[Dangerous poll #2] Who played the most important role in the Cobra?

[YerDugliness]

I am NOT a fan of ol' Shel.....think he's a liar and a con-artist who had a good idea, although not an original one, as people were doing engine swaps LONG before Shelby dreamed up the idea of putting a small Ford V-8 into a Brittish sports car. However, without Shelby's "dream" and con-man work to get that first one to Iacocca, there would never have been that "yes" answer.

I hate to give credit for ANYTHING to Shelby, wish he and his lawsuits against various replica manufacturers and associated websites would just GO AWAY (that's a nicer way to put it than "Eat #### and Die", isn't it?), but in this case IMHO he deserves the credit for putting the effort into the whole sham--turned out pretty well for him, didn't it?

Cheers from Dugly

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

I am NOT a fan of ol' Shel.....think he's a liar and a con-artist who had a good idea, although not an original one, as people were doing engine swaps LONG before Shelby dreamed up the idea of putting a small Ford V-8 into a Brittish sports car. However, without Shelby's "dream" and con-man work to get that first one to Iacocca, there would never have been that "yes" answer.

I hate to give credit for ANYTHING to Shelby, wish he and his lawsuits against various replica manufacturers and associated websites would just GO AWAY (that's a nicer way to put it than "Eat #### and Die", isn't it?), but in this case IMHO he deserves the credit for putting the effort into the whole sham--turned out pretty well for him, didn't it?

Cheers from Dugly

Think about it this way. If Shelby hadn't done it, would this place exist today? NOT. The rest of it is an episode of Survivor. And the Cobra would be a Berkeley.

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

Think about it this way. If Shelby hadn't done it, would this place exist today? NOT. The rest of it is an episode of Survivor. And the Cobra would be a Berkeley.

Yep, Tony......I agree. Like I said, as much as I hate to give ol' Shel credit for it, I ended up voting for him in the poll. It was his "intellectual property" long before that became a legal concept.....it was his idea and he lied to both Ford and A/C to get the parts to make the first Cobras, lied to the press and had finished cars repainted so that it would look like he had completed more than he actually had. If he were trying to run his business that way today, he'd probably be sued by the Attorneys General of every state in which he worked.

In the end, though, without the idea (who knows, maybe others were toying with the same combo, too), this forum and the entire Cobra (and, perhaps, replicar) industry might well not exist. Have to give him some credit, as much as I hate to do so. He got my vote......damnit !

Cheers from Doug