12 high-performance speakers.

Customized to the acoustics of the interior, sound engineers tuned the B&O Play audio system to take both the static and dynamic states of Mustang into account to elevate the senses regardless of driving conditions.

Active valve performance exhaust now available on EcoBoost models

When the class-exclusive quad-tip fully variable active valve performance exhaust hit the streets for Mustang GT for 2018, critics and customers alike raved over the deep throaty sound of the 5.0-liter V8 engine. What took everyone by surprise was its driver-controlled, fully active exhaust mode and quiet start mode, also known as good neighbor mode.

Now, this Ford-patented fully variable active valve performance exhaust brings an aggressive snarl to 2019 Mustang EcoBoost models. This class-exclusive quad-tip exhaust system can be controlled by the drive mode system or via personalized MyMode settings through the 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument panel, as well as through the standard 4.2-inch cluster.

More personalization than ever; new colors

Mustang enthusiasts now have more opportunity to personalize their car than ever before, with exciting new vintage-inspired colors including Velocity Blue, Need for Green and the iconic Bullitt model's exclusive Dark Highland Green.

"These intense new colors trace back to Mustang's classic colors of the late 1960s and early 1970s," said Holter. "While colors like Shadow Black and Magnetic Gray will still be popular for those who prefer to go stealth, these new colors pack a brighter, more vibrant punch for 2019."

The 2019 Mustang goes on sale this summer.

It's always fun to see vintage for sale ads for our cars. Here's a scan of the ad that I clipped out of the Los Angeles Times in 1982 about my KR.

(Yes, I know that there were no factory 427 KRs built.  But, in '82, such a car was still somewhat of an urban legend with the Shelby/Cobra guys I hung around with.) 

As a young guy with not much money, I had to beg and borrow most of the $$ to buy the KR.
My parents would have none of it, so major thanks to grandma for coming through with the last $1000 needed.  I paid her back by painting her house inside and out.
Not sure she appreciated the tire-smoking ride I gave her, but at least she didn't scream for me to slow down.

Let's see some more old ads!