Shelby-American And Superformance Are Next-Door Neighbors?????!!!!!
 

I just heard that Shelby-American has a new Cobra dealership just outside Cincinnati, in little old Ross, Ohio. That alone is newsworthy. What REALLY caught my attention is finding that the Shelby dealer is right next door to the local Superformance dealership. Not across town, not down the street, not across the street, but right friggin' next door. A customer can visit one dealer, and if so inclined, can literally walk next door to the other.

This is interesting, and I have SOOO many questions, like:

1) Did the Superformance folks see this coming?

2) Since Shelby is also building glass-bodied Cobras in South Africa, is this his way of "taking it" to the competition?

3) Could this be a new trend, whereby Shelby locates other dealers near competitors?

4) I understand Shelby and Superformance have been battling in the courts for years. Could they have reconciled, and a new alliance is in the works?

5) Is this a good thing for customers? Will customers be able to negotiate better deals under this arrangement? Price wars, maybe?

6) Am I in the Twilight Zone, and Rod Serling is about to tell me I imagined the whole thing? Seriously, this news is both interesting and bizarre.


Ken

Well, since you're in Ohio, how about you visit both since you are in the market and report back your answers? That will help us not have another 10 page thread on SAI vs. SPF. :D

I remember seeing a Shelby parked next to a Superformance at a dealer when I first started looking. One wasn't even a consideration for me because of the price so I would think that this would make it equally beneficial for both companies until the prices get close for the finished product.

A little off-subject, but Mr. Bullitt2002, there is no such thing as a 2002 year model Bullitt Mustang. The Bullitt package was only available for the 2001 year model GTs.

Burger King's been doing this to McDonald's for years.

Bob,

You beat my to it..............


Bill S.

Did MacDonalds sue Burger King for using the word 'hamburger'?

Maybe Ken got one of those rare Red 2002 Bullitts. Ya know, the convertible one. :D

Durt ......no....but I don't think Hamburger is a registered trade name

I guess I was just curious if Burger King sets up shop next to MacDonalds out of healthy competition or a vendetta.

It benefits ALL fast food restaurants to be in close proximity to other fast food restaurants...people get tired of the "same old, same old...". If there is any distance driven, or if the patrons carpool to a local "strip" of fast food joints, as it were, the choices offered make it more desirable to those patrons, and ALL the fast food joints profit. Me, personally, I would choose either In-n-Out or Tommy's burgers over McD's or BK. BUT, both McD's and BK, and Jack-in-the-Box are offering newer, different types of sandwiches.

THE RENO NEVADA SHELBY "OUTLET" IS ALSO NEXT DOOR TO SUPERPERFORMANCE.

Actually, virtually ALL franchise operaters seek out locations CLOSE to competition. Find a Midas and you will probably find a Meineke, CarX, Firestone, Goodyear, etc. nearby. Just good business. I doubt that either dealership has anything to fear from the other. If I owned either company, I would welcome the competition, exposure and the added foot traffic.

I've been waiting for someone to bring this up.........it will be interesting to see what people have to say about Shelby's "new location".......and why it is, where it is. Will someone from Shelby chime in on this?? We'll see......

I almost brought it up on another thread (someone was talking about Shelby hiring new engine builders, etc....), but I decided to wait for someone else's thoughts on the matter.

Did Shelby do it to to try and hurt SPF's business? Who knows what runs through that mans head.....especially after not coming up on top in the lawsuit(s). He definately got ahold (somehow) of, what I consider, one of the best engine builders / Cobra installers, in the area.

Heck, Shelby isn't located "next door" to Dynamic Motorsports........they share the same driveway for christsake! A ridiculous move if you ask me. Ater all, we aren't talking "hamburgers" here. They have a terrible location compared to Dynamic. You cannot see them from the street (they are BEHIND Dynamic) and I'm not sure if they will be allowed to place a sign in front of Dynamic or not.......depends on who owns the property.

I know one thing.......Shelby's new CAV roller better be a good car. Going head to head with SPF at this price range won't be easy (probably one of the main reasons for the delays). SPF has been selling their cars for quite some time, and have the "bugs out"....so to speak. They sell plenty of cars to the public because they produce a GREAT CAR for the money.......and they HAVE to. They don't have a famous "name" or a CSX number to rely on doing some of the selling for them.

So, it will be interesting to see what happens with this (this business venture, AND this thread!) What do YOU people think took place with all of this? To me, going by Shelby's past few years of lawsuits, and anger towards the replica industry....I think I smell something "foul" (and I doubt it came from Shelby's tight 'old schvinkter).

I'll tell you what, though. There will be some FUN "test drives" when a customer from SPF and a customer from Shelby end up heading down the driveway at the same time! Eric better drop an alum. 427 in his test car!! ;)

Lets see.... on 1 interchange you have McDonalds, Burgerking, Wendys, Waffle House, Taco (something), Pizza Hut, I HOP chineese buffet... Gees Im ready to barf

A buddy of mine attended a SAAC convention with his SPF some time before the lawsuits hit the fan. Ol' Shel was making the rounds, and when he reached my pal's car, who was terribly excited to meet the legend, stated flatly to the person he was with, "that's one of them I'm gonna put out of business."
Nice to meet you, too.
According to an article in the LA Times, which alarmed me somewhat at the time, Shelby's lawsuits, in the extreme, would not only have put the replica industy out of commission, but also have all products from those targeted manufacturers destroyed.
What's not to love?
Shelby moving next door to SPF, in my opinion, is a calculated 'in your face' continuing effort to do what he couldn't accomplish in court - and that's to "put them out of business," or at the very least, let them know that he's far from done with his war on the industry.
It has nothing to do with muffler, tire or Happy Meal sales in the same block.
It has nothing to do with bold competition.
I don't think it's necessarily even about profitibility.
What it does have to do with is contracting a South African company to produce a competitively priced, fiberglass roadster to which he can attach his trump card - a CSX prefix and autograph, beat SPF at their own game and try to make life miserable for them. And if he makes a few bucks in the bargain, all the better.
If I were the owner of a Kirkham bodied 'continuation Cobra' or any other CSX-whatever, I'd be real angry.
Shelby is 30 years and 50 + thousand replicas too late.
I'd have a lot more respect for the man if he were content to produce a limited production Kirkham quality masterpiece and say, "bring on your replicas - this is a Cobra."
THAT would lend desirability and exclusivity to the Shelby marque.
Instead, he's decided to leverage his legend hawking SPF clones, and hooray for him.
Is all this fair game in the whole scheme of things? You bet. But when the dialog gets ugly regarding the Godfather's questionable motivation in his dotage, I hope all of his supporters keep in mind that when he declared war on the replica industry and their customers, he lost a lot of devoted fans, and as far as I'm concerned, the benefit of the doubt regarding his motives surrounding the proximity of his new showrooms.
My 2 cents worth.

Durt, as a former owner of SPF250, I see we were close in serial #s. Your post is one of the best I have read all year in what quickly becomes an ugly debate. You at least argue an argument, and do not pick fights. I also have torn feelings of ol' Cal. Jim Price and ol' Cal are two tough SOBs business wise. ol' Cal we know can and loves to compete. As I read your post, you have to remember, without ol' Cal, there would be no replica biz, likely no SPF, and no lawsuits. I have had bitter feelings the other way to ol' Cal, but I soon traced the family tree. He frankly has some cause in the matters you describe above and deserves to compete, and will likely be defended by many.

Note, I have yet to pick a side, I think.

"THAT would lend desirability and exclusivity to the Shelby marque.
Instead, he's decided to leverage his legend hawking SPF clones, and hooray for him."



Spf clones..!!! that is so ....that is so...absurdly ironic ...im speechless! some of you Spf guys really do think you are the center of the universe..

Yeef .....KK

Karl -
anyone remotely familiar with any of my posts knows that I'm no acolyte for Superformance. Quite the contrary. I simply happen to own one, and it is ground zero for SAI's wrath.
However, considering the rampant prejudices and knee-jerk conclusions drawn daily on this forum, I can understand your reaction.
Produced in South Africa, fiberglass, identically priced. What part of SPF clone is so difficult to swallow? It doesn't take a blind devotee of SPF to state the obvious.
But let's not bog down the discussion with the obvious.
Let's just concentrate on on the obscure.
Why is SAI offering this particular - whatever they're calling it - into the marketplace?
Why are they setting up shop next door to Superformance?
Why was Pete Brock blackballed at the Monterey Historics?
Why did SAI sue to wad my car up?
I offered my honest opinion. I'm all ears to contrary input - preferrably more in depth than 'you idiot.'
I might consider myself the center of the universe, but it has nothing to do with my car, and I'm not the one with the million ton chip on his shoulder.

Guys, the reason for my buisiness move was for my independance as an owner. I love Cobras and now I will be able to market Shelby cars to anywere in the world. Aluminum,Glass,and even carbon fiber.I did not do this to make my neighbors mad. I did not do this to try to put Superformance out of buisiness. Shelby America does not mandate that I stay in the backyard of Superformance. This is my call and I have many other reasons that I do not need to go into. Hey Terry SPF, I can always take my 3200 HP Hemi and put it into one of these cars and race the guys next door when they go out for test drives. (just kidding)