In the eyes of many automotive enthusiasts, Caroll Shelby is a legend with few peers. His breathed upon Mustangs are so coveted, they routinely sell at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Shelby Cobras are truly special icons of the muscle car era, but when Caroll and Ford parted ways, he left the keys to the Shelby Mustang kingdom to the throngs of enthusiasts and car clubs across North America.
[Source: Mustang Evolution]
The 5,000 member-strong SAAC is a key Shelby club that has used its years of Shelby Mustang knowledge to help both members and non-members ascertain the validity of their 1:1 scale toys. Mr. Shelby had given the club the right to use his name and branding to carry out its duty, but as of January 31, 2008, he's declined to renew the license. Shelby isn't stopping there, either. According to the SAAC (and a letter they say they got from Shelby's legal team) Caroll is also going after all verification data collected by the club since 1996, and he wants to see the club's financial statements during that same span of time. After the lawyers delivered the news to the club, Caroll reportedly trademarked the SAAC name, giving the club little choice but to hire lawyers to fight the onslaught from the patriarch.
Right now we're only getting the SAAC's side of the story, and there seem to be conflicting reports on the net regarding the license cancellation. It's also unknown how much (if any) of the documentation in use by the SAAC was provided to the club by Shelby. The SAAC also profits from said information, which makes any relationship with Shelby all the cloudier. We also have to keep in mind that the agreement was signed through January 2008, and Shelby has every right to simply decline to renew the right to use the Shelby name and property. Regardless of who's at fault and who owns what property, we hope that the 5,000 Shelby-loving members of the SAAC are considered during this entire ordeal.
[Source: Mustang Evolution]
The 5,000 member-strong SAAC is a key Shelby club that has used its years of Shelby Mustang knowledge to help both members and non-members ascertain the validity of their 1:1 scale toys. Mr. Shelby had given the club the right to use his name and branding to carry out its duty, but as of January 31, 2008, he's declined to renew the license. Shelby isn't stopping there, either. According to the SAAC (and a letter they say they got from Shelby's legal team) Caroll is also going after all verification data collected by the club since 1996, and he wants to see the club's financial statements during that same span of time. After the lawyers delivered the news to the club, Caroll reportedly trademarked the SAAC name, giving the club little choice but to hire lawyers to fight the onslaught from the patriarch.
Right now we're only getting the SAAC's side of the story, and there seem to be conflicting reports on the net regarding the license cancellation. It's also unknown how much (if any) of the documentation in use by the SAAC was provided to the club by Shelby. The SAAC also profits from said information, which makes any relationship with Shelby all the cloudier. We also have to keep in mind that the agreement was signed through January 2008, and Shelby has every right to simply decline to renew the right to use the Shelby name and property. Regardless of who's at fault and who owns what property, we hope that the 5,000 Shelby-loving members of the SAAC are considered during this entire ordeal.
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