From the showroom floor, Al Grillo Ford in Lynn, Massachusetts seemed like a great place to buy a new Ford. Hundreds of customers made Grillo one of the most sucessful Shelby dealers in 1968. However, it was what went on behind the showroom that would lead to the demise of the dealership and Al Grillo himself.

Grillo Ford was located at 220 South Common Street in Lynn, Massachusetts. It's hard to believe that Grillo was in business for less than two years. Grillo purchased Nel-Nick Motors in early 1967. The dealership was always full of high performance vehicles. They sold 427 Cobra roadsters, a street GT40 and dozens of Shelbys. A handful of Shelbys were sold during the summer of 1967.

This is CSX 3342. It's an original Grillo car.

SFM6S021 was a factory drag car. It was originally sold to Hi Performance Motors in California and then transfered to Al Grillo in 1967. Picture from the internet.

During the 1968 model year, Grillo was ranked in the top ten of all Shelby dealers nationally, selling over 70 cars.

This gorgeous white convertible is # 1425. The white with blue stripes may be the best combination.

Grillo sold this special orange GT500 KR. It was one of only 4 cars painted this color (WT 5107). This car is currently in France.







Grillo sold a number of special paint cars. I counted at least six. Most were yellow cars. This yellow GT350 is # 3441 and it was under restoration when this photo was taken.





#2068 is also a Grillo alumnus. This GT500 sports a red exterior and a saddle interior.

In 1969, the dealership was closed by Ford. Grillo owed the Ford Motor Company a considerable sum of money. Records indicate Grillo never sold a single 1969 Shelby. Most of Grillo's business was transfered to Lynden Ford and the assets of the business were sold to Yaz Ford. Yaz Ford was owned by Boston Red Sox baseball player, Carl Yastrzemski. The remaining cars in inventory were transfered to other dealerships.



Vincent "Big Vinnie" Teresa worked directly for well-known figures of New England organized crime. According to a 1971 newspaper article, Vincent Teresa was also a close associate of Al Grillo. According to Vincent Teresa's book ( My Life in the Mafia ) Grillo was a foolish man that wanted to hang around the mob. Teresa swindled hundreds of thousands dollars from Grillo and had fun exploiting him at every opportunity. Teresa gave Grillo counterfeit bonds and securities to cash. In return, Grillo kept a small cut.

By 1971, Teresa was in a federal prison and Al Grillo had "mysteriously disappeared". There is little doubt that Grillo owed the mafia a large amount of money. Vincent Teresa would later serve time in federal prison and enter the federal government's witness protection program.



The information for this story was compiled from various sources. These include contributions from the Shelby American Automobile Club, vintage newspapers and Vincent Teresa's novel. If you have any additional information or corrections on Al Grillo Ford, please feel free to drop me an email. I am always looking for contributions to the story.