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New book on Shelby only seen the ads so far

Discussion in 'Shelby Collectibles: Books, Model Cars, Posters & ' started by bitzman, Nov 23, 2009.

  1. bitzman

    bitzman Well-Known Member

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    Coliln Comer has a new book out on Shelby entitled The Complete Book of Shelby Automobiles Cobras Mustangs and Super Snakes.Though I haven’t seen it, I was interested in the description on Amazon.com, to whit:

    “Shelby American gained almost instant recognition from the moment the first Cobra hit the street. The entire original Cobra/Ford GT/Shelby Mustang period spanned just over eight years, eight years filled with countless racing accomplishments, the World Manufacturer's Championship, a 1-2-3 finish at LeMans, you name it and Shelby won it. The underdog did it, and to this day we are still rooting for him. And deservedly so.
    The stories and accomplishments are legendary, but none more so than what can only be described as the magic this company and its cars possess to this day. It was the perfect storm. Shelby found the right ingredients, the right talent, the right sponsors, the right drivers, and enough unbridled enthusiasm to take what some had called "a bunch of junk" out into the world and not come home until there wasn't a challenge they didn't win. Call it what you will - dumb luck, stubbornness, or just being in the right place at the right time, nobody can deny that we will never see the likes of anything like Shelby ever again.
    The Complete Book of Shelby is just that - a complete listing of Shelby automobiles. It is the story of every car ever touched by that Shelby magic. From Cobras to Mustangs, race cars to street cars, AC Cars to Toyota, it is your ticket to knowing a little more about every vehicle that Shelby "messed with" as the big Texan would say. Like anybody else, and any other manufacturer, Shelby had its ups and downs. There were great cars and cars we'd rather forget. But the story is indeed one of legend, and larger than life. The tale and the cars transcend traditional boundaries. It doesn't matter if you are a Chevy person or a European car enthusiast, a drag racer or a road racer, into NASCAR or sports cars, or even if you're not even really a "car person" there is something about Shelby that appeals to us all. It is an American success story. And not one of us can ever deny we always respect the underdog who beat all the odds to come out on top. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Shelby American. And every one of the cars that follows has that DNA in it. Grab a copy of the Complete Book of Shelby, fasten your lap belt, and enjoy the ride.

    Book Description
    Shelbys are the most iconic performance cars in the history of the American auto industry. This lavishly illustrated work conducts readers through Shelby American's forty-plus years. An exhaustive review of American high performance, from the first Cobra produced in 1962 through today's fire-breathing, world-beating Shelby GT500KR Mustang, The Complete Book of Shelby Automobiles offers an in-depth look at the ultra high-performance cars that have made Carroll Shelby a living automotive legend. With extensive details, specs, and photographic coverage, this book is the ultimate resource on America’s most exotic performance car. "

    The book is 256 pages, hardbound, ISBN-10: 0760335788
    ISBN-13: 978-0760335789 and weighs almosts four pounds. It measures 10.9 x 9.9 x 1.1 inches , and is just over an inch thick at least. It is rated at #12414 in popularity the day I read the review, so it’s moving up fast, already twice as popular as Matt Stone's book on Steve McQueen which has been on the market at least a year.
    I don’t know if it was Kindle but somehow on the net you can see the table of contents and a sample page of text and I like the fact the book has an index. I will be interested to see the pictures, having collected Shelby pictures for 40 years to see what new ones have been unearthed.
    I will head over to Borders and Barnes & Noble and see if they have it though it only came out Nov. 16th, 2009. Incidentally it is list priced on Amazon.co as $45 but wouldn’t you know they have it priced at $29.70. It might be similarly priced at the big bookstores as Borders and B & N are having a price war at present.
    Further opinionafter I see it--I knew there would be an "ultimate coffee table book" on Shelby published someday but have to see this one before I can apply that title.

    ________________________________________
     
  2. bitzman

    bitzman Well-Known Member

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    Have the book; good buy

    I can now report that I have the book; which is still hard to find at local bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders. I like the stout hard covers (dispensing with a slip cover) and the printing is good on black and white photos and color.

    There are many many historical pictures, some of which I have never seen before and I have seen thousands of Shelby pictures , going back to 1977 when I first began researching the subject. The ones taken at the factory are priceless because they reveal how Shelby American was simultaneously building Shelby Mustangs, Cobras and GT40s. i only found a few minor historical errors (in one case crediting Edsel Ford with the LeMans program when the first Edsel Ford was dead and the second Edsel Ford was only a subteen). Making up for that are lists of very rare model Cobras & Shelbys with serial numbers.

    The author chose to concentrate 99% on the equipment on the cars and doesn't delve much into the background of why Ford chose to back Shelby , why Shelby went to Chrysler, etc. etc. That can be found in other books on the market so is not really necessary--this is more the book you would take to an auction like Scottsdale and use as a reference to check whether the car in front of you has the right equipment for that model year, etc. , though it is not written as a Buyers Guide per se.

    There's chapters devoted to the Shelby Dodges and Viper but it's not obtrusive; they sort of fit right in and I predict more Shelby Dodge and Viper owners will show up at Shelby-related events. To this author, they are all products of the Maestro, so why not invite them aboard?

    Some chapters are also on the latest Shelby Mustangs, though no mention is made of Shelby testing them; influencing them in any way. There's even a chapter on the '05-'06 Ford GT.

    It's too bad Shelby refused an opportunity to co-operate with the author; that way there might be a few more pictures that we haven't seen before, or some pithy quotes but getting co-operation also means you have to wait until the subject you're trying to secure co-operation from gets around to signing off on it and that might have meant the book couldn't have made the '09 Christmas season.

    The pleasant surprise is that, due to a price war between Amazon.com and at least one of the big bookstores, Amazon is pricing it at $29.70 so unlike the pre-Amazon days when you had to pay full price for a book, you now order it at a substantial discount off the net.

    So, in sum, I can say this is a satisfying book to own and perhaps the Sehlby subject is so big that one book cannot be all things (historical background, buyer's guide, picture book) and there has to be several to corral it all. But this one's a keeper, not just a glossy hardcover like some other ones (I think there's one on the Pontiac GTO that qualifies for that) that are just puff pieces with no real intensive research behind them.
     
  3. rshelby

    rshelby ShelbyForums Admin Staff Member

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    Re: Newe book on Shelby; only seen the ads so far

    My brother picked one up and recommended it as well. Thanks for the review Bitzman. I'll have to place an order.
    RS
     
  4. roddster

    roddster Well-Known Member

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    Re: Newe book on Shelby; only seen the ads so far

    I received this book as a Christmas present. Other than a couple of quick thrumb-throughs, I'm impressed. Plenty of never seen before photos form the Shelby American airport era. Well, if you have seen them you have a much larger library than I.
     
  5. rcgt350

    rcgt350 Well-Known Member

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    Re: Newe book on Shelby; only seen the ads so far

    I received the book for Christmas too. Some great pics that we've never seen before and good reading too. I still think there has to be more shots of the 67 assembly line, etc out there somewhere. What about that fellow that took photos for Shelby?
    Randy
     
  6. OVERRIDE

    OVERRIDE Well-Known Member

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    Re: Newe book on Shelby; only seen the ads so far

    I got the book also for Christmas present. I like the book to and the pictures i never saw before also.
     
  7. rshelby

    rshelby ShelbyForums Admin Staff Member

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    Re: Newe book on Shelby; only seen the ads so far

    Mine arrived in the mail today. I look forward to checking it out.
    RS
     

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