Guys, how important is the “Shelby” name to the enjoyment of your car?

[GTthree50]

My personal take on this is that the Shelby name brings with it a higher state of tune or other characteristic that elevates it above the model it is based on. It’s not unlike AMG to Mercedes or M to BMW. In this case the engine is truly special (and what made this car an almost must have), though as we know there is much more to the car than that. For me I rather like that there is no immediate connection to the Mustang with badging. But had this been another Mustang model with the same mechanical upgrades it would have been just as appealing to me.

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[kz]

A 65 Shelby GT350 is a so-so car? Having driven one on track (road course) I would not challenge it with the average GT.

Yeah, they're pretty terrible by today's standards. Not challenge it with current GT ? You are not serious, are you ?

 

[svttim]

Yeah, they're pretty terrible by today's standards. Not challenge it with current GT ? You are not serious, are you ?

dead

 

[NPTR]

Just took my out for a quick drive as it's 60/sunny in NY - 30 mins of pure heaven, think I laughed out loud alone in my car twice, combined with one scream of joy when I got her over 7K...after I parked here, I looked back a good 3-4 times in awe...I don't care if this thing say FIAT on the back, it's an epic machine...

 

[kz]

dead

That's real funny. I get that '65 Shelby isn't A-code '65 I sometimes daily drive, but it isn't that different. I question if you actually drove it or whether it was stock and not some resto-mod.
It had a drum brake in the rear....

 

[Hack]

Live axle leaf spring cars definitely don't turn corners like IRS cars do. And 60s tires are not that great.

 

[kz]

Live axle leaf spring cars definitely don't turn corners like IRS cars do. And 60s tires are not that great.

That chassis twists every time you get on the gas - Shelby had some more bracing but still. It's almost 60 year old car - it was great back then, but comparing it to today's is mind boggling.
And again - I drove this car a lot. To work, to get groceries, everywhere. Many times.

 

[Hack]

That chassis twists every time you get on the gas - Shelby had some more bracing but still. It's almost 60 year old car - it was great back then, but comparing it to today's is mind boggling.
And again - I drove this car a lot. To work, to get groceries, everywhere. Many times.

I haven't driven a '65, but I've driven my '70 a fair amount - with a Shelby drop in the upper A-arm. So I do have somewhat of a point of reference. The 65-70 really aren't that different from each other if you look at the metal panels they are built up from.

 

[svttim]

That's real funny. I get that '65 Shelby isn't A-code '65 I sometimes daily drive, but it isn't that different. I question if you actually drove it or whether it was stock and not some resto-mod.
It had a drum brake in the rear....

Yes I did, drove it at Spring Mountain Raceway. The car belonged to the OVC group. Rick Titus was driving but let me have a session. Granted, its takes more skill to drive that car by far. Whether you believe me, I don't really care.

 

[dpAtlanta]

Carroll said drive the damn things. No one knows where the value is going to be on any of the cars.

And I completely agree … my 2019 Shelby has over 50,000 miles. The chicken farmer knew what he was talking about.

 

[wingnutt]

Fellas, I didn’t quote anybody here so as not to appear argumentative or combative but I should point out that the word “value“ or any reference to money didn’t appear anywhere in my OP. I did mention “enjoyment of your car” and “special” and those things are exactly what I was talking about. It was kinda a pride of ownership thing.

yes, this times eleventy

Yeah, they're pretty terrible by today's standards. Not challenge it with current GT ? You are not serious, are you ?

and also this…I think

 

[308 Cal. Bullitt]

The 2 best performing cars in ~60yr history of the Ford Mustang legacy, at there time of production, are called Shelby. What other options would you suggest?

Its not braggin, or arrogant, to say the truth about the capabilities of any vehicles, including these last 2 Shelby branded cars.

What's not to be proud of them, if you own a vehicle named after the guy who brought FoMoCo 4yrs of victories at LeMan. Even if he wasn't there for all of them.

Phil Remington was there, & he's certainly the most hidden hero behind the entire legacy of Carroll's name in that 1960s era.

I don't think very many people on this forum truly grasp what Shelby & his rag tag group of employees did, with the Cobras, the Mustangs, & the GT40s.

If any of you are relying on your knowledge of them all, to have been derived from the Ford v. Ferrari movie. To glean your history lesson, you will have clearly come away extremely under-informed of the historical significance of the name that owners are so proud of today. Regardless of what decade your car was constructed in.

 

[kz]

So question - since Shelbys were the best cars ever I assume that includes Shelby Charger ? And whole bunch of those great looking Dodges he made ? Right ? Right ?

 

[Tucker80]

So question - since Shelbys were the best cars ever I assume that includes Shelby Charger ? And whole bunch of those great looking Dodges he made ? Right ? Right ?

The pinnacle of Shelby performance was the Dodge Omni GLH

 

[Angrey]

The 2 best performing cars in ~60yr history of the Ford Mustang legacy, at there time of production, are called Shelby. What other options would you suggest?

Its not braggin, or arrogant, to say the truth about the capabilities of any vehicles, including these last 2 Shelby branded cars.

What's not to be proud of them, if you own a vehicle named after the guy who brought FoMoCo 4yrs of victories at LeMan. Even if he wasn't there for all of them.

Phil Remington was there, & he's certainly the most hidden hero behind the entire legacy of Carroll's name in that 1960s era.

I don't think very many people on this forum truly grasp what Shelby & his rag tag group of employees did, with the Cobras, the Mustangs, & the GT40s.

If any of you are relying on your knowledge of them all, to have been derived from the Ford v. Ferrari movie. To glean your history lesson, you will have clearly come away extremely under-informed of the historical significance of the name that owners are so proud of today. Regardless of what decade your car was constructed in.

That and $5.95 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. You could make the same comparisons to just driving a Ford itself (and Henry Ford's contributions to the entire auto industry complex). While there's nostalgic value in sporting a name like "Shelby" or "Mach1" or "King of the Road" or "Cobra" or "Boss" or "California Special" or "Hertz" Ford is really relying on the illogical nature of consumers in the sales and marketing aspect of these tribute versions.

Point is, for practical and functional value, you can't rest on previous accomplishments or legacy, particularly when Shelby himself is gone and the company isn't exactly the same as it was all those years ago. The vehicle should stand on it's own two feet for performance offered (compared to the other Ford products) and on THAT aspect, I believe they certainly do.

Would be interesting to compare the relative values of a 1960s/1970's era Shelby product against the Ford OEM products and if the same or better value were there. Today, for true SA products, you can replicate the performance of a SA car yourself and generally come out either ahead or at least equal cost. That's not true of the the licensed products (meaning you can't buy and install the parts yourself and come out ahead).

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