If you look at the website for the Palos Verdes Concours http://www.pvconcours.com/ it has the announcement that Carroll Shelby is scheduled to be the grand poohbah or grand marshall, whatever they call the chief potentate. at these wingdings. He has actually entered this concours before with CSX 2000, the first Cobra ever made, which he has preserved all these years, turning down many offers, some in the multi millions. Also scheduled to be honored a the event is Billy Krause, a local Palos Verdian, who in fact drove the first Cobra in combat, so to speak, the car that broke its stub axle and allowed a Corvette to win (but that was the last time the Corvettes would threaten Cobras for years to come). Ironically Krause was subsequently seduced away by Mickey Thompson to the Corvette team but when the Corvette plans were cancelled ,ol' Shel didn't take him back onto the fledgling Cobra team. But they're still friends now that it's water that passed under the bridge 40-plus years ago. There's also going to be a Shelby corral which the website says: "This special parking area, adjacent to the main Concours field, offers free parking for all automobiles with a Shelby heritage. Owners of Cobras, GT350s, GT500s, and other cars that were influenced by the talented Carroll Shelby are encouraged to bring their cars and to take advantage of this special parking. The various replicas of these exciting cars are also invited to the Corral. " Hey they're even letting in replicas (could this be because Shelby's making them?) The concours takes place at the Trump National golf club on Ocean Trails Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes which, you can guess by the name of its address, is on the edge of the ocean offering spectacular views. Something like 200 cars are expected. It's not quite the pomp and circumstance of Pebble Beach but the organizers of the PV event are trying very hard to make this a well respected event which could someday be the "Pebble Beach of S. California". I think Honda and a couple other automakers contribute to make it so. The price for a spectator ticket is $30, a deal in itself, as the spectator price for a ticket to the Pebble Beach Concours is now rumored to be over $125 ....but you gotta admit they put on a helluva show.
Shelby was offered (and turned down) twenty five million dollars for CSX 2000 three weeks ago by a very well known car collector (and aire to a prince) in Dubai.
Concours program cover painting to be auctioned at pre-concours banquet Ron Weickart, an artist from New York, painted the blue Cobra 260 (CSX2000--first Cobra ever made) that's on the cover of the concours program. His gleecee print on canvas will be auctioned off at a banquet in the evening on Sept. 14th two days before the concours, along with a print by another artist depicting Carroll Shelby as a race driver . Those who miss the prints on canvas will still be able to buy a poster featuring Weickart's blue Cobra 260 at the concours. For info on the banquet, and how you can buy a ticket, just google Palos Verdes Concours 2007 Wish I had a list of what's going to be auctioned, but maybe there isn't a list...ought to be perfect weather that weekend, in 80s and right by the Pacific
Blitzman: What kind of replica is Shelby making? There are original and genuine Shelbys, but I've never seen Shelby advertise that he makes/sells replicas?
It's all semantics. Shelby will be showing several brand new Cobras at the Palos Verdes concours, not to be judged,but as new cars as a part of a commercial display. I don't think he uses the word "replica" in his ads but suffice to say, from a concours judge's point of view, the CSX2000 and CSX3000 series Cobras would generally be considered the original Shelby Cobras. But how you title a car is up for grabs. In different states you register the modern versions according to different rules that vary from State to State and in some states can even pick your own model year according to when your engine block was made. Maybe in the long run, 40 years from now, even the Cobras made now will be considered "historical" and be judged in concours but since I would be over 100 by then, I don't think I'll be concerned with it...
It is not just semantics; that is for Club Cobra. Shelby has never used the word replica in his advertising. In addition, SAAC recognizes the Shelby Cobras as originals or genuine depending on the CSX number. You say, "from a concours judge's point of view," are you a concours judge?
Was once a judge, never again. Problem with being judge is that there is always those oddball cars that were built for a VIP that have "back stories" that not everyone is aware of. For instance, when I was in the gullwing club there was an argument about what colors gullwing coupes came in. Most people agreed black was not on the color chart. But one old gentleman spoke up and said: "When I landed in Sindelfingen and taxied my bomber up to the factory door and walked in and said "I want one of those and I want it in black" they said "yessir Gen. LeMay." The fact that pilots under his command bombed the factory some ten years earlier might have given him some measure of respectability
Just watch out where you park your car because a large chunk of the course dropped off into the Pacific as they were constructing it. Beautiful views though, should be nice out there!
This show should be really good. I grew up in Palos Verdes and remember when this show was held at my Peninsula high school. The cars were parked on the football where i played for the panthers. For the last few years it has been held at Ocean Trails, the name before Trump changed it. And you should be careful, because Randall is right, a big chunk of the golf course fell into ocean. Sadly, me and my 67 GT 500 cant make it. I hope someone takes a ton of pictures b/c this would be a great show to attend.
Re: Palos Verdes concours could become "Pebble Beach" of Socal There are a lot of concours in LA but some of them are hot rod oriented. This one has the best channce of becoming the Pebble Beach of S. California because the view is similar (golf course on the Pacific), they have corporate sponsors (I think Honda & Ford) and they have a bucks up group of volunteers who want the show to be "right." Thankfully they only charge $30 for spectators, I say "only" because I think Pebble Beach is over $100 per spectator now. I wish they would have a "dream car" section like they do at Pebble Beach--I like to see the new dream cars but even the 50-year old ones as well. Plus this year they have a Shelby & Cobra section and I think it's great they promote some postwar cars being there because if too many of the cars on display are prewar they will lose their audience because not too many baby boomers identify with prewar cars that they've never seen on the road...
