My salute to Pete Disher, aka The Coralsnake.It seems like yesterday I was called by Phil (aka gt350shelb) about a 68 "engineering" Shelby for sale. I had just purchased a 68gt350 vert (1505) that Phil had inspected for me. He piqued my interest about this special car, and we began to negotiate to have her purchased. The Conzo brothers had taken great pride and interest in 101 and I believe it was a tough decision to let her go. I felt fortunate to have her.
Phil took 101 to his home and helped me get her tuned up and have some components back on to have her more like her original, non-engineering self. Thank you, Phil, for your help, advice and for just being there at the beginning. You are a true gem good sir.
After acquiring 101, I came to know about Pete and his special interest in these cars. You could say it was more than just special interest. He has an absolute fascination and passion for these engineering cars. No one person knows more about them than Pete Disher.
I also came to admire all of Pete’s knowledge on 68 Shelby’s, including his beautiful Coralsnake and the webpage dedicated to all special 68’s. Again, I doubt many know more about these cars than Pete, and his website is pure magic for all enthusiasts.
Pete, like several on the SAAC forum, has a unique skill set for Shelby’s and I decided early on that I wanted Pete to bring 101 back to it’s “engineering” days. For this to happen, I had to wait for Pete to finish another car he was working on, and that took almost 2 years to start the process of restoring 101. It was all worth the wait.
Since Pete began, we have had many conversations, meetings, a few trips and a passion to get 101 to a certain point in her life. Some decisions along the way much easier than others. No one could have done the work with the level of detail required than Pete.
I feel fortunate to know Pete the restorer, the historian, the enthusiast and the friend.
I will write a more complete story of 101 and document it’s history in the near future. It’s a fascinating story, and I have so many pics to share.
For now,
I just want to say Thank You Pete. It was well worth the wait. I enjoyed the ride immensely and hope to share a few more rides with you in the future.
Your friend,
Jose (aka IlliniCane)
