Race program ads for Shelbys or Cobras?

bitzman · Apr 2, 2007

When I used to write Chevy ads, every once in a while we would get a request to prepare an ad especially for a race program, say for Mid-America track in Wisconsin. That makes me wonder , 40 years later, if Shelby American ever had special ads run in racing programs that never appeared in the big magazines like Motor Trend?

Usually, in the case of Chevy anyway, we could be more appealing to enthusiasts than in the ads run in general magazines because the readers of the racing programs are diehard enthusiasts.

Like to hear if there were special ads for Cobras and Shelbys in racing programs, so far the only special ad I found not featured in other magazines was the one in Playboy for the 260 Cobra, a color ad with Shelby driving the car on a dirt road...

vernonestes · Apr 2, 2007

I may be wrong but i believe that there was a ad and an article on shelby american in the 1965 sebring 12 hour race.

Hope you find what your looking for,
vern

FlyingBoss302 · May 4, 2007

On the back cover of Michigan International Speedway/SCCA Trans-Am Championship (May 11, 1969) there is an ad for the 1969 Shelby GT 350-500. It has two Shelbys, one on top is red and the other is blue...with "Fire & Refinement" over the pics.
I'm not sure if was in other mags, but that is the only ad for Shelbys that I saw in my collection of about 12 T/A race programs from 1968-1971.

Also in the program, there is a great Chevy ad with a Camaro SS and a Corvette in a barn, side by side, that say "We'll take on any other two cars in the magazine"...did you write or design that ad...just curious, Tim