The Shelburg Darrin

[Gordie]

Do any of you remember this attempt to remake the Darrin with a modern drive train?  I don't know if Mr. Shelburg is still around but in 1990 he came to my used car lot in Los Angeles with his wife to talk about a franchise to sell the new cars.  I still have his business card, sales folder and information sheet for used car dealers.  I don't know if he came to me as a car dealer or KFOCI member but I am sure glad that I did not invest with him although it was tempting.  It was a $5,500 initial investment but $3,500 for KFOCI members.  I understand that he used one of our members cars and had parts made from it.  He lived in Scottsdale AZ but the California DMV Manufactures license listed an Iowa manufacturing facility called Silly Goose Enterprises Inc. in Lineville IA as the location for assembly.    Some of you probably know the whole story and it needs to be documented as it is a very interesting one.  I believe that he sued our club at one time but I am not sure what it was all about.  What is the rest of the story?

[joefrazer]

Most of the body fabrication was to be done in Russia. Frames were sourced from a custom builder whose name escapes me now and final assembly was to be completed in the US.

As is commonly the biggest hurdle, money became an issue and that led to other problems that ultimately doomed the project.

[Terry T]

I did not know anything about this endeavor when I spoke at the Chicago National several years ago.

At the Darrin breakfast, I wore a shirt with an image of a magnesium bodied Darrin V12.
I went on to explain that I had spent some time with Earl Canavan, owner of a magnesium research company, and looked at his renderings of his proposed car as well as some prototype parts.

And in the style of way-to-many members of this club, I immediately went under attack by those at the breakfast, shouting questions and comments that I did not understand.  Obviously, all that was meant to intimidate me and shut me up--much like what see in the news now when liberals do not allow speech they do not agree with.


I left the podium greatly confused so I questioned what that was all about to be told about the Shelburg fiasco.
Some of those in attendance thought, very incorrectly, that i was doing a sales pitch for monies--far from my intent to merely inform of the project.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

Sorry, Never Heard of This ? Mabe not Sorry...

[Terry T]

Sorry, Never Heard of This ? Mabe not Sorry...

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT---NICE CONFIRMATION!

[Gordie]

Terry, the image on your shirt looks like a completely different Darrin project.  What ever happened to that one?

[Terry T]

Different than what?

[Gordie]

Different than the one we are discussing, the Shelburg Darrin.

[Terry T]

my story was germane to the Shelburg as I was a victim of criticism thinking that I was promoting something like the Shelburg story

[pjkaiser]

I have a copy of an add promoting this car, just not at home to make a copy to share.  We just got here and will be in the Chicago area for two weeks.  Here is a copy from an article I found on the internet.  If it's on the internet--it must be "true"!!!

Russia Car Deal The Ride Of Entrepreneur's Life
October 03, 1993|By George de Lama, Tribune Staff Writer.
.....But the highlight of the venture for the Arizona-based entrepreneur is next year's scheduled release of another newly designed sports car, the Shelburg, or SGE 300i, a two-door tribute to the classic Kaiser Fraser Darrin produced in 1952, a forerunner of the Corvette and other sleek sports cars..........

[joefrazer]

Link - http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-10-03/business/9310030117_1_joint-venture-car-venture-with-russian-partners

[njpatera]

This article is three year later from the above(1996) stating the “Shelburg” was on hold at that time...

http://www.autonews.com/article/19960701/ANA/607010742/fbi-inquiry-rifts-push-gangstar-into-ditch

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

The thing in the club about the lawsuit took place almost 20 years ago or thereabouts.  The MIDWEST BULLETIN published a piece about the Shellburg project noting that there was nothing derogatory about Mr. Shellburg or his efforts.  It stated that just because no cars were built, it was not a fraud or anything illegal or improper.    The problem came in with a reprint of the original article in SO CAL SPARK PLUG.  The editor of that publication at that time was one of the investors who lost a bit of money in the deal and felt the company's position was deliberately mis-represented.  Rather than reprinting the MIDWEST BULLETEN as it sat with no embelishment, he added his opinion about the legality of the company and Mr. Shellburg, in effect calling him a crook.

It was the hot topic at the Board of Directors meeting held at the KFOCI National Convention in Oshkosh WI.

The result of the action (which was settled with no damages paid by the club) was a tightening of what ran in what publications the KFOCI put out and requirements about getting (or giving) written permission and following ANY conditions the copyright holger gave as part of the reproduction.

[Gordie]

Is Mr Shelburg still living?  He would be 89 years old now.