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34th Annual Shelby American Automobile Convention

"SAAC - 34"

August 6-9, 2009 Beaver Run Motorsports Complex, Wampum, Pennsylvania

If you wanted to meet interesting people and see some very unique cars, then SAAC 34 was the place to be.

Have you ever wondered what happened to all the green painted cars ? It seems like many of them have disappeared. From the 1968 perspective this was a truely a "green" convention. But, these cars are green only in color. Nothing could be better than a loud, 1960's muscle car guzzling fossil fuel. Now, on to the pictures.

A row of beautifully restored 1968 Shelbys. The quality of the cars has steadily improved over the last several years. Overall, eight 1968 Shelbys were judged in the concours show.

This car is past SAAC Division I Gold Award Champion. The car was built by a concours judge. You would be hard pressed to find a better GT500 KR anywhere. Yes, those are original GT500 KR tires. If I recall correctly, it was way back at the 18th annual convention.


These are the SAAC Division 2 Concours winners from the show.

Rick's lime green GT350 scored extremely high. The car was completely restored by Jeff James’ shop Tri-City Mustang Restorations in St. Charles, Michigan. I was amazed to see two GT350s with the correct pollution control system. If you are going concours, you need to have it. This car won the Gold Award.

Ted's car had been to a previous SAAC convention. The changes made definetly improved the car. It was awarded the Gold Award. Most cars that achieve this lofty status have been judged more than once. It is a very nice GT500 with air conditioning.

Bob's car earned a Gold Award. Bob's hard work and patience with this project really improved the car.

Scott's car has a home in Utah. It was awarded a Gold Award on it's first try. That is extremely rare. The GT500 also had the super rare Autolite carburetor. The car sounded awesome and the white with blue stripes really looked great!

Mark's red convertible had a lot of good detail. The GT500 managed a Silver Award in its first trip to the big show. That is no easy task. The judges inspection is very comprehensive and can typically last more than an hour.

Bruce brought his GT350. The car has the original Thermactor pollution control system in place. All 4spds left the factory with this system. The car was a Bronze Award in its first try out.

Mike's GT500 KR was looking very good. The lime green car was also awarded a Bronze Award. The original hubcaps look factory correct. I foresee a time in the not to distant future when all 1968 concours cars will be required to have them.

I have been told they built Shelbys before 1968 ? Actually, you might have seen 5S337 on this website. The car was awarded a Bronze Award in the concours class. You can bet it will get a massage, bringing it closer to that "perfect" car.


Now the rest of the show...

Not every car that attends is a concours entrant. John drove his car from Michigan over 500 miles one way.

Bill also drove his car to the big show. It sure didn't look like it. There were a lot Highland Green cars to see.

These two cars were late entries. Unfortunately, the concours class was full. Several of the judges spent time with the owners. It has been my experience, the judges are always willing to share their years of research. The advantage to attending a big show is finding these knowledgeable people to give you some ideas.

This blue car was at the track on Saturday. It was sporting two carburetors. The show was completed by the time a light drizzle started.

Usually you see lots of red cars at the show, but that certainly was not the case in Pennsylvania. This picture was taken at the track. Anywhere the Shelbys go there is an instant car show.

When you are researching specific items it's nice to find a car that's a little rough around the edges. Every car has some details to reveal.

Lowell's car is an advanced prototype and a factory engineering car. The guy sitting behind the wheel is really Chuck Cantwell. Chuck was a test driver for Shelby. He tested the car way back in the mid 1960s. Lowell's research was outstanding.

Here's a rare color combination for a Hertz car. Most 1966 Shelby cars sent to the Hertz rental agency were painted black.

I guess this would be the younger brother. These new Hertz cars are within reach of most collectors now. Save one for me.

I have always liked red, white and blue. I will take one of each, please. I could see myself in late model.

Ed Meyers is famous for his Boss 429 restorations. You can see why even from a distance. What's better than a black Boss 429 ? Two of course.

A 1970 Shelby with a Boss 302 motor? No, really. I am told just one of these cars was built.


Next years convention is scheduled for Mother's day weekend in California. You can take the whole family.