Perhaps the most stunning reclamation is the 140-mph/8,000-rpm instrument cluster, an item Arild figured as a total loss. Amazingly, Gary "the Tachman" at H&H Auto worked magic with the rare combo, and when teamed with an N.O.S. bezel, it looks like new.
That "like new" moniker drips from Arild's now-stunning Shelby, proved by scoring MCA Gold at its debut showing during the '04 Mustang Roundup in Bellevue, Washington. Based on its presentation, judges were shocked to hear that Arild had driven nearly three hours from British Columbia, Canada, but when we went there for our photo shoot, that's exactly what we did-drive! We enjoyed several top-down hours in this Shelby as we scouted for an appropriate site for our images, and we're not kidding when we say this is one of the best running "stock" Cobra Jets we've ever ridden in.
Just this side of a near-death experience, the KR has come through better than ever, with a demeanor that's incredibly smooth and powerful at the same time.
All '68 Shelbys, All The Time!
Arild Thu was plenty savvy to online research and parts gathering when he launched his '68 GT500KR restoration, but when he stumbled onto Pete Disher's Web site at www.thecoralsnake.com, it was like finding the most important piece to the puzzle.
Pete's site is specifically oriented to '68 Shelbys and their restoration, with a specialty focus on the special-paint cars (159 total units, of which 144 were yellow). Data and history are the strong suits of this site.
Arild says that during his restoration, Pete was on overseas deployment supporting the Afghanistan/Iraq conflicts. Despite such duties, Pete was willing to communicate almost daily, making suggestions and advising Arild on the various minutia of the restoration.