Though he never had the opportunity to rent or drive one
when they were introduced, Bridgforth confesses to a lifelong
passion for Shelby Mustangs. He even sent away for Shelby-specific
sales literature while attending college in 1966, never
dreaming the material would eventually come full circle
and contribute to his racecar nearly 40 years later.
“Last year, I was visiting Mike Ashley’s pit
in Gainesville and he was partly sponsored by Shelby, who
was at the track at the time. When I told them I still
had original literature in the original envelope they told
me to bring it by later to let Carroll see it,” Bridgforth
recalls. “Sure enough, I went back at four o’clock
and Carroll Shelby came walking out and sat
down at the table and I got his autograph.
I was thrilled; I had looked up to him all my life. I was
like a father with his first baby being born. I was so excited.”
Bridgforth later took Shelby’s autograph to a
sign shop in Savannah and had them blow it up and make
a decal from it for his current car’s dash. “They
did it in gold because Carroll signs all his signatures
with a gold-colored marker,” he states.
Now that the car is race-ready, Bridgforth says he may
enter some local Quick 8s or even a few ADRL Pro Mod
events with it, but will focus on the Fun Ford series. “We’ll
run in Pro, which is Pro Modified basically, but it’s
all Fords,” he says. “To win you have to
run mid-6.50s and I ran a 6.66 not even going through
the quarter, so with a few more changes I’ll be
okay.”
Regardless, Bridgforth’s beautiful ’66 G.T.
350H is sure to attract attention and admiration wherever
it appears. It truly is one slick piece.
“It’s a dream,” Bridgforth insists. “This
is my retirement car. I retire next December and I have
what I want to go through my retirement years with. This
is my dream come true.”
