WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO Shelby Maverick

I don't mean to offend anyone, but personally, I find it hard to believe that Caroll Shelby had anything to do with the "Shelby Maverick" other than the use of his name. It basically looks like a Mexican Maverick with a few trim items slapped on. It can hardly be compared to the caliber a Shelby Mustang or Cobra. In fact, I think it's quite ugly compared to an American Grabber...

 

well i have to agree with you T.L. at that time caroll had a falling out with fordhe never really said publicly why he he pissed off at them but explians why the shelby maverick was built in mexico if it was ever built, he couldnt sue them in mexico

 

.....but it does have the name and is extremely rare. If any are left at all.

 

There is a copy of the "Shelby de Mexico" story somewhere in Stefan's main site. It is a company that started out as a parts distributor for Shelby, then after he sold the rights to his name to Ford, they started to build unique-to-Mexico "Shelby" products, including, apparently, 300 Mavs. I doubt that Shelby had much to do with any of these products (including the notchback-only Mustangs), but you can bet that he got his nickle for every car that rolled out of that plant with his name his name on it (south of the border where Ford's licensing rights didn't apply).
I agree with the opinion that these cars aren't much to look at. I describe them as Powered by Shelby/Styling by J.C.Whytney because it looks like the only mods done were of the "off the shelf bolt-on" variety. On the other hand, I had to completely rethink my approach to building a "Made in the U.S.A." Shelby Mav phantom when it finally hit me that if 'ol Shel had made such a creature north of the border, it would have been an entry level product to give po' boys like me a chance to own a Shelby vehicle, and it would have been a stripper with few of the more radical mods seen on the Mustangs (no restyled fenders, for examples). It's entertaining to dream though, isn't it? John B.

 

Just a note since the pics may be deceiving. Those are 1971 Reflective Grabber Stripes and are more than likely Black and not white as they appear. I have taken flash pictures of my car with the reflective stripes and they always come out white even though they are black ... Look at the picture with the girl standing in front you can see they are not really white.

 

sexy mav!

man that shelby maverick is sexy! lol

 

ok, im not saying there is or isnt a shelby mav. but if there is and thats it does anyone have any idea what could be in it? 351? or if it is Carrol Shelby material 427, 428? dont know the front end looks to high to me. maybe HD suspension. and any pics of the tail lights? mav or comet. all i can say is it looks good to me.

 

It would have had a 302 prolly .

 

Some of the 69 mexican shelby mustangs had 289s if I remember right

 

I don't see anyone noticing the "Shelby De Mexico" badge on the fender, just behind the headlight.
It is the same badge, same location too, as the one on the 71 "GT 351".
Dave

 

I have a letter from Mr. Velazquez (spelling?) before he died. He stated basically what some of the other posts did. His story directly to me was that once Shelby ended his relationship with Ford, he could not sell Shelby vehicles in the U.S., but he could in other countries. Velazquez struck up the deal to convert certain models, including the Maverick, to Shelby vehicles. He did not say specifically that Shelby was or was not directly involved, but I would guess Shelby was not. It was more of a licensing agreement and a way to sell more Shelby dress-up parts. I have some of the same pictures as posted, and yes, the Shelby snake is definitely mounted in the rear package tray area. That's the only Shelby emblem visible in the photos I have, although there could be others. It appears the car wears the slotted Shelby wheels available at the time. It had a Boss 429 hood scoop, a hood tach, and the fiberglass trunk with HUGE rear spoiler - so big it looks ugly to me too. In his letter to me, Edwardo admitted he kept none of the special parts for the Shelby Mavericks, and none had ever been exported to the U.S. He says production was exactly 303 units. I occasionally sell parts to Mexican residents and have asked again and again about the Shelbys. Most have never seen one, although a few recollect seeing them when they were newer. I have been unable to even get one single Shelby Maverick part from Mexico, nor any brochures or other information beyond what is posted online. Oh, another important point; there is no way to positively identify the Shelby Mavericks. They were invoiced to Shelby de Mexico, converted, then sold to various dealerships. Without an invoice to or from Shelby de Mexico covering the particular car, including its serial number, there's no way to document its authenticity. So caveat emptor. As a P.S., if anyone who goes to Mexico or lives in Mexico can help locate a 70's Ford B-100 panel truck, I'd love to have one as a pull vehicle for my Mavericks.

 

Charles,
Thanks for filling in some more of the missing pieces to the "Shelby Maverick" story. Whether they are authentic or not, they still fire the imagination of some Mav owners like myself who will always wonder "what if....". It sounds like some of the pics in your possession have never been posted. Any chance of you putting them up for the reat of us to see? Thanks. John B.

 

Actually, they are basically the same photos, but when you have them yourself, you can study them in more detail and pick out little things not visible once they are posted online. I will try to scan and post the letter I have from Edwardo Velazquez in the future though.

 

It would be great if you could post that letter Chuck. Particularly in light of Mr. Valezquez' demise, this is a significant piece of Maverick history. Looking forward to seeing it. Can you also tell us about how it came into your possession? Thanks. John B.

 

I initially wrote to Rick Kopec of the Shelby American Auto Club and asked about the Shelby Maverick since I'd heard about it and seen it listed in the SAAC Registry. He had no more information but suggested I contact Mr. Velazquez. I cannot remember now if he gave me his address, or how I got it, but I wrote to him a couple times and he responded to me personally. He sent some of the same photos that are posted online, so that would appear to be all that exist "officially." You'd think there'd have to be more taken by owners and enthusiasts, but I haven't seen any. Nor have I come across any Mexican magazines with any articles, ads, or road tests of them. But there should be some - somewhere. Oh, one more thing. ALL the parts used to convert the Mavericks to Shelbys by Shelby de Mexico were also available over-the-counter, so that's one more reason to be careful if someone ever gets a chance to buy one claimed to be real. Without an invoice or other substantial history, there's no way to know it wasn't put together with over-the-counter parts. Of course, if the car had ALL those parts, it would still be super rare and desirable, but not necessarily a "true" Shelby. It will take me a while to get the letter posted, but I will do so in the future. And if anyone ever finds any original ads, literature, or articles on the Shelbys, I'd love to have copies or the original, and would be willing to pay for them either way.