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Enthusiasts know
that a vital part of researching any classic is
documenting the car's past ownership, or as we like to call it
-- the caretaker history.
Upon closing down the
California operation, Shelby American
'disposed' of the convertible and a handful of other
engineering cars by
shipping them to Dearborn on August
18, 1967.
Previous caretakers
of the 1967 Shelby GT Convertible have been traced back to
circa 1970 in the Chicago, IL area.
- November 1966
Shelby American, Inc.
6501 W. Imperial Hwy., Los Angeles, CA 90009
Delivered from Ford in late November 1966 -
originally intended as as public relations vehicle for
the spring (1967 1/2) introduction of a convertible body
style. January 1967 - repurposed as a '68 engineering
and styling concept (Shelby's design). May 1967 -
repurposed again as a photographic car with Ford's 1968
design (car was repainted white serving this duty).
- August
1967
Ford /
Shelby Automotive Company
15670 W. 10 Mile Rd., Southfield, MI 48075
#0139 was shipped from CA to MI in August
1967 and remained itemized as a company car, assigned Ray Geddes, Marketing
Dept. with a role of "Oil Company Promotion," up through at least October 31, 1968.
The Oil company is believed to be Leonard Oil which was
based out of Alma, Michigan. (car remained painted white
and disguised with '68 fiberglass)
- c. 1970
Gregory Shimkus
Lombard, IL
Purchased from "someone located in Addison, IL"
Vintage photos reveal the car remained white and
showed a "G.T. 500 KR" designation in side stripes,
however, the fender emblems were the coiled snake (non-KR).
It's reported that the engine had a single 4bbl carburetor
and exhaust headers.
- c. 1972
Nicholas Pancotto
10 Heather Ln., Oak Brook, IL
Pancotto changed the paint color from Wimbledon White to Acapulco Blue.
(Pancotto ran this newspaper classified ad from Oct '76-Jan '77
when selling the car)
- January 8,
1977
Donald Neil Osbjornson
1455 Lawrence Ave., Lake Forest, IL
- August 20, 1978
James B. Ventrella
2311 Dorina Dr., Northfield, IL
- December 16, 1985
Richard S. Kot
601 Glenwood Ln., Glenview, IL
It was during Richard's ownership that SAAC was
finally able to validate the hidden Ford VIN and
finally authenticate the car as the only 1967 Shelby G.T.
Convertible built.
- May 2001
Volo Auto Museum / Grams
Family
27582 Volo Village Rd., Volo, IL
It was Brian Grams that made
multiple discoveries
of the telltale '67 Shelby modifications when they were
restoring the car
in 2001.
- March 27,
2007
Dana Mecum Collection
950 Greenlee St., Marengo, IL
- May 17, 2009
Styles Collection
Boynton Beach, FL
»
Photos shared by previous caretakers
»
A detailed timeline of the
GT500 Convertible's history
* Note: We have
contacted the Department of Motor Vehicles in both Michigan
and Illinois to attempt a title/VIN search, however, both
have stated they only retain records for 10 years.
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