Times are tough all over. And as you might imagine, our favorite car clubs are feeling the pinch too. But, as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and that's exactly what three national Mustang/Ford clubs did over the Memorial Day weekend. Instead of taking it on the chin, the Shelby American Automobile Club, SVT Cobra Mustang Club, and SVT Owners Association teamed up to roll the annual SAAC convention, now up to SAAC-36, and the SVT Superfest into one humongous event at Virginia International Raceway.
It makes perfect sense. All three clubs feature open track activities. Shelby Mustangs and the vehicles from Ford SVT, including Mustang Cobras, are enthusiast favorites. Heck, the '07-'11 Shelby GT500s from SVT fit into all three clubs. And when splitting the cost of track rental, insurance, and all the other expenses for a national event, even the club treasurers smile.
Over the May 27-29 holiday weekend, the three clubs invaded VIR, one of the most beautiful race tracks in the country located just outside Danville, Virginia. The event centered around the open track, with vintage Shelbys, new Shelbys, and semi-vintage Mustang Cobras taking on VIR's hilly, 4.2-mile, 27-turn "Grand Course" in Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginner groups. I caught a ride with Shelby American's "VP of Fun" Gary Patterson in a supercharged '11 Shelby GT350, although he didn't warn me that we were heading out for a half-hour session with the Advanced group until I was strapped in with my helmet on. If you can imagine riding a roller coaster for 30 straight minutes, you get some idea of the sensation. Thankfully, my ride was before lunch.
There were also car shows on Friday and Saturday, including the prestigious SAAC concours for a select group of cars, which were crawled over, under, and through by the world's top Shelby and Mustang concours judges. A paved paddock area was reserved for the popular vote show, although you could view nice Shelbys, Cobras, and other Fords parked all around the VIR grounds.
While SAAC and SVT joined forces by day, they held separate social events by night. Both groups staged their own meet and greet on Friday night and banquets on Saturday evening. SAAC featured Q&A sessions with former Shelby American employees Lew Spencer and Tom Yeager, followed by guest speaker Peter Brock, who assembled his latest projectùan aluminum 350 cubic-inch modular short-block that he hauled to the stage in a duffle bag.
As an observer, the partnership between SAAC and the SVT clubs for SAAC-36 and the SVT Superfest provided more of what everyone came forùShelbys, SVT Cobras, and high-performance Fords. Even when the economy improves, this type of club alliance might prove to be a winning formula for all.
Ford brought several new performance...
Ford brought several new performance Mustangs, a ’12 Shelby GT500 and Boss 302 Laguna Secas, and put them on the track for breast cancer awareness. Riders paid a small donation for the opportunity to ride around VIP with Ford engineers, with the money going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
In addition to her Superfest...
In addition to her Superfest duties, SVT Owners Association President Marcie Cipriani (left) also spent time manning the Cruise for a Cause 2011 raffle tent.
Former Shelby American designer...
Former Shelby American designer Peter Brock (left) and team driver Tom Yeager (right) signed autographs during the SAAC meet and greet. They were joined by former Shelby American employees Lew Spencer and Chuck Cantwell.
Both the SAAC and SVT groups...
Both the SAAC and SVT groups held meet and greets on Friday evening. The SAAC event took place inside one of the VIR buildings, with vintage Shelby race cars on display.
Cobra Automotive specializes...
Cobra Automotive specializes in vintage Mustang racing, so it was no surprise to see a large presence at VIR. Their trailer canopy housed six Shelby race cars, plus they rented space in the VIR garages for more customer cars.
Curt Vogt (right) provides...
Curt Vogt (right) provides last minute instructions to Peter Brock, who took one of the Cobra Automotive GT350 R-models on-track for a spin down memory lane.
Jim Bridges from—where else—Shelby,...
Jim Bridges from—where else—Shelby, North Carolina, brought his red, white, and blue ’11 Shelby GT500, a tribute to Col. Isaac Shelby who led Revolutionary forces to defeat the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Jim’s hometown was named for Col. Shelby, who is Carroll Shelby’s great, great, great, great grandfather.
In contrast to the immaculate...
In contrast to the immaculate concours cars, Tom Cotter brought this survivor ’67 GT500, which he parked across from the concours judging. We saw a couple of judges sneak over to Tom’s 35,000-mile, nearly 100 percent original Shelby to check the small details.
From the historic side of...
From the historic side of SVT, Mark Young brought his ’95 Cobra, a pre-production prototype that was pulled from the assembly line by SVT to be used as a test and show car vehicle.
If SAAC Director Rick Kopec...
If SAAC Director Rick Kopec wasn’t running from one end of VIR to the other in his golf cart, he was static long enough to take care of other business, including directing traffic onto and off the track.
To pay tribute to the 45th...
To pay tribute to the 45th anniversary of the ’66 GT350, SAAC organized a special on-track photo op for owners of the second-generation Shelby Mustang.
Shelby American brought their...
Shelby American brought their big hauler to display the new GTS and GT350 Mustangs. VP of Operations Gary Patterson spent most of the weekend taking participants for track rides in the GT350 coupe.
Shelby American brought their...
Shelby American brought their big hauler to display the new GTS and GT350 Mustangs. VP of Operations Gary Patterson spent most of the weekend taking participants for track rides in the GT350 coupe. How many judges does it take to judge the engine compartment of a ’65 GT350? Brant Halterman found out when his Shelby was judged during the SAAC concours by some of the top Mustang experts in the country.