I said, "What Car?" and he said, "My Shelby KR500". "Count me in" I reply.
The catch is the car is down in Palm Springs and we'll have to drive down in his Porsche. Oh well.
It was cloudy when we set off from home in the Macan S. We decided to take the back way also known as "over the hill" or "the twisty way".
It's not exactly 21st century territory.
More like 1850's.
Hey! We found the source of the
Blooming Monsters in the Wilderness revealed in my White Van Man Journeys of 5 years ago!
We talked to one of the artists and learned 1, everything here is for sale, 2. shipment and installation available, and 3. today is the day to make a deal.
Sadly, we didn't have time to buy a T-Rex, or stop at the Cahuilla Casino, because we had an important appointment.
And despite being in the Porsche, we couldn't make good time in these mountains. Too much to see and a few too many cars.
No masks up here though, at the Paradise Valley Cafe. No BMWs either, despite the Roundel on the front of the Cafe.
We left the forests and entered the high desert terrain.
Keeping an eye out for Borrego (wild bighorn sheep)
and absolutely nut-case bicyclists dicing it up with trucks on a windy cliffside road that challenged even the Porsche.
Surviving the trip, we pulled into the parking lot to see a LIMITED EDITION (400 units) Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. In 1957 this was the most expensive production car in the US - about $14,000 when a R-R was $10,000.
Today this car is $140,000. Note the nifty hinged covers on the dashboard air vents, and the unique little lenses poking out of the dash to show your blinker is working.
Notice the progression of the fins from Stubby to Dangerously Graceful in just a year or two. I would have loved to have been around then, in the Fifties. (Oh wait, I was).
Notice the suicide doors on the Brougham, and the stainless steel top.
Interior of the yellow car is very nice, but not like the burgundy one.
There's a 12 foot-long rear quarter panel!
There were a few more inside the warehouse. It doesn't look too fancy -- most of the money paid for storage here goes to heating and air conditioning in the summer. The ceiling insulation is being replaced, so most of the cars have been moved out of this side, including the Mustang and Mini.
Bright yellow Toronado shares a rack with Clenet Neo-classic, and a neo-Tbird.
Porsche, M-B, Avanti and Allante -- quite the mix.
Here we have a Lincoln Continental, Cadillac and Willys (?) Notice the shiny ceiling, to keep in the cool air.
Enough of that stuff. My friend’s John Cooper Works Mini was pulled up onto a flatbed for shipment to the dealership.
I pumped up the original tires on this 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra 500 King of the Road.
The plan was for me to get the Shelby back over the mountains to San Diego in one piece, while my pal followed the tow truck to Ontario, checked in his not-running Mini, and then came south.
What could go wrong with a car like this under me?
2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR
“King of the Road” GT500 was a GT500 shipped to the Shelby Automobiles facility in Las Vegas, where upfitting to KR status was performed. The Ford SVT-engineered 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 was enhanced with a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack to boost horsepower to 540 and torque to 510 foot-pounds. The added power came via revised ignition and air/fuel calibration, a Ford Racing-inspired dual exhaust and a cold-air intake system specially designed for the KR’s carbon fiber hood.
Engine
Type: 90-degree DOHC supercharged V-8
Displacement: 5.4 liters / 330 cid
Horsepower: 540 hp @ 6,250 RPM
Torque: 510 lbs.-ft. @ 4,500 RPM
Bore x Stroke 90.22mm x 105.8mm (3.552" x 4.165")
Compression: 8.4:1
Suspension
Front: MacPherson strut, 34-mm tubular sway bar, Ford Racing front strut tower brace, uniquely tuned struts & shocks
Rear: 3-link solid axle with coil springs, Panhard rod, 24-mm solid sway bar and uniquely tuned shocks & springs
Brakes
Front: 14 in. vented Brembo disc, four-piston aluminum caliper
Rear: 11.8 in. vented disc, dual-piston caliper
ABS: Four-channel ABS system, with all-speed traction control & electronic braking force distribution
Wheels / Tires
Wheels: Unique GT500KR 18" x 9.5" machined aluminum wheels
Tires: Exclusive Goodyear Eagle F1 tires
Front: 255/45Zx18
Rear: 285/40Zx18
Performance
0 – 60 MPH Acceleration: 4.3 seconds
1/4-mile @ MPH: 12.5 seconds @ 114 mph