rumor control--has SAAC lost its use of Shelby name?

[Jim Maxwell]

Amy, Thanks for your participation here. As a long time Cobra fanatic, ever since my big brother, Ed, bought CSX 2306 in 1969 (for $5500), I have enjoyed all things Shelby. I have been a member of SAAC since ~1987 or so, when I finally had the money to buy a real Shelby (CSX 2401). Med school and residency kind of got in the way of car stuff for a few years, but all those nights moonlighting in the ER for extra cash was with one goal in mind, a Shelby Cobra.
SAAC has been a great help to me over the years in many ways. Do I think the magazine will win any Pulitzer's? No. Is Rick warm and fuzzy at the convention? Heck,no, and I wouldn't be either with the success of a huge event weighing heavy on my shoulders. Does it cost a lot to get into the SAAC events? Have you ever seen what it cost to rent a major race track? For a small club (and SAAC is, relatively speaking) the costs aren't spread out over a huge number of folks. While I don't have any idea regarding the actual finances of SAAC, I'll bet they earn every cent they make and I'll also bet it isn't near as much as some folks dream it is.
The American demand for perfection in all things is a major societal flaw, I think. Everyone thinks, usually with the assistance of 20/20 hindsite and an inflated opinion of one's own talents, that they can solve every problem better than everyone else ( I have this problem, myself).

This is a hobby for me and I don't take most of this stuff as seriously as some others. I chose to "lighten up" a few years ago when I realized that life was too short to sweat the small stuff, and this, believe me, is small stuff, compared to health, love, friends, and, yes, even , fun.
The rude and threatening comments directed toward Amy were, uh,...disappointing, to say the least. As a member of ClubCobra I was embarrassed and ashamed. (of course, I have been retrospectively embarrassed and ashamed of many things I have said in my lifetime, lest anyone thing I feel "holier than thou").
Shelby and his companies have the right to do with their intellectual property whatever they see fit. SAAC has kept the flame alive for $1 a year, I hear. So what does Shelby owe them going forward? Some think a lot. I think it is a wash. SAAC helped him, he helped them by licensing for $1. He didn't ask SAAC to do what the members did. Did he benefit? Heck, yes. So, exactly how long does he owe a debt? Forever? That's not fair, I think.
Amy, I hope your venture turns out to be all you and Carroll dream it will be, WHATEVER the reasons. Profit is NOT a dirty word in everyone else's business.
If any other Club Cobra member was creating a new business venture, wouldn't we all wish them well?
Go for it! New car nuts in the making, just like us!