Round Headlights, Horses and Carroll Shelby.

This started out as letter to the comment section. They said it was too long so I thought I'd post it here instead. This is my first post.

Hello. I'm a horsey kind of a girl and I like horses. I just signed up with you all for another 3 years... That'll be a total of 4 years... I got hooked on to your 'zine when I bought an 'o7 GT in 2010. ~I'm an old lady from Detroit... I now ride the back roads of Colorado... My dream Machine? A '71 pewter grey an' black Mach 1.

Me? ~I don't give a *** about no Carroll Shelby... (Sorry! But it's true...) I like horses I like Mustangs... I'll customize my own car, thank you very much.

I like the 74's through 78's. I liked the Mustangs when they turned the fox-body into an ugly piece of *** And when they finally butchered the ass end in 2010... Well, that didn't bother me at all... As I said, I bought the 2007 standin' right next to it. People said I was "Crazy" not to go with 2010 and the 5.o... No regrets here though, as it's worth more than I paid for it, as it sits. And it's prettier.

I have high hopes for the future horses down the trail... But Ford should remember the old adage , (As should the other auto-makers.) "The eyes are the window to the soul." ~The most successful Mustangs throughout history have had round headlights. As the eyes close on the S-197 model, I shutter at the thought of the alien monstrosities the designers have planned for us.

They need to keep it real and keep 'em round!

Either way though... ~As long as they have that little horse...!

LOL! That's all... Thank you very much for the 'script'... ~Still ridin' high in Colorado... Kat Holiday  
katholiday

Hi Kat,

I had a '71 gun metal gray on black 'Stang for my first car in high school. 302 Boss, rag top (which I loved to drive my friends around in with the top halfway down).

I thought the combo and color was a dealer option 'cause I never saw another one like it.

Just a kind word from a dude who gets it.....If you want any respect from this forum, or any other for that matter, you'd best get off your hi-horsey, and not throw out insensitive comments about those like Mr.Shelby who played such a huge role in making the Mustang a classic - especially when he just left us.

The eyes are indeed a window to your soul.

Braz  

Wow! Where to begin! First of all, I'm terrified. The onslaught that you released of Shelby induced devotion has overwhelmed me. I concede! Shelby is Clapton and…
Wait a minute!
I'm sorry… Perhaps yer upset because I just need to make myself a bit clearer.

Look! As I said in my introduction letter, I just don't need no stinkin' Shelby.
You can add Roush and Saleen to that list too.
But don't get me wrong. I have nothing against these men / companies either!
I know that everyone's gotta make a buck… But really… good or bad…

They mean nothing to me.

Shelby was a re-brander. Nothing more, or nothing less. One can either accept this truth or not.

Let me put it this way:

When I'm drivin' my GT South on I-25 and I'm looking for some highway memories… along the way there, I might pull over to a KFC and grab myself a leg-er-a-thigh…
I might.
Yer drivin' a vintage car. Yer hangin' with vintage friends. Why not go that extra mile for some eats that help recreate that most memorable road trip? Know what I mean?
But if the real truth be said…
The chicken I make at home is better. I know in my heart of hearts that this is true…
And ya know what? I also know that the Colonial doesn't really care! He doesn’t care!
But, don't worry my fire breathin' friend … it's okay… I've grown up enough to understand that the Colonial based his whole life on convincing me and the rest of the world that the fried chicken we grew up on back home was nothing more than total crap! …and that only He could fulfill that empty space in my heart and gullet!

That space that even my Ma Ma couldn't fill!

This is what re-brander's do. Their here to tell you that you need "Reynolds Wrap" not tin-foil. That you'll get more from a Kenmore! And yes! That the GT you just laid out 30 grand for is nothing more than a piece of crap!

At least it is until we put this here sticker of a snake on it righhhht hereee!

I don't need that.

Now don't get me wrong, I like snakes. I swear I do! I like snakes just fine. And the Shelby snake is a REALLY nice sticker of a snake! But that's all it is to me. A sticker of a snake.

As I said before… If I want my car modified, I'll modify it myself. Yeah… I might even use some Shelby or Roush stuff… But just like that KFC down the highway, I'll only go that way if I gotta.

I'm from Detroit… My Dad's tool and die company (Kent Tool & Die) was a subcontractor for Ford. I grew up around this stuff my whole life.
Maybe that's why I like FORD Mustangs
I myself owned a small house just off of 8 mile on Five Points.
I remember back in the day seeing those Shelby horizontal taillights on the 67 Mustang.
They were ugly then and they're ugly now. The standard vertical 3 style is the one that today is considered iconic. People that don't know a damn thing about cars will tell you that that's a Mustang taillight.

Oh, and by the way… The only car those Shelby style taillights looked any good on was when they were used on the Mustang 2's from 1974-1978.

But King Cobra Shelby had very little to do with that… Didn't he? Or at least that's what everyone connected to the effort impresses / pushes on the internets. I don't know the real truth on all of that… If Shelby had anything to do with it or not. But if he did have anything to do with the Mustang 2, he should have been more proud. I couldn't divorce myself from any of my children like that. And a lot of people sure like to disaffiliate them selves from unpopular years…

Shelby spent a good chunk of the 60's tryin' to convince all of my mates that what they were drivin' just wasn't good enough. It got old.

It reminds me of the time when he started removing the fog lights on some of his other efforts, he blew it again! Why remove one of the most DESIGN SPECIFIC things that helped turn it into the car / icon that it turned out to be?
It just didn't make sense.

Well there ya go. I could go on, but I'll stop here. I hope I've explained myself a little better. Or perhaps I've just given you more fodder for that fire in yer belly!

If I were you, I wouldn't expect that any of my future correspondences concerning Carroll Shelby to finish with a happy ending. I will leave those efforts to others.
You wanna praise someone…

God Bless Henry Ford!

Kat  
katholiday