Bargain Basement Buys: 1966 Shelby Fire Sale

[Cal Metal]

1966 fire sale listing, whereby SAI sold off the factory cars to the public. Prepare to gag at the prices and the missed opportunity. Once in a life time opportunity.

[computerworks]

Some perspective to ease the pain-

1966 Prices
Bread: $0.22/loaf
Milk: $1.11/gal
Eggs: $1.05/doz
Car: $2,410
Gas: $0.32/gal
House: $23,300 <--------
Stamp: $0.05/ea
Avg Income: $8,395/yr <---------
Min Wage: $1.25/hr
DOW Avg: 786

[Cal Metal]

Looking at those prices, Ron, and what those cars went for (and what they are worth today) gives me very, very, minor relief.

Appreciate all the help.

[G.R.]

In '66 it was all I could do to come up with the bucks to pay for my insurance, the Hooker headers for my '57 Chev sedan delivery and the chrome reverse rims, let alone gas ,dates, and beer

Time Machine yeh that's what I need and the $$to go with it

[Bannon]

Computerworks,
Yeah but if you bought a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs and held on to them for 37 years, what would you have today...


JB

[casaleenie]

In the early and mid sixties I was making $85. a month working for Uncle Sam. I couldn't afford that car then and I sure can't afford it now.

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride!!

Computerworks,

That minimum wage looks pretty good compared to what I was making... (can't believe eggs were that high)

[casaleenie]

Bannon,

Very stale bread pudding....

[computerworks]

Originally posted by Bannon


Computerworks,
Yeah but if you bought a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs and held on to them for 37 years, what would you have today...


JB

....why, I'd have REAL, Original French Toast

[Mark IV]

I remember Oscar Kovalaski (Auto World) telling me about how Carroll strong armed him into buying one of the Daytona coupes....he quickly re-sold it cause he knew it would "lose money..."

Remember, back in those days nothing was more useless than "last years race car"

Rick

[mrmustang]

Rick,

I last saw Oscar K. at the Giants Dispair (PA) hill climb roughly 6 years ago....Still hawking everything he could ...Then again, I see Jack Selesky a few times a month, always asking when I'm going to run with Oscar and him.......



Bill S.


PS: The repaved Giants Dispair two years ago...it is now faster than it ever was......................

[Cal Metal]

In the summer of 1967, two months before my foray to college, HRM had for sale in their classifieds: One Corvette Grand Sport, ex-this and that--$4,500 w/o engine. $5,500 with motor. I knew in my heart of hearts that this was going to be like owning the Holy Grail. I was so convinced that this was going to be the opportunity of a lifetime that I seriously pitched the idea to my dad. I had just bought a '57 Corvette with slight body damage for $750. That puts the $4,500 into perspective.

The dollars were way over the top but I told senior that I didn't want to drive it but it would be an investment that couldn't have any down side. I laid out the history--Duntov and all. (Dad liked cars but didn't have a handle on this kind of thing). I knew the odds were not good but pressed him anyway. Long story short, they were funding the college endeavor and I was going out of state and you know the rest.

Probably would have sold it five years later for $15,000 but at the time I knew I was right. One of the few times in 54 years.

[xlr8or]

I was only 3 at the time but a coupe for $8700.. DANG!!
Nice return on the money now.

[Hal Copple]

I actually still remember the add, i think it was in the back of Road and Track magazine. I was putting a dollars worth of gas (three gallons) in my TR-4, saving the rest of my money for milk for our toddler. When the Cobra's tanked in value in the late '60's and early 70's, you could get a 289 car for less than $4K, i seriously thought about it. I had saved about $6K in Vietnam, by living as an advisor on about 10 bucks a month, and refusing an R&R.

But i had other eventual goals, my education, so i had to put my savings and GI bill towards my eventual hopefull future, not a used car. I drove my VW Type III (much modified, by the way) for over a quarter million miles, there was nothing left for a used race car.

But it turned out for the best for me. What would i do with a very expensive used historic car anyway. They should be in the hands of rich guys who can afford to restore them.

I never really wanted for anything important anyway. When i came back from 'Nam, all i had were the jungle fatigues i was wearing anyway, the wife had run off with the rest.

Was not in my plans to get a car, i had other goals. The military had tought me to be very very focused on my goals, and to not let anything get in the way.

Like today, met my son, we went up into the NC mountains so he could do some photograpy, then to dinner, then he headed back to Clemson. That is what's important. Nice to know that he takes his younger sister out for dinner once a week at their college.

He did mention that if he ever wins a lottery, he would just drive race cars.

[Bannon]

casaleenie and computerworks,

I'll set em up 'n you knock em down.

Very very funny..

JB

[Turk]

For those who wouuld enjoy going back down the memory lane.....eggs will never be as cheap.

The DOW? Hang in there!! We may get there!!

TURK

[Excaliber]

,,,in those days I was struggling to come up with $50 for a used car. Got milk? Heck yeah, I worked at a dairy, ha ha. Used to by-pass the governor on the tractor and pop wheelies when the boss wasn't looking..........

Ah,,,,the salad days.....

Ernie

[Rick Parker]

I can just see it now.......a wide eyed 20 yaer old trying to convince a banker about "Futures" on a year old clapped out chipped up old blue race care that "Everyone's driven all over the world". Sorry son...........no collateral!


.............Rick

[Mark IV]

Bill,

I have a vivid memory of the first time I met Oscar. I was a crew "gofer" for Warren Agor Racing who had just bought Oscars McLaren and had entered it in the Watkins Glen Can-Am circa 1972. Oscar was hanging around giving us advice about the car, etc. As was his PRDA jokester style he had a set of candy wax "vampire teeth" that he would attempt to bite peoples necks with. He did this to Denny "The Bear" Hulme and Hulme told him to "bugger off" One of the McLaren crew guys told us only Oscar could get away with this as he had been a McLaren customer. Anybody else would have been b!tch slapped!

This was the era when I discovered that being a crew member was not as glamorous as I had thought. Now that I had become one of the guys I had admired from the other side of the fence I now knew the truth. The guy at the fence admiring me during the day was now at night rolling around his tent with his girlfriend while I was cleaning greasy parts and eating oil soaked cold sandwiches. The idea was much better than the reality.

Rick

[BamaBrett]

I was mowing lawns for 25 cents back then.

Hmmm.... 32,000 lawn mowings = 1 Shelby Cobra

I should have worked a little harder.



Y'all take it easy now, Brett

[TERRY M KRYSTOFIAK]

WAS LOOKING AT THE POST ABOUT COBRAS IN THE SNOW. I STILL HAVE A PICTURE OF MY COBRA AT LAKE TAHOE WHILE I WAS LOOKING TO BY MY FIRST HOME. IN 1968 I SOLD THAT COBRA (CSX2192) FOR $4,000.00 AND '67 GT500 #0962 TO BY THE TAHOE HOME. I GAVE THE 500 AWAY AS I OWED MORE THAN IT WAS WORTH. NETTED $2,000 FOR THE COBRA. THE NEW HOUSE WAS $19,500. ANY REGRETS? NOPE.THAT HOUSE SOLD RECENTLY FOR 325K. I SOLD IT IN '73 FOR $40,000, AND USED THAT TO WHERE IM NOW....WHATEVER THAT IS!? RECENTLY THE COBRA SOLD FOR $185,000. AS I TRIED TO PUT THE DEAL TOGETHER, IT DAWNED ON ME THAT IT WOULD COST ANOTHER $500,000 TO SETTLE UP WITH THE MISSES OF 31 YEARS AS SHE DIDN'T QUITE SEE THE "DEAL" AS I DID. ITS ALL REVELANT TO THE TIMES!