While I'm a college student, and wouldn't be spending that kind of money on my car yet anyway...I certainly wouldn't want some old guy's name on my car, when he had nothing to do with it. *Flamesuit on* It would serve no purpose other than to drive the price up, and I seriously doubt he does anything at all anymore at his age (best wishes to him...but his time is long past, and I don't want his name on any car that I would own). While I'm not saying I wouldn't buy what is certainly the best factory Mustang ever offered (if I could afford it), I would definately take his name off of it afterwards.

 

While I will grant you that having Sheby's name on the car increased the price (how much we don't know), it also drove demand (which I am assuming worked to both Ford and Shelby's mutual advantage).

It would have suited me just fine if Carroll's name had never been on the car and Ford had never started the B.S. about 'limited editions' etc., that led to the wild ADMs and people with no intention of driving the car putting them in heated pole barns under tarps with signs saying, "Do not open until 2037". Well, joke was on them I reckon.

That being said, the only guys I know saying they would rip his name off the car are guys that don't own one.

 

So, you would buy a Mustang, which pretty much pays homage to its "glory days" of the mid to late 60's with its retro styling and continuing nameplate but would deny any respect for the man who Ford asked to tune their pony into a musclecar?
I understand that some feel Shelby is a sell-out but he's a brand now, just like the Mustang itself, in any other field we wouldn't expect some type of purity from a businessman.
Has Ford ever reduced their profit margin to build us the best car for the lowest price? Maybe on the 2011 but that has more to do with Camaro seizing market share and not adoration for us fanboys. We understand that Ford bases its decesions on money but we still support the company but I guess Shelby should live off of donations or something.
Carroll Shelby is a sell-out, he didn't even like the Mustang but Ford PAID him to build a "killer stang" with his name on it, so thats what he did. Now we have so many tuners tweaking Mustangs I won't even try to count, none of them are handing out superchargers or suspension packages for free, none of them are perfect and they're all in the Mustang game for one reason, MONEY.

 

This.

 

It's is not the money, it is not the name, it boils down to loyalty to the supporters. This whole deal has been brewing for a while yet the fans and supporters have not been informed.

I am not an AB fan for many reasons but I have to conceed she was a total loyal Shelby and company supporter. One would think she would at least be given the opportunity to inform all those who befriended her instead of what amounts to getting banned. Unless there was an act perpetrated against Shelby or the company which I'd doubt, she deserved a lot better just as the other guy who appears to have banished as well.

 

I am a FORD guy. I do not hero worship, to me Carroll Shelby is just a guy who had a very good but relatively short race (Driving) career some 50 odd years ago, but he totally kicked butt in the marketing arena for more than half a century.

I bought a 2008 GT500 because it was a FORD built FACTORY 500 horsepower Ford Mustang. (read: not shipped to or touched by Shelby, as some Shelby purists would say, not even a real Shelby.)

It is about the performance not the badging and bling. That is one of the more appealing aspects of the badgeless Bullitt, and why I got one of those too.

I couldn't give a RAT's Patooty whose name is on it along with FORD, including SVT. That Shelby name is really no different than the Eddie Bauer name on my Bronco. Some marketing genius working for Ford has convinced them they need to associate some famous name with their TOP OF THE LINE models...

How does that silly name association marketing BS have anything to do with the Ford customer who simply wants the top of the line FORD model?

I think you are wrong.

If it were only about "name brand" why would anyone buy any Shelby other than the entry level Shelby GT?

 

Well anyone keeping the car in storage for 50 years obviously bought it just for the name, hoping that it'll be worth a lot more some day. Many people bought it, because it's the top of the line Mustang...regardless of who's name/badges are on it. I personally would take his name off of it, if I were to ever buy one.

Absolutely. I'm happy to give credit where credit is due, but I see absolutely no credit due to Shelby for 2005+ Mustangs.

I don't care what he lives off of, but it won't be my money. Someone posted earlier...if you don't like it, don't buy it (more or less what was said)...And that's the plan. I haven't bought anything from Shelby American, and I don't plan to. It's that simple.

 

SUUURREEE you would. That's what they all say.

 

Who cares what name is on it, just drive the **** thing and enjoy it for what it is, a 500-550hp beast.

I don't get all this "taking his name off" BS. If you don't like it, don't buy it. I love the styling of the car, no matter what is on the side/back of it. And like someone said, there's more SVT on it than Shelby.

 

I share the same sentiments. There is no point in defacing the original design.

 

I'm not saying you should buy Shelby products or even like the man, just to put his affilation into perspective. I've never heard Shelby claim he created the current Gt500, Ford returned to the Shelby nameplate as a marketing gimic and it worked.
Just think of Shelby as the inspiration for the current Gt500, kinda like the Bullit Mustangs are styled and named after the McQueen flick.

 

Maybe you should google Carroll Shelby, he's actually had one of the coolest automotive-related careers ever.
But, here's a brief recap; Race Car Driver, created limited edition orginal Cobra with Ford engine from a AC rolling chassis, Gt40 development advisor, tweaked Mustangs into both race and musclecars (I.E. Gt350 and Gt500), did some work with Dodge eventually advised Viper into production, created another sportscar in the 90's that didn't last too long but is still a collectors's item and everything he's done since intro of retro themed 2005 Mustang.

 

I did and found this

 

LOL. I know Shelby's miking it but I'm glad his exile from Ford is over.

 

Hey, at least that Charger was a coupe, I'm just amazed not to see a Rebel flag.

 

you can bet they had mullets of plenty!

 

Wow, and a whopping 107HP.

 

Shelby says, "BACK OFF", 0 -50 in 5.5 secs.

 

I like this better, it the old Shelby Olds...http://www.motortrend.com/features/1...ile/index.html

 

I found this