SAAC
10/22/2003

SAAC National's Rick Kopec has announced the dates for next years "SAAC Does Vegas 8" ....Feb 13,14,15  2004.
Cocktail party Friday at host Hotel (TBA)
Open Track Saturday. Being held at LVMS, but not the usual  infield track  We're using the repaved 2.4 mile "road course" track just outside the oval. Car show & BBQ on Sunday at Shelby's shop at LVMS

Autoweek News
04/14/2003

"So what?" You might ask...  Well, Venture Industries owns 75% of Shelby American, Carroll Shelby owns the other 25%. As of press time, Shelby was reportedly trying to buy back the other 75%.  S-A claims it has been self sufficient for two years and can get by without Venture. If Shelby is successful, it means that S-A can get to work on the Series 2, the successor to the Series 1.  Series 1 production was officially stopped a few months ago at 249 cars after engine re-certification hurdles proved to steep.
 

Phantom Cobras?

Series 1 production may be ending, but new Cobras keep popping up.  Latest offering from Shelby Sanderson Sales are 10 special "Phantom Cobras"  with special badging and custom paint (yawn) that shows the outline of a Cobra.. Interested? See www.sandersonsales.com

SAAC announces SAAC does Vegas 7 and SAAC 28

Rick Kopec- SAAC HQ
11/01/2002

SAAC Does Vegas - Jan 31- Feb. 1 - Feb. 2.
Friday:
   registration/Tech Inspection - 12 noon - 5 pm. Boardwalk Hotel
   reception - 7 pm - 8 pm Boardwalk Hotel
   live auction of ex-Cobra Team members' memorabilia - 8 pm - 11 pm

Saturday
   open track 8 am - 5 pm - Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Sunday
   road rally through The Valley of Fire - 8:30 am - 11 am
   car show & open house at Shelby American 11 am
   bbq lunch - 12 noon
________________________________________________________

SAAC-28   Friday May 23 - Sunday May 25
   Nashville Superspeedway
    Gaylord's Opryland Hotel

Friday
   registration/tech inspection - 10 am - 4 pm at the track
   vintage race practice 12 pm - 4:30 pm
   ladies hi-perf. driving school - 3:30 pm
   ladies open track 4:30 pm - 5 pm
   Grand Ole Opry - 8 pm

Saturday
    registration/tech inspection - 7 am - 4 pm
    swap meet - 7 am - 5 pm
    open track/vintage qualifying 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
    concours car show - 8 am - 3 pm
    dinner/evening program - 7 pm - 11 pm

Sunday
   registration/tech inspection - 7 am - 4 pm
    swap meet - 7 am - 5 pm
    open track/vintage races - 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
    popular vote car show - 10 am - 12 pm

Complete details will be in the next Snakebite - out in 2-3 weeks.

Police arrest man in California car-theft cases
REGGIE BORGES World Staff Writer
06/16/2002

A local auto show leads to the capture of a suspected thief. Intuition by a Tulsa Police Department officer led to the arrest of a suspected classic-car thief late Saturday at a Tulsa motel.
Ricky Dixon, 40, of San Diego, was arrested at Super 8 Motel, 12416 E. 51st St., on multiple car theft counts in California, San Diego County Sheriff Mike Leathers said.
"When we raided his house we found three stolen Shelby Mustangs in his garage," Leathers said. "This guy fancies himself as a Nicolas Cage-type car thief," referring to the film, "Gone in 60 Seconds."
San Diego officers thought Dixon's affinity for expensive cars might lead him to Tulsa, where a car show was being held.
"We had officers looking for the suspect," Sgt. Tommy Terneus said. "That's when great police work by Officer Justin Aldridge led us to him."
Aldridge saw a suspicious vehicle with California license plates circling the motel and ran the tag number. Officers ran on the call, Terneus said.
After police surrounded the motel, Terneus called the Dixon's room and told him the situation and that he needed to surrender. "He hung up the phone as soon as I made the call and told him the situation," Terneus said.
After attempting to escape through the ceiling of the room, Dixon was captured. Officers searched his car and found a gun in the trunk. Dixon will be arrested on the warrant along with the gun possession charges. Leathers said.

Ford, Shelby reach settlement with Wareham business Factory Five workers on the job yesterday; details due later

[Courtesy  JOAO FERREIRA, Standard-Times staff writer]

WAREHAM -- Ford Motor Co. and Shelby American Monday night settled a trademark infringement lawsuit against local kit-car maker Factory Five Racing before the case even went to trial.  No details of the in-court settlement are available.

"The parties have agreed not to release any information to the press for a week from the day of the settlement," said Randall T. Weeks, Factory Five attorney, yesterday.

While no details of the settlement are available, Factory Five was open for business yesterday and still rolling out the do-it-yourself Cobra assembly kits at the center of the question. By staying open, the local business, located on the Wareham industrial park on Kendrick Road, keeps about 40 people on the job.  The settlement was reached Monday around 6:30 p.m. after court-ordered mediation between the parties.  Judge A. David Mazzone mediated the settlement.

The trial of the kit-car maker accused of unlawfully reproducing Ford trademarks was scheduled to start Monday at 9 a.m. at U.S. District Court in Boston.  But as attorneys for Factory Five and Ford dragged about 60 boxes of documents to the courtroom, Judge Rya W. Zobel ordered
parties back to mediation, citing the magnitude of the trial.  Witnesses from several parts of the country were also on hand to testify in the case.  Closed-door negotiations ensued for the better part of the day and the parties involved often met in the hallways and discussed the case.

Ford was seeking statutory damages and an injunction against Factory Five for the use of the "Cobra" name and logo.  Automotive legend Carroll Shelby -- on hand Monday at the trial -- was also suing the company for $10 million for allegedly counterfeiting the Cobra design.  While a non-jury trial on the Ford suit was scheduled to start Monday, the jury trial on the Shelby's suit was still pending.   Both suits were resolved Monday night.

Mr. Weeks had said last week that he was confident about his client's chances regarding the Ford suit.  Factory Five had argued in court that Ford abandoned the Cobra name and logo when it failed to use the marks in commerce and actively police the marks.  It had also argued that Mr.
Shelby abandoned his rights to the design and Cobra name, in part by not trying to stop other companies from copying it for 30 years.

The Wareham company said the design had become generic. However Ford and Shelby attorneys had said that even though production of the Cobra car stopped in 1997, Mr. Shelby continued to use the Cobra name through licensing agreements and such side products as toy models.  Mr. Shelby has gotten 14 injunctions protecting his trademark in other states and has fought trademark violations for years.  Ford owns the rights to the Cobra name and design, and Mr. Shelby uses them under license.

Ford obtained the trademark from legendary Mr. Shelby as part of a sponsorship agreement in 1965, when he raced in the World Manufacturers Series.  Mr. Shelby created the Cobra legend by dropping a powerful Ford Mustang engine into the body of a British-designed AC Ace roadster.  He  sold the cars until 1967.  The cars quickly became the icon of an automotive era and have been widely replicated for the last 30 years.

Mr. Shelby restarted manufacturing his original Cobra in the 1990s after a long litigation with Ford.  Factory Five is the biggest kit-car maker in the world, producing about 500 kits a year.  The Factory Five Racing kit retails for $10,990, but a new Shelby Cobra 427 SC costs $59,000 to
$90,000.  Kit-car customers have to provide an engine, chassis and other mechanical components, bringing the total cost of the car to $16,000 to $40,000.

Postscript on Daytona Coupe CSX2287
[courtesy of Autoweek ]

According to an article in the February 4th issue of Autoweek, now that the ownership of CSX2287 is officially resolved, rumor has it that the coupe is to be restored and put on display at the Shelby American Collection in Boulder, Colorado. This would be a fitting final chapter to an amazing story of a  S-A icon.  (Ed:  Personally, I think it should not be "restored", but rather cleaned up and shown as is.  A car is only original once in it's life, and this one should retain the patina it has collected over the past 30 years.  We can always see a restored Daytona Coupe....to see one in virtually original condition would be priceless)  Final Chapter ........

posted: [2-4-2002]

SAAC Cruise Photos
[courtesy of SAAC ]
 

According to our own Forrest Straight, the 3rd annual SAAC cruise was great time for all. I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the Shelby American. Click here for outtakes!

posted: [12-13-2001]

SAAC Cruise 2001 a success
[courtesy of Forrest Straight ]
 

According to our own Forrest Straight, the 3rd annual SAAC cruise was great time for all. I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the Shelby American.

Forrest also said there was some late news on the story of CSX2287, the lost Daytona Coupe. ..according to reliable sources, the Philly doctor gets to keep the car. Phil Spector gets nothing. Kurt Goss gets money from the doctor in Philly, and from Martin Eyears, the broker who sold it to the Doctor.....not sure what happens with Dorothy Brand, Donna O'Hara's stepmother who took possession of the car after the untimely death of Donna O'Hara. Once the details are known, we'll update them here and add part three to the Story....

posted: [11-24-2001]

SAAC 27 returns to California
[courtesy of SAAC ]
 

Fontana, CA. SAAC-27 at California Speedway July 4-7, 2002. All the usual fixin's: open track, popular vote and concours shows, swap meet, vintage races and the mother of all Shelby American Reunions. SAAC HQ (860) 364-0449, (860) 364-0769 fax, email:saac@discovernet.net

More details will be posted as we get them,

posted: [11-17-2001]

Carroll Shelby disavows association with Becker
[courtesy of SAAC ]
 

Effective immediately I, Carroll Shelby, am no longer associated or involved, in business matters or any other activities, with Mr Steven G. Becker, LLC, self-described "Deal Maker" from Suwanee, GA.  Further, I retract my letter of introduction dated August 1,1999 which he publishes on his website.

Signed, Carroll Shelby
October 10, 2001

posted: [10-25-2001]

Lost Daytona Coupe Found!!
[courtesy of SAAC ]

In case you haven't heard, the missing Daytona Coupe was recently discovered in Southern California. As far  as Shelby cars and history, this is unquestionably the most significant discovery ever. The car appears to be completely intact and untouched for over 20 years!

This Coupe (CSX2287) was the prototype car and the only Coupe constructed in the USA. The other 5 Coupes were shipped to Italy where the bodies were built by hand and installed on modified 289 roadster chassis. CSX2287 was raced many times in Europe as a Shelby team car during the 1964 and 1965 seasons. In its final competition appearance it set several land speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats with Craig Breedlove behind the wheel.

After changing hands a few times, CSX2287 landed in the custody of a reclusive woman in the mid-1970's. At that point the woman and the Coupe vanished and became the object of many futile searches by Shelby fanatics......until now..

For more of the story,    Click Here!!

posted [2-2-2001]

Gotta HOT scoop for the Snake Bytes page?  Please send it to the Webmaster.  Thanks.

© 2007 Nor Cal SAAC
PO Box 700789 San Jose CA 95070