Autoblog

The epic saga of Unique Performance and its fall from grace isn't over yet. An auction was held in March to help clear the bankrupt company's back debts, but it only raised $1 million. That wasn't enough to compensate the many ripped-off owners and fleeced employees, not to mention the federal government. Auction firm Rosen Systems has a new, very spare listing on its website for another Unique Performance auction coming up on the 24th of June. The scarce information offered by Rosen Systems only states "approximately 40 Mustang Fastback shells, body parts, tools, lifts." A catalog of items to be offered for this online-only event has yet to be released, but it's safe to assume that these are the items that failed to sell the first time around. We're not sure we'd consider this auction a good way to get a viable Mustang body unit, with reports of multiple gallons of body filler in each car. Thanks for the tip, Cameron!

Gallery: Unique Performance auction

[Source: 67MustangBlog]

Click on the image to see VIN tampering evidence

After finding out that the Unique Performance asset auction didn't make nearly enough money to pay the lost wages of the company's former employees, at least those disenfranchised workers held out hope that their ex-bosses would face some major legal ramifications. Or not. Apparently, the the U.S. Attorney in Dallas has informed the Secret Service in writing that it will not pursue the case, despite the fact that company executives had faced 25 felony charges.

Some sort of hope still exists for the ex-employees and customers that justice will be served, as the Dallas County District Attorney's office has investigations underway regarding criminal allegations that Unique Performance had destroyed or removed the vehicle identification numbers of at least 61 vehicles.


[Source: CBS 11 via 67 Mustang Blog]

Carroll Shelby has seen it all. He's raised chickens and flew planes in WWII. He's raced in Formula One and partnered with all three of America's automakers. And then some. At 85 years old, Shelby deserves praise – like the Automotive Executive of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards the iconic muscle-car guru is set to receive this year. But what is he getting instead? Sued.

Frustrated by their misfortune with the ongoing Unique Performance saga, a group of customers are trying to sue Shelby to get their money back on classic Shelby Mustangs that they ordered from the now defunct company but never received. Shelby licensed his name to Unique Performance for restored pony cars, but seeing the writing on the wall early, severed ties with the company shortly thereafter. Either way, Unique Performance was at fault for its own screw-ups, not Shelby. Yet the plaintiffs are arguing that "no one would have ordered these cars if it wasn't for Carroll Shelby." That may be the case, and we can understand the disappointed customers' frustrations. But leave Grandpa Carroll alone. Thanks for the tip, Ralph!

[Source: CBS3.com]

The ongoing saga at Unique Performance came to another disappointing conclusion this past weekend when the remaining shells and equipment were unceremoniously auctioned off. The 40 former employees of Unique Performance (plus another 100 that were also owed cash) were hoping that the proceeds from the fire sale would be enough to cover their back-pay -- unfortunately, that wasn't the case. All told, the auction brought in $1,037,000, of which $900,000 was instantly taken by the feds to clear UP's outstanding debts. That left $137k for the unemployed workers, or about $978 per person – what we're guessing is just a drop in the bucket for both what they're owned and the legal fees they've amassed since Unique Performance went belly-up last November.

[Source: Jalopnik]

We've covered the scandal involving Unique Performance from the very beginning, and it now looks as if this sordid tale finally might get a bookend. If the idea of scraping off 13 gallons of bondo doesn't scare you, maybe you'd be interested in bidding on one (or more) of the 44 leftover Mustang body shells that are available for viewing here. Mustang not your thing? Prefer the Camaro? How 'bout the Chevelle? Even if you're not interested in any of its cars, Unique Performance owned plenty of other stuff, too. Take a look at these automotive lifts, for instance. There is some good stuff here, and you'll be helping to pay off the company's assorted debts in the process.

If you find yourself interested in anything on the Unique Performance fire sale auction list, you can inspect the works on Tuesday, March 25 from 9AM to 4PM. Lets hope that these classics end up in better hands than they were in at this company. Thanks for the tip, Cam!

[Source: Rosen Systems / 67 Mustang Blog]

Just two days ago, we reported that Unique Performance was in hot water. They had miserably failed to deliver hand-crafted continuation Shelby 427 GT500 "Super Snake" Mustangs to customers who had put up $7 million worth of deposits. Frustration grew to boiling anger when customers heard that the "skilled labor" had been supplemented by hardened criminals, and imperfections in each vehicle were being covered by nearly 13 gallons of Bondo body filler.

It has been a rough year for the management team at Unique Performance. Following a fallout with Carroll Shelby and a police raid, we're now learning that 25 felony cases have been prepared against company executives. Details haven't emerged, but we do know that investigators believe some of the inmates were illegally removing VIN numbers from the cars. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that hiring cons to do criminal acts can land you in the slammer too. Unique, and ironic.

[Source: 67MustangBlog]

This just keeps getting more interesting by the day. Back in 2002, Carroll Shelby partnered with Unique Performance to produce continuation Shelby 427 GT500 "Super Snake" models. Only one "Super Snake" was built in 1967, so each of these "new" cars, built on a vintage 60's Mustang platform with a registered Shelby VIN, was sure to be one hot collectible. Unique Performance would build 75 of these 575-hp monsters, each with a base price of $214,000. Investors, and speculators, quickly placed their deposits.

As the months went by, the cars weren't coming out of the Texas warehouse in a timely manner. Customers began to ask questions. As things often go from bad to worse, the relationship between Shelby and Unique Performance went down the drain and it wasn't long before the police came knocking on the door. Unique Performance was reportedly sitting on $7 million in deposits, yet customers weren't getting their muscle cars. Other companies, such as Foose Design, quickly severed their relationship just as the police moved in to confiscate 61 incomplete body shells.

Case closed? Not even close. Now we have word that Unique Performance utilized hard-core Texas prison inmates to help build the cars, and each of the hand-built Mustangs contained over 13 gallons of Bondo body filler. VIN numbers were illegally removed, and some parts of this re-built American classic were coming from Taiwan. If there ever were a hot demand for continuation "Super Snake" Shelbys, we're betting the secondary market for this particular model is drying up rather quickly. Thanks for the tip, Cameron!

[Source: 67MustangBlog]

The effects of the recent collapse of Unique Performance continue to grow, and this time it's the employees who claim they are owed thousands of dollars in unpaid wages. According to CBS 11 News in Dallas, many of the employees were asked to stay on to complete several Foose Stallions that needed to be finished even after the company was raided by police on November 1. Foose, as well as Shelby have since severed official ties with Unique. The employees have yet to be paid for the work, and are owed more than $40,000 in back pay. Mike Luzader, former program manager for Unique Performance, claims that the funds simply need to be cleared and that the wages will be paid on December 26th. We wouldn't hold our breath.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is why employees stayed on despite the obvious signs that the end was near. Many of the workers cited their passion and loyalty for the cars, as well as how personal they took their jobs. While we love to see this passion in the automotive industry, it's also sad to see it taken advantage of. We hope for a positive resolution for all involved and will continue to track the story's progress.

[Source: CBS 11 News]

Foose Design and the man for which the company is named, Chip Foose, announced last Friday that it is severing all ties with Unique Performance. The Dallas-based company had agreements with Foose to produce the Foose Mustang Stallion (pictured), Foose Camaro, Foose Challenger and Foose Motorcycle, as well as handle the sales and marketing for the Hemisfear. The break up comes after Shelby ended its relationship with the Unique last month, and a police raided Unique's facility last week for suspected title washing. Foose Design wants to let its customers know that it now has no affiliation whatsoever with Unique Performance, and that Unique does not have any rights to anything regarding Foose for any project. Follow the jump for the official press release from Foose Design.

[Source: Foose Design]

Unique Performance, located in the Dallas, Texas area, was raided by police today. The news does not come as a huge shock to some as Unique has been in legal trouble with customers awaiting their restored Mustangs, but never receiving them. Carroll Shelby also recently severed licensing ties with the shady shop. The police confiscated all vintage cars on the premises in the belief that the company was title-washing. Pretty much like they were taking cues from the original Gone in 60 Seconds film.

[Source: CBS News]