Let's turn the time machine back to October, 1975...
It wasn't a good time to be driving a V8-powered Amercian cruiser that got 8 miles to the gallon.
The United States was at the the time importing 35 percent
of its energy needs and the country's petroleum supplies were almost nonexistent.
The government- as well as corporations and individuals- were unprepared for
what followed. At the time, 85 percent of the American workforce drove to their places of employment.
An economy car was a Dodge Dart that got 18 miles to the gallon.
I was living in Rockville, Maryland, veteran, father of two small girls, working and attending junior college. It all started on
Sunday,
reading the Sunday paper. My idea of reading the paper is to start with the classifieds under the auto section.
My attention was drawn to an ad for a Shelby in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Well, Gaithersburg is the next town north of Rockville.
So, I
wanted to see the car before I mentioned it to my wife. So, I suggested a Sunday roadtrip to Gaithersburg, with a side
trip to see the car. I grew up in the 60's in a small town in Virginia. Muscle cars were the stuff dreams were made of.
Due to the current situation regarding better gas mileage and price of oil, gas prices thru the roof and muscle cars were
down in price.
I convinced my wife the car was an investment. The plan was when the girls went off to college we would sell it and pay
for their education. We purchased the 1968 Shelby GT350 convertible on 10/28/75 for $2800.
We moved around with my job for Rockville, Maryland to Jamestown, North Carolina. Then we moved to the Raleigh area. I
had been a member of the local car club since I moved to Apex, North Carolina. I joined the club to learn more about the
hobby and techniques regarding restoration.
One thing I learned, I should have been hoarding parts at a lower cost to be used later.
I thought 90% of the car was original and no need to collect parts for a restoration. Most parts could be ordered from
catalog Tony Branda and NPD. I did not understand the importance of New Old Stock (NOS) parts and how they
played with a value of a car. I was late in understanding the process and terms used to restore a car. Also, I did
not have the space, tools or knowledge to do a restoration myself.
Then, 9/29/95 there was a divorce...90's style. That put a hold on my mid life crisis. Emotional roller coaster is the only
way I can explain it. The stress at work was self induced, to take care of my family; the added stress of the divorce was
overwhelming. After the divorce was completed, it was time to start over with the new chapter of my life with "PW1".
Let me explain, I named my car "PW1" (Pretty Woman 1).
Delivery Date: 9/29/2000
It was at the point that if I didnt get the Shelby restored then, I probably wouldn't get it done.
That is where Pete Morgan and Charles Turner become involved. They are both MCA Gold card judges. I entered
into a contract with Pete to restore the car. I am still not sure what level of restoration I wanted. I just wanted
Pete and Charles do the restoration. Maybe that wasn't a good idea looking back on it, but I wanted it done.
Closure, and it came to pass after 40 years, 11 months, 19 days of stewardship of PW1, I passed along ownership
to another Shelby enthusiast, Shelby Concours Judge, Charles Turner.
