Gentry Tour A Smash Hit--

Historic Tour of Shop/Cars for VJC and NCJOC Clubs

The February visit to Garland Gentry's new facilities was an amazing meeting of three British Car clubs with Virginia Jaguar Club, Nations Capitol Jaguar Owners Club, and the Central Virigina British Car Clubs turning out a resounding attendance of engaged members. Together, about 45 persons attended the event.

The facilites were a LBC lover's dream. Clean, well presented, with over 30 cars on display for sale or restoration, there was plenty to look at in classic cars from the best of Europe, England, and even the good old USA.

Of highly significant interest to all was an original AC racing car, still owned by its original owner which was in the Gentryxi's shop for a complete restoration. As any car nut knows, the aluminum AC was the inspiration that auto legend Carroll Shelby used for the now immortalized AC Cobra. But to our surprise and delight, that inspiration came from the very car Garland had in his shop that day!

In the early 60's this self same AC was just marginally competitive on the racing circuit with it's small displacement British power plant, so the owner decided that a small block Buick V8 might increase the car's competitiveness. Once installed into the light bodied aluminum roadster, the car started winning races left and right.

Carroll Shelby happened to come upong this vehicle, saw its stellar performance, and imagined the possibilities of dropping a Ford V8 into the AC, and thus the AC Cobra was (almost) born! As Garland told the story, Shelby used a bit of salesmanship, entrepenuership, and good old Texan razzle dazzle to make the manufacture of his AC Cobra a reality.

He first approached AC, then struggling for their very survival, and said, "You know, Ford is very impressed with your car's design and chassis, and would like to put one of their V8s into it for a production run. Could you deliver a few hundred for production?" Of course, Ford had no such interest, and therein lies the other half of the tale!

Shelby then pulled the same trick on Ford, saying that AC was interested in using a Ford V8 as a powerplant. Naturally, Shelby positioned himself as the designer and architect, and the rest, they say, is history! What was so special for our group was to have had a front row seat to see the actual car that was the inspiration for an automotive legend by an automotive legend.

Oh yes...true to a restorer's heart, a highly customized Buick V8, complete with custom intake crossover manifolds with Webber carbs was being reinstalled into this very special AC. All present were highly impressed with the engine, the car, and to (re)witness of a bit of automotive history.

Afterwards, the group ventured to the historic Fredricksburg town Centre for a lunch at a popular eatery for commraderie over the day and Jaguars.