Have Fun!
If you didn’t know, I drive a convertible. Actually, I have several convertibles. Come to think of it, I have more convertibles than hardtops. And I’m pretty hardcore about driving with the top down – even when its raining (which, in Phoenix, is a rare event) or its cold out. Now, mind you, cold out means 50 degrees to me. And I don’t like cold weather, yet when I have to decide between being cold or having a fresh air feeling, the fresh air feeling wins.
OK, so my wife needed to go somewhere while I was at work. We still have two children that, while capable of taking care of themselves, are not allowed to be by their own according to the law. So I drive home to pick them up. As we back out of the garage, they ask if we can put the top “up.” They mean down, but to them, they want the top “put away.” Hence to put the top up is like putting your stuff up. But I digress . . .
So, enjoying the top down like I do, I oblige them. We drive down the road while the Shaker 1000 belts out some of their faves: Puff the Magic Dragon and Bohemian Rhapsody. How’s that for an intereresting combo? The insight you need concerning their request about the top is that the temperature is north of 100 degrees outside. They don’t whine about it. They just want to have fun!
Shelli and I just got back from the Mid-America Ford and Team Shelby meet in Tulsa. We had our younger two kids with us along with one of my nephews, Matt (who is getting ready to go to the Air Force boot camp, God bless him). We drove a total of 3,000 miles to enjoy ourselves. And from being there, I gather a lot of you enjoyed yourselves – as we all should. Jim Wicks and the crew have always put on a spectacular show. I’m sure that is part of the reason Team Shelby has hooked up with them.
Like the 45th Anniversary show, there’s just too much to tell. But a couple highlights will hopefully paint some of the picture. I met Rick. Now Rick is a rare one. This man actually walked into a Ford dealership 40 years ago and pointed at a 1970 Shelby and said, “I’ll take it.” More remarkable – he still has the car. How cool is that? I’m guessing there are quite a few others who wish they could say that.
Watching the tribute to Carroll Shelby (and the celebration of his 50th anniversary win at LeMans in a . . . can you name it? . . . Aston Martin. Yes, before he hooked up with Ford, he was involved with the Brits. Makes the whole AC thing make a little more sense, doesn’t it? Quite a ride through time with the video show. Mr. Shelby got up and spoke to the group, too. Nice to see ol’ Shel and Ford being buddies.
Seen one of these on a Mustang?
Gotta Keep That Hood From Flying Off
Its a lynch-pin. Can you believe it was patented by Nathaniel Lynch in 1727! It keeps things from flying apart. Leave the cotter key off when you reinstall the front discs or drums on your steed and guess where your wheels might go when you make a turn.
After Ford and Shelby ended things in 1970, a few people with vision saw what most did not. They saw the value of an era and the cars then produced. They formed a club and poured their souls into it. One of those people I am priveleged to count as a friend. Austin Craig, who has been involved in so many ways with our Mustangs, has nudged, encouraged, cajoled, and shoved just the right people at just the right time to keep these cars and their following relevant. Austin was presented with a special award at the Mid-America banquet and Mr. Shelby was right in maintaining that without Austin, we wouldn’t be getting to relive the 21st century interpretation of what happened two score ago. A lynch pin is a lifesaver. And Austin has been that and more. Thanks, Austin, for keeping the fun going.
If you had fun at the show or any show, skip the next few sentences. My comments are for those that get wound up about the weather being too hot or too cold or too humid or too rainy. Or bothered because you got slighted ’cause some judge picked your car apart. Or there was a mixup that you feel was a personal attack. Or McDonalds got your order wrong. ADVICE: Let it go. Have fun! That’s why we’re doing this, right?
A few pics to show a little of what was going on (incidentally, the last photo wasn’t from the show. That’s a picture I took of my wife when I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. She was such a fine sight to see):
