My Dads Ford Shelby GT-500KR Made Him King of Our Neighborhood

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bassette]Ross Bassette

In 1968, my father had his own mid-life crisis, and much to my mothers dismay, he traded our 1966 VW Micro Bus for a 1968 Ford Shelby GT-500KR. Suddenly, as far as myself and all the local kids were concerned, my dad became the coolest dad in our neighborhood. However, my mother was not impressed.

Our Shelby GT-500KR was green, and sported a convertible top with a roll-bar. Under the hood, this car featured a 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8 which rated at 335 horsepower. Mated to this power plant was an automatic transmission with a center-console mounted shifter. All in all, it was a prime example of a muscle car and an absolute chick magnet. Maybe, that's why my mom was so peeved.

Not soon after my dad bought the Shelby, he took a couple of my cousins out for a fast ride up route 95. This automatic transmission had a couple of low gears accessible by the console shifter which enabled the driver to have a simulated manual transmission enabling the driver to burn rubber at any stop light, or drag strip. Wanting to impress his nephews, dad pulled onto the egress to route 95 in the low gear hit the accelerator, burned rubber, and then blew the engine. Dad and his nephews came home, with the 1968 Shelby Cobra towed by a wrecker. My mom saw the wrecker enter our driveway and just screamed. Needless to say, my dad slept on the sofa for about a week. However, we did get the Cobra Jet engine rebuilt and ready to drive for another day.

One of the reasons for my dads popularity with the neighborhood kids centered around the fact we only lived about one hour from New England Dragways, located in Epping, New Hampshire. The drag strip had their big event every Sunday with many of the top rated Funny Cars and dragsters competing. Neighborhood kids were glad to do a few hours yard work for my dad to get a free ride in the Shelby to go to the drag race. At the time, all us kids were under 12, and could get in for the kids admission price. For a couple of dollars more, you could get a pit pass and go rub elbows with drivers like Don Garlitts, and Don Prudhomme. For my dad, it meant getting out of the house for a few hours away from his business. Sadly, as the group of us got older, and the price of admissions got much higher, the trips to New England Dragways came to an end.

One spring, my dad and I were cruising down the Maine State Turnpike at a blistering 150 MPH with the convertible top down. We came to the top of a hill and flew right past a Maine state trooper parked on the median waiting for speeders. This was in the days before radar, but the police could still tell if you were speeding by the pitch made as your car passed. Well, this trooper may have decided we were just too fast since he never bothered to chase us down. Maybe, he was just preoccupied eating his lunch? We will never know.

Unfortunately, all great things eventually come to an end. The need for cargo space trumped raw horsepower. In 1973, my dad traded his beloved 1968 Shelby GT-500KR in for a brand new Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon. My dear mother was finally happy. Sadly, we learned the kid who became the next owner of our beloved Shelby Cobra wrecked the car while drag racing. I hope the car had a decent burial. As for the driver, may he rot in hell.

To this day, my dad regrets ever parting with his beloved Shelby. However, the car left us with vivid and pleasant memories of our younger days when life was a whole lot simpler for my parents and all the kids. My mother even agrees. Unfortunately, at todays prices, you will never be able to trade a VW Micro Bus for a classic Ford Shelby.

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