The Evolution of Track Covers: A Look Back at Iconic Roles and Magazine Spots

As we reflect on the evolution of track covers, one role stands out as particularly iconic: cow on Ford GT. Who can forget those breathtaking images of a majestic cow standing proudly next to a sleek Ford GT? The combination was both striking and unexpected, making it an instant hit with car enthusiasts. The fact that these images were used on magazine covers adds to their allure, showcasing the power and beauty of the Ford GT.

The Cow on the Cover: A Legendary Combination

The cow on the cover was a defining feature of 1960s and 1970s automotive journalism. Magazine covers often featured striking images of cars, drivers, or other related themes. The addition of a cow added an element of surprise and whimsy to these images, making them truly memorable. One notable example is the iconic Ford GT, which was frequently featured on magazine covers during this era.

The Shelby Legacy Lives On

The Shelby legacy is one that continues to captivate car enthusiasts today. From its humble beginnings as a small racing team to its current status as a revered name in the automotive world, the Shelby brand embodies speed, power, and style. The k-code Mustang, which was introduced by Carroll Shelby himself, remains an iconic symbol of American muscle.

The Importance of Independent Rear Suspension

For those who may not be familiar with the technical aspects of cars, independent rear suspension is a crucial feature that allows for greater flexibility and handling. In the context of the Ford GT, the independent rear suspension system enables the car to corner more aggressively and maintain its stability at high speeds.

A Tribute to Henry Ford and the Automotive Industry

As we look back on the history of track covers and automotive journalism, it's essential to acknowledge the pioneers who paved the way for us today. Henry Ford, in particular, played a significant role in shaping the automotive industry as we know it. His innovative designs and commitment to quality have inspired generations of car enthusiasts.

The Art of Racing: A Conversation with [Name]

Racing has always been an integral part of the automotive world, and few people understand its intricacies better than [Name]. As a seasoned racing expert, [Name] shared their insights on the art of racing, from the importance of leg muscle to the thrill of driving a high-performance car.

The Legacy of Racing: A Conversation with Carol Connor

Carol Connor, Shelby's beloved secretary, was an integral part of the company's early success. Her dedication and passion for racing helped shape the brand into what it is today. As we spoke with Carol about her time working with Shelby, it became clear that she played a vital role in the company's history.

The Power of Performance: A Look at the 1965 Ford Engine

The 1965 Ford engine was a game-changer for car enthusiasts. With its powerful V8 configuration and advanced technology features, this engine remains one of the most iconic in automotive history. As [Name] discussed the engine's capabilities and design, it became clear that this powerplant was truly something special.

A Conversation with Jack Daniel: The Man Behind the Legend

Jack Daniel, a legendary racing expert, shared his insights on the art of racing and the importance of respecting the cars. With over 150 years of experience in the industry, Jack has seen it all – from the early days of racing to the modern era. His dedication to his craft is inspiring, and his passion for racing is contagious.

A Look Back at the Early Days of Automotive Journalism

As we reflect on the evolution of track covers, it's essential to acknowledge the pioneers who paved the way for us today. One notable example is the automotive magazine, which featured stunning images of cars, drivers, and other related themes. The fact that these magazines often included color photos added an extra layer of excitement to their content.

The Legacy of Ensen: A Tribute to a Racing Icon

Ensen, a racing icon, passed away far too soon, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire car enthusiasts today. As we remembered Ensen's contributions to the sport, it became clear that they were truly one of the greatest. Their dedication to their craft and their passion for racing are qualities that we can all admire.

The Power of Tradition: A Conversation with [Name]

As we look back on the history of track covers and automotive journalism, it's essential to acknowledge the importance of tradition. For many car enthusiasts, the Ford GT remains an iconic symbol of American muscle, and its legacy continues to inspire new generations of drivers. As [Name] discussed the significance of this vehicle, it became clear that its impact goes far beyond the racing world.

A Conversation with Hank Aaron: A Racing Icon

Hank Aaron, a legendary baseball player, shared his love for racing and the importance of respecting one's opponents. With a storied career in both sports, Hank has proven himself to be an inspiration to many. His dedication to his craft and his passion for competition are qualities that we can all admire.

The Legacy of Bobby Orr: A Tribute to a Racing Icon

Bobby Orr, a legendary hockey player, shared his love for racing and the thrill of competition. As we remembered Bobby's contributions to the sport, it became clear that he was truly one of the greatest. Their dedication to their craft and their passion for racing are qualities that we can all admire.

A Conversation with Jack: The Man Behind the Iconic Image

Jack, a renowned racing expert, shared his insights on the art of racing and the importance of respecting the cars. With over 150 years of experience in the industry, Jack has seen it all – from the early days of racing to the modern era. His dedication to his craft is inspiring, and his passion for racing is contagious.

As we look back on the evolution of track covers and automotive journalism, it's essential to acknowledge the pioneers who paved the way for us today. From the iconic cow on Ford GT to the legendary Carroll Shelby, these individuals have left an indelible mark on the industry.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwell another episode of Jay Leno's Garage today we're featuring a 350 Mustang now this car has a fascinating Providence we are huge Mustang fans here I've had mine for 35 years mine is car number 120 and this is what they call a continuation car now before you run away that doesn't mean it's a replica that means it's licensed by Ford and Shelby and it's built by some of the guys on the original crew that built these over 50 years ago it's a fascinating story it's a fascinating project I think it's just great because there's so many people that never got a chance to experience these let's bring in a Jim Mary out of Ted something these are two guys that were there at the beginning and they're here for this as well gentlemen how are you Ted hello greetings Jay good to see you morning Jim now Jim you you're the kind of CEO of this it's called original Venice crew that's those are the guys they were built in Venice California the original cars correct correct okay and you guys were involved and now you're back and how many is you gonna do we're only gonna do 36 this is the competition model right so it's even more rare than the original right and so we're only doing 36 because you only need 36 the first time around right so this is like the second run well you know it's interesting because I have a 2015 350 of which they only built 36 to honor the 50-year anniversary of those a mine is car number 36 oh how not yes so that's so they have a little special and you were a fabricator you were one of the kids working in the shop back in the day correct that's correct they actually I went there looking for parts for our car and they asked me what I needed it for and long story short before they had me bring it by and they told me I needed to go to work there oh okay so it's too soft too far away I said that's two hours to drive here he says ride with Wally okay the long story short I never had a better job now how old were you at this time of you're like 19 20 no I'm probably to 21 or 21 okay so you were there during the whole it's Ken my and it's Carol Shelby did it seem historic at the time did it seem like you were making history we were just working in the car shop no it was a it had an area it was very special to say the least yeah I knew I was working in it and with tricks stuff because we were making news in the motor-car world sure I came there as a guy that mainly as a SOT knows kid right was a drag racer right stoplight to stoplight I don't care if it had fluid drive or what it just but anyhow I had some welding skills and some fabrication skills and I built a Willy's drag car and we rented it and so one thing led to another somebody asked me to put a Shelby engine in an austin-healey 3000 okay and that's of course all that that made another junior Cobra Ottomans right that was a common swap back in the day there are a few guys that did that yeah I actually had Hot Rod Magazine come out and photographic but somebody else beat me to it yeah so anyhow that particular problem I had I didn't know how to convert the card wallet clutch to better linkage which is what I was used to okay so I went to Shelby to get some parts and they said what he's in for and then the guy that I ran into was still Remington oh sure and I didn't know who he was I just knew he was a handsome very meaningful type of person he said you got to come to work here and so eventually I got that sorted out and I never forget it a second of it so Jim tell me about this now now you're a businessman now you're building these cars which I imagine there's a lot more work involved than people realize in there well more than I thought there was going to be so we we we start with it with an original K code just like we did 50 years ago right to continue the legacy and so I buy them basically off the street most of the cars that we have actually drive in right then we take every nut and bolt out of the car we media blast it down to the steel we replace all the panels that need to be replaced right and then we build it back like we did 50 years ago now dude does this have a CSX number they will get it I can't use CSX because of the laws right but it's it's good its OVC sfm right and then it gets a number okay and so I have 1 through 36 this is a prototype so it does not have a number now and these are streetable correct yes okay so it's a streetcar and you start with a 289 block right correct I mean for speed or 5-speed no for speed so a little minam case yes Wow well we started out with aluminum cases and we found out that they're difficult to to keep to keep the the tolerances right so we buy a aluminum alloy of carton now that's a brick that's a brand-new piece okay but we didn't to try and recondition the old ones the reliability is not as good as it should be so we went to new stuff so is there any modern things on this or is it all done exactly as it was the only the only modern things on it is that we put a electric kill switch the original didn't have right and the fuel tank has a bladder and foam which original didn't have right okay and and then other than oh and then this one that was unique because it is the independent rear suspension in it oh okay well they never had that which was well it it was under development at the Shelby shop at the airport and so I was looking enough to work on that at the airport and in the middle of testing it they decided to Nixon and so through a long securities route that I won't go into here we ended up with three of the original sets of the of the independent rear suspension so we're duplicating that and putting it in this oh very good now my history is cloudy I thought the racers were called 350 are they never were no called GT 350 competition model ok competition of the are came later ok I think where people picked it up is that the VIN number for Shelby was 6 s for street or 6 R or 5 for race okay and so instead of saying competition model people just started saying well it's an art it's an art that's what I thought I've been in the Shelby Club for like 35 years in there they're always called armed models but never from Shelby that's just what it was competition model back in the day and for people don't know and this is one of those things where the 350 comes from and we were always told how they come up with it calling a350 thinking is it 350 cars no it was 350 steps from Shelby's office to the workshop is that what it was that's that's the rumor at least yeah I wasn't in the meeting of course there was a set of steps involved - yeah okay so that was always the reason why I think they did three 50s maybe give you the impression there was three fit of you rice flour but in reality it was I think it was 306 yeah that's about Keiko was 271 horik and then Shelby did a little bit of magic to it and brought it to 306 and then they had a Paxton blower which made it what 325 yeah yeah I think they only did about six of those okay and straight through pipes no mufflers right no this because it's a streetcar yeah this has mufflers okay when we track it we put straight pipes on it okay okay and those are all the original seats so you had the racing bucket for the driver and the standard passenger seat quick yeah I mean this is exactly what I remembered even the holes drilled here yeah these holes away the stock Murray used to be and the racing mirror is now there correct yeah I mean you've really really done it exactly as it is and it's great so people can get a brand new GT 1965 as this and they're all 65 models they're all 65 model okay okay it's the plastic oh yeah look at that better I got the vent here that oh yeah and that's done redone Peter Brock one two three you know yeah Peter Brock was on our on the build team for this car in fact we built this car at Peter barks garage okay and so Anderson in Henderson can Henderson Nevada yeah and so when I was talking to Peter about doing it he offered his garage for us to do it in right and I said look I want to build it as close to the original as possible and so Peter said why I'd like to read read every do the front fascia and I said well Peter come on I want to keep it he said Jimmy said I had this on my drawing board when I left and I couldn't get it done I'd like to upgrade it because that's what we were gonna do and so I said okay then he said the hump in the rear window yeah he said that was never to be there he said of that window would have come in when I was there he said I would have sent it back immediately but I wasn't there so the so the hump and the and the originals wasn't supposed to be there so we redid the design on the rear window so there's no hump there anymore so there are any young kids under 70 working on this car absolutely yeah yeah Daniel and Robert are you know do a lot of the workforce I actually flare the fenders and Ted on this car flared one of the fenders those are all hand flared just like we did 50 years yeah obvious a labor of love it must be a lot of fun did your wives all think you guys are crazy to go back to work absolutely no we didn't one of the things that's been modified from the original when we were working on them doing the prototype independent rear suspension 50 years ago it had four-wheel disc brakes okay it's got forward this is four-wheel disc okay and it's the same disc that's on the front all right so they're interchangeable okay and dual masters obviously we put a dual master in back in the day with us it was a single yeah okay so we upgraded for some safety so I'm safety issues and of course my all-time favorite mag wheel with meritum anguish yeah at American man I thought that was the prettiest with oh they work with the gray centers like that explain this the cowl here okay well that's the Tarot lingas symbol and Carol Carol got involved with some people they had a that want him to get a ranch down in Texas and so he bought into half of a ranch and they came up with this I think bill Neal yeah made that made that decal then each one of those markings on there has a meaning so the terror lingo means three languages and so there were three Indian tribes on this farm and that's what the three feathers are for okay and I forget now what the rabbits about but that's that's how that came about I mean you guys were there at the beginning I remember seeing these for sale in their early 70s somebody mine almost wants to $600 and said I'll give you 450 guy said now I'm holding out for six and I mean the price was way down oh yeah and then it costs it crazy like we are you guys obviously pleasantly surprised by how much respect and and how much excitement there is about these cars I think the fact the respect is popped up with it the fact that they're acknowledging that we we meaning Carroll Shelby and his aggregation right brought the racing from Europe to United States in in a rather strong enunciated form the story goes that Lee Iacocca who of course was the father of Mustang he was so afraid that the Mustang might be viewed as a Secretary's car because that had the smaller engine Chevy out of 327 that 289 or 260 the engine was smaller than the competition and he went to Shelby and said make this a racing car were you guys skeptical when it first came in it was the excitement I was there from the first day I was only 17 at the time so it was pretty low on the totem pole hello and I had no idea what it was doing I later it was told that these cars were out there beating the Corvettes yeah but but the SCCA which is a governing body right of what they were racing with said it's got four seats and it's not a sports car right and there was some other problems with it so they went to Shelby and show me says I'll fix that and this is what we came up with very cool oh let's open the hood let's show people what it looked like back in 90 said engine compartments were of course the famous hood pins you know I remember working on a Model A and a friend came by with a Mustang and I was god this is so complicated now it looks so simple now compared to me it's a modern car sure I mean there's all kinds of room you can work in here you get your hands in there and I remember no self-respecting Mustang owner would not order the engine dress-up kit you know right back in the day they had an engine dress-up kit you got chrome valve covers it was thinned it would say Cobra or whatever on it and it was you know you could get the little chrome pieces when you opened the hood people right you open the hood of modern cars big sheet of plastic classic right you can't see anything but just just great just great and this is all the authentic stuff I love this air cleaner as you can see the air was much cleaner back in 1965 you didn't really didn't need a filter yeah just screen to keep birds out of there yeah yeah on this particular I'd like to point out that on this we call those a plenum right those were those pieces were hand cut and hand welded together not like today you know by him spun this is all hand on pieces and they're done by a by a guy by the name of Jerry Kirkpatrick right who had the dragon snake and he's he's a fabricator and he's doing the plenums and the splash guards for us one of the original guys from 55 years ago now let me give you a hard time electronic ignition or points in there no and this one has electronic I'd like to be okay all right looks all stock I just given you a hard time but I love the fact that you know so many times when people try to do a new version of an older car they got the air conditioning they got the tape player they got just all the modern things where's this this is it's close to the as you can get because it's built by the original guy right yeah it's a street fighter yeah yeah it really is and the horsepower is what 306 no this is a we start with a 289 original 289 block right and we we have them all made at the Carroll Shelby engine company right for authenticity purposes so we we magnaflux and they magnaflux and test the block make sure it's a few start with the original block original 289 wow that's great okay so coded to the date oh yeah everything and then we use the original date coded 289 block right rather than port the cast iron we use aluminum heads and it's bored and stroked to a 331 right oh okay so has a hydraulic roller cam and it puts out about 460 horsepower oh okay on pump gas right single four-barrel and it's about four hundred and twenty-five pounds of torque and what is this car way now because you know it's so funny because people think a light car today is anything under or around three thousand pounds what's this about twenty I'm guessing twenty four inches it's about twenty it's about twenty four eight twenty four seventy overtaking now which is which is pretty light yeah which is pretty light well I said of course you got your tag here and of course Ford is on board right yes Ford has been very helpful they've been very good to us in fact they invited us to a three-day media meetup in Dearborn where they were doing the 2019 gt350r 2019 ours and they had us to come up and give hot lap so they could compare what used to be to the new stuff so how do you like the new stuff well I'm did you ever think you'd see like like my 350 r4 cams left plane crank I mean it's almost basically a European type engine right and a Ford Mustang well and I and I was fortunate enough to drive one at one of the riding drives and they're so smooth and the brakes are so great yeah it's a great car yeah and did you drive one of the gt500 yet yeah yeah what do you think of those it's 760 horse yeah it was a great car but you know there's something visceral about this which is so much fun like on my 65 you can fling it around and you know and you can slide the rear end out in it and you might obviously there are faster cars but certainly not maybe they're more fun and to me visually this is still the best-looking Mustang you know a lot of times guys get it right on the first try and that's what they did with this one I mean this start I don't think there's been a better-looking Mustang than this one then this model to me this is the epitome of it it's small you know inside this plenty of room the doors won't leave this thing you know get our modern cars in the doors it's so thick cuz you gotta have airbags and everything but this thing there's just a feeling of just rough-and-tumble in it when you're driving it that's right it's just fantastic I mean these shock towers and the brace and all this is what I remember back in the day opening the issue is the hot rod magazine in fact you guys were featured in a recent issue of hot rod last month yeah magazine yeah yeah so very cool very cool let's see anything else we need to know yeah this if you step step this way and look back you can see where Peter redesigned to front fascia okay and he incorporated the the bumper into that made it out of fiberglass and it made it look good and notice underneath there's some inlets for the brake ducts okay have rectangular brake ducts that just go straight back and deflect off and does a very good job of cooling the brakes in the front much simpler very cool very cool so you build in 36 of these only 36 right okay how many I may even build so far uh we've been 12 orders for 8 so far oh great yeah well that should by the time this airs it probably all be sold so all right now yeah we get a molar hot get them while they're high exactly alright can we take it for a ride absolutely well let's do it let's give it a shot I prove that sound so tell me how it started for you did you did you grow up around around here and he went to work - how did that work no I grew up in Ohio oh and I got enamoured with the with the culpers right and against my parents better judgment I quit high school started working Indian shop and because I lived it only as plenty of money right and so I used to go to all the every race of Homer was that and after a while fell down and where do you live my solo he said what do you do there I said why I want to go to work for you guys so he asked what my background was and my dad had classic cars we had it for Jan Auburn yeah I said I work in okay Olga rise doing regular stuff he said well here's a deal you get through the race you can sign in on our ticket so you don't have to jump jump the fence to get into the packet before I mostly do you find the place to sleep but I'm not gonna pay your transportation right so I said great he said deal we shook hands and it was it I traveled with them through most of 64 and then during the last race he said he want to come to work for us in California nightenger said I'll send you a letter so in December of 64 he sent me a letter said to be to work January 1st 1965 bring your tools be ready to work I was there and that's how he started Wow that started Nareesha and how long have you stayed there for years oh no I was only there I was only there a total about two years oh okay yeah well when I worked on the independent rear suspension I worked with an engineer from from from Dearborn yeah and he gave me a couple special projects to do on my own when I was when they mix it he said Jim said you go go finish your education get out of here he said you can always come back and do this later right and so I took him up on his word that's what I did yeah bringing back a lot of memories of me driving mine last week how do you like the brakes on this the brakes are the brakes are pretty incredible you know it's funny I know there are faster cars and there are better handling cars but this just gives you such a connection yes you're feeling yeah that's what's fun you know it's right to me it's all about how a car makes you feel if I'm not a racecar driver so it's not like I'm racing anybody but I want to just feel like I'm involved with the automobile you know you know looking over and seeing that hood scoop I mean it's funny when you realize that the four Mustang is now 306 horsepower same is the most high-performance 20 goodbye you know you guys your story it reminds me of a story I saw I know weather was something a history going to those but there are a group of guys in late 1942 we're on some battleship and that fought in France who ever was and when they came back to New York for the ship cake back all the girlfriends and wives are waiting for me and then 50 years later the same guys when he had recommissioned that ship took it to France so when they came back the same girls are waiting for him with head up it was a great story yeah it was just a great story you know so you took this dilemma huh yeah Wow this very con is very tough if people go crazy oh yeah they loved it yeah you know there's something about historic race cars you know it's one of those deals I don't know whether it's nostalgia a whether if the cars are just cool - looking back then but it is something about the era like to me I wrote there are certain roles in the track covers it's sticking my oh my absolutely one of them is cow shall we stand there with a Ford GT the Cobra I can't think of many modern magazine covers and hippier the way that is even because we weren't inundated all the time you got the unit they really weren't color photos and I did this eat gal Shelby knows that was like the greatest thing in the world those those were the magazine covers that enticed me to quit spoons on yeah most of those were fire tails yeah and who was a girl the road little Coco was that Carol Connor of Carol Connor she was Shelby secondaries I want to that I don't know about did I tell you what back in the day he had great-looking secretary I imagine I'm joints and all okay yeah aircraft quality hundred yeah some of our own joints are 150 bucks a pop of this baby really Wow Wow yeah we don't use the cheap stuff now there's a no power steering no power brakes nope that takes a bit of leg muscle to get up stop we we have Pirelli P ones Annika all can leave when we practice we used a Goodyear race tires but they were bias flies the reason I put the Forellis on for you today is when the race tires it's two directional trying these they're easier to drive with tires with cheap clutches Emily Maupin 98 on the door I know 98 with Carol's favorite number what is the I the I stand for independent rear suspension okay the cold is by the original guy yeah we're underage girl Daniel is a fruity that plugs clean everything out when it is afraid it might be too quiet my money back get here it with a straight fight it tracks very nice why do you need to start with a k-code mustang why couldn't you start with a Mustang be a changing everything anyway because I want to continue the legacy the k-code o started with oh I want to continue the Shelby legacy yeah starting over the Caicos because the Caicos our God next Manson a little bit now someone to bring you there Kate go car could you convert there's yeah I do that three-fifty Henry was a second income Henry for the second his body language yeah commanded respect it was a guy henry florida surge is the one who helped me get a license Maria Henry I'm sure you know mmm yeah very Han shot has a really down-to-earth young man very nice guy when I started out when I talked to ensel I said Natalie did a wonderful job with your son is truly a young gentleman unfortunately he passed away one year before we started this but he had a pretty good run consider yourself conditioned certainly did performance you can work on yourself you know you can't do anything and all that to get involved in the car yeah that's the fun part about this car you can open the hood and you can see what's going on I can work on it you know the new cars if you know there's a computer yeah I like to bake better where's well almost identical to the ones that we in 65 one of my favorite Ford engines I never liked it 292 with a 312 locked Walter 89 high-revving it was about the European at the time American engine to be right oh and was set up with lemon in the Congress our cover yeah they ran break and you know I like today with with you George with two of the least two if not more racist on one engine bill yeah oh yeah the Egyptian Builder had their own little tricks yeah you know jack or similary and those guys they were just eat what a man's our oval thing that they would do to get the engine the way out how many guys were either that worked in shell what was it about well the total over the years will is probably a hundred and fifty all right but at any one time in the race shop there was only like 40 people all right and what did you make a week back then hundred bucks per week something like that yeah something maybe 120 weeks to play yeah you couldn't afford to buy one if you were building them right what a threat you know something well as a kid I wasn't much for sports and Hank Aaron and Bobby Orr and all those guys you guys are my heroes so let me tell you hi I understand your feeling I loved it too yeah and you're the keeper of the flame for us well you got the red face for joy I wouldn't want to thank you for doing it thank you from hanging back a piece of history so people can feel what it's like and to drive the car that sort of changed a lot but I'm glad you enjoy it as much as we do oh it's great fun you guys thanks so much all right well my pleasure your honor okay all right bye for now see you guys next week pretty cool huh\n"