The history of the car will determine its value. Many people make the mistake of believing that because one car sold for a high price, all similar models will. Cars that demand the highest prices are the best documented cars. Sources of documentation will vary and it would be unusual for one car to have it all.

Build Sheets: Sometimes called broadcast sheets. These sheets were used by assembly line workers to build the car. Multiple copies of these pages were used during assembly. Often times these were discarded or placed into the car during assembly.

MSO: Manufacturer's Statement of Origin. This is the car's original title. The name of the dealership or owners appears on this document. These are rare, but some states keep them on file.

The original order form for Ollie North's GT350 Convertible

Original Dealerships: With a little work, you can probably dig up the original dealership for your car. You probably won't find any records there, but it will be good starting point for finding other information. During the 1960s many dealers used a nameplate or script. Check out the nameplate below. You may recognize the name Selig. That's right, before Bud Selig went on to become the Commissioner of Baseball, he was a used car salesman! The dealership was actually called Knippel-Selig. It appears that the dealership did sell some Shelbys. If you have a dealer script please send me a picture of it. I would encourage you to put it back on the car. Click the link for some more dealer scripts.

Shipping Records: Remarkably, original shipping records do exist for most cars. This can be a valuable asset when tracking a car's history. Contact the Shelby American Automobile Club for more information.

Original Stickers/Invoices: Dealers also had seperate invoice copies of the window stickers, that contained identical information regarding prices and original features of the car. This sales invoice is actually a copy of the window sticker.

Original Titles: These documents are sometimes available from individual states. Laws differ for obtaining copies and a fee is usually charged. States, like people, differ greatly in what they save and what they will reveal.

Bob S. kept his original invoice all these years.

Owner's Records/Recollections: The most common type of information is available from previous owners. Previous owners can sometimes be found by working backwards one owner at a time. Phone books and the internet can be very helpful. A working knowledge of geography can also be helpful. Other clues may be available from the car itself. Look for old reciepts, ticket stubs and military installation decals.

Dealer Order Forms or Warranty Work Records can sometimes be found. For more information try contacting:

What's your number? Let me tell you a little secret....when you look at 1968 Shelby, you only have to know four numbers. Look at the last four digits of the Shelby VIN tag under the hood. If the full VIN is "8T02R204798-03206", you only have to remember "3206". Once you know that number, you can start digging. You should be able to find the full VIN from the Registry and then you can find the make-up of the car. If you send me a note, please include your number!