Just finishing my nightly viewing of the Barrett Jackson auction. Carroll Shelby is truly an American Icon. I've always dreamed of owning a genuine Cobra. When I was a college student in the early 70's, an alley ran behind my apartment with a string on one story dilapidated garages. One day when I was walking to school, a guy was cleaning out his three stalls. He'd finished school and was moving away to accept a job in another state. In those garage stalls there was a 427 Cobra, a 289 Cobra, and a 1967 427/435 Corvette Coupe. He had been a veteran that was older than your usual senior and accumulated these cars with money sent home from his military tours. When I asked what he planned to do with the cars, he said he'd be selling one. The 427 was $12,000.00, the 289 was $7500.00 and the Corvette was $4500.00. He said he'd really like to keep the 427 Cobra ,but if I had the dough, he'dlet it go. At the time, I was driving a 1963 Plymouth Valiant Station Wagon I'd bought from my neighbor for $50.00. They were all beyond my reach financially but I spent the next week fanning the fire with him. Finally, he asked whick one I could afford and I confessed that I didn't have two extra nickles rubbing my pockets. He said "that's too bad , because I'd decided to let the 289 go for $5,500.00. As I watched them go across the block tonight for 300K+, I wished I had graduated about 3 years earlier. That's as close as I ever got to one.
