Carroll Shelby's '49 Race TC

[Nigel D]

Just sold for $539,000 which may bring a smile to fellow T series owners.

Now if only we could prove Shelby provenance for our motors......

[Steve Simmons]

It makes me weep, because that car will never race again. In fact it may never again so much as move under its own power.

[Nigel D]

I agree Steve, although someone suggested the Shelby family bought it back ..... if true then I guess if it's not going to race again at least it's "home".

BTW, great job on the UK TV programme "For the love of cars" last year - did you get to see it in the US?

[Steve Simmons]

What's amazing is that Shelby never even owned that car! He just borrowed it for the race.

We did see the TV show over here. Some people posted it to You Tube, and we also got a viewing copy from the production company to show to club members. It was worth the trouble and effort in order to bring TCs into the spotlight.

[Robert Brennan]

I'd appreciate clarification on the seeming discrepancy between XPAG number and production date. Thanks.
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/P ... s/XPAG3042

Bob Brennan
S. Freeport, ME
TC 7794EXU

[Steve Simmons]

Good observation. It's certainly a much earlier engine than the rest of the car. My guess is someone blew the old engine and put this one in its place. I wonder how many of the car's current parts were on it when Shelby drove. I suspect less than half, considering it has probably been rebuilt and restored numerous times during its lifetime. It would be interesting to compare detailed period photos of the car with how it is now configured, if any existed.

[Duncan M]

Although there are likely a number of parts that were not on it when Carol Shelby raced it, certainly not radial tires, and I doubt the dry-sump or giant fuel pump that can be seen in the auction pics. What is interesting is the number of things that were left as is. No fancy telescopic shock absorbers to replace the stock dampers, no supercharger, original seating to name a few.

My father did the SCCA safety inspection on a different car Shelby was racing at one of the early Monterey races. It was a Ferrari or some other great Italian car that was loaned to him for the race. At the inspection, Dad told Carol the car was beautiful in every way, but "what's with the ratty seat belts?" He added that he was not going to fail him on the seat belts, and "if he wanted to kill himself with those it was ok with him." The (next) day of the race Shelby showed up with new seat belts that "looked like they came out of an airplane." About 35 years later at Sears Point, I was helping a friend who was racing there. My father came the day before the race and we were walking in the pits when a pickup truck coming towards us came to a halt and Carol Shelby looked at my Dad and said "I know you from somewhere, don't I?" Dad mentioned the ratty seat belts at Monterey and Carol knew right away how they met..and they both had a good laugh. Many years later his team was pitted next door at the Monterey Historics, and he was friendly to all at the open-pits event. Although he stopped driving in races a long time before he died, he watched his team carefully and I noticed he still liked getting his hands dirty. I think he came over and borrowed a long screwdriver. Hopefully some of that enthusiasm rubbed off on his family; and if the rumors of the family buying the car are true, maybe we will see it race again.

[stephen stierman]

Just a foot note to this discussion. We have a local Car's and Coffee event most Saturday mornings at a local shopping center that attracts an interesting array of old and new cars. I typically will drive my Morgan or TC to this event and both are usually points of interest for the millenials that are often in the majority with tuner cars. Not long ago, I noticed a younger fellow looking over the TC pretty intently and asking a few questions about it. He told me his grandfather had a similar car and the family had recently acquired it at auction. I became somewhat interested, asking what auction, condition, etc. He said it was purchased at Barrett Jackson and would I like to see a photo of the car? I said sure and he pulled out his phone and showed me a photo of the Shelby car and then an old photo of Carroll in the same car when he actively was racing it. I am not the brightest bulb in the socket but it dawned on me that this was the Shelby car and Carroll might have been this fellows grandfather. I asked his name and he said it was Shawn Carroll Shelby, he was a tall fellow, by the way driving a new Shelby Mustang parked not far away. I asked him what he was doing in Columbus, Ohio, and he pointed to the OSU Hospitals buildings not far away and said that his wife had embarked on a surgical residency there. In any case, I was curious and looked him up on the internet and did find a story with photos that talked about the grandsons and the Shelby cars, and there was a photo of my new friend with some of the Shelby cars that I would not mind owning. Small world?

[SteveW]

Good observation. It's certainly a much earlier engine than the rest of the car. My guess is someone blew the old engine and put this one in its place. I wonder how many of the car's current parts were on it when Shelby drove. I suspect less than half, considering it has probably been rebuilt and restored numerous times during its lifetime. It would be interesting to compare detailed period photos of the car with how it is now configured, if any existed.

We have a name for that in the UK, its known as a "Triggers Broom". It derives from a UK sit com where a character called Trigger said that he had owned his broom (yard brush) for 20 years and was proud of that fact. However, in order to keep it in good condition he said that he had changed the handle and brush head on numerous occasions over the years!

[Steve Simmons]

It's like George Washington's axe. It's the actual axe he used to cut down that cherry tree. Since he owned it, the head has only been replaced once and the handle twice.