I have been a shelby freak for years longing for the day that I could find my "Barn Find" and baby my baby back to Shelby glory. Sadly, the Movie Gone in 60 seconds came out before I could find my dream Shelby and prices went through the roof. Now Most of the so called Shelbys out there on the street are simply not Shelby's, but rather clones..(MOST with automatics too...Yuck) Here enlies my questions... Do you think that these Shelby Cloner Boners will ever be worth much if done right..? This is where your opinions count!!! D
I think that since the Originals are priced out of the hands of the MOST people that the Clones will surely rise in price "IF" done as actual Clones with ALL of the parts installed. Well, thats my 2 cents. David.
funny thing is that mine will have nearly as many original parts as the real deal...lol it will be a fun real looking fake..
If you mean will they be worth as much as vintage Shelbys are worth now? In my opinion the answer is no. They are lacking some key elements, like rarity, and desirability. I still believe if you are motivated and have a little fundage you can get a real Shelby. A lot of these guys have more in the fakes than the originals go for....what the heck is that about? ...and don't tell me because they are afraid to drive the orginals....:
There are still original cars out ther to be had for a decent price......how much are you willing to put into such an original clone?......doing the car like you briefly said is going to cost alot of coin. In my opinion, there will always be a stable market for clones done right.....emphasis on RIGHT. Best Regards, Vern
The project I am working on now is just going to be a very clean street/track car set up as a R-code style 65 as that has always been my vision of real shelby glory. I have been lucky enough to find many shelby parts mostly from my dad and other family sources over the many years. Ebay has been good to me aswell. but I would say I will be in to the car for 25k when done. The 65 Fastback was from Dad and cost nothing so that has saved me some coin. I would never even begin to pretend that it would be worth what a Shelby is worth but somplace in the back of my mind I would like to imagine selling of trading my clone and my boss 302 for a SHelby someday... Just wondering what kind of value these clone cars could eventualy bring is all.. a just never know how the game will play out I supose. Daryl
Daryl The key here is your definition of value. I have a car that I grew up with and continue to drive for the sheer enjoyment of it. Yes, it started out as a real Shelby but that is only heritage. Carroll started with a Mustang and gave it sizzle. I have continued that process and have a lifelong project that gives me pleasure and enjoyment every time I fire it up and head on down the road. I have made significant changes to the original formula (5 speed, Webers, etc.) that some would say have bastardized a "real" Shelby. But my version of value is tied to the enjoyment I get from driving it and not as a "Trailer Queen" contestant at a car show. But different strokes for different folks. Make your car in the style YOU choose to live and just enjoy it.
Correctness will dictate the value. I've seen some pretty poor clones. Hardly even more than just the side stripes. Some still with the "289" on the front fender. So, it really depends on you. Oh, also, don't tell eveyone that it's real, or put on some fake VIN number plate. We've all seen the ones with -it just happens to be one more number beyond the amount made- ones.
Funny thing about being a liar and calling your clone Shelby the real deal is that any of us who know the game can tell. Its only the layman who do not know and you never know the difference. My Vin plate reads.. "5sURNId10t" and I love watching the people look at the car wonding its heritage and storey and then look closely at the tag...good fun...lol its sort of turned in to a sport with my friends and I.. D
Regardless of how well you do a clone it will never be as desirable as an original Shelby, assuming the original Shelby is in decent shape. I can tell you in my area I personally know a few guys who have well over 45K to 50K invested in a Res-to-mod/clone 67 GT500. In fact, in the Atlanta area there are a few advertised for sale for 85K to 110K but there have been no takers. My son has a clone and with some coaching from me he has about 18K in his car. First, I gave him the 67 fastback body with most of the body parts an interior which saved him a few thousand dollars. It doesn't have deluxe interior, just standard. It has a simple 289 2 barrel. But the car looks and drives great. Had he got carried away and used original parts he would have doubled the cost. So, if yours is a clone and you intend to represent the car as a clone, consider the fact it will never be a Shelby. But it will turn heads every time you drive it.
