Love at First Sight
The legend Carroll Shelby loves this spin-off of his finest creation
By Bobby Bennett, Jr., Photos by Bobby Bennett, Roger Richards

One car immediately caught the older gentleman’s eye as if it was one of the many creations that he’d made famous throughout his years of working with finely tuned automobiles. His walk wasn’t as steady as it once used to be. Blame it on a heart transplant and numerous other medical improvements made to ensure a better quality of living. As he walked over to the car, one hand gripping a cane, he placed a hand lovingly on the immaculately painted carbon fiber bodied creation and the only words that came to mind were, “You did good boys. I’m proud of you.”

That was exactly the scenario that transpired in New York Mortgage Banker Mike Ashley’s pits as legendary automotive figure Carroll Shelby saw the Pro Modified version of one of his most famous endeavors ever – the 1967 Shelby GT500E. Nevermind the incredible reproduction of Ford’s Mustang Fastback that Shelby made famous through the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds,” this was a version that could not easily be paralleled.

Harnessing 2500 horsepower and sporting a paint scheme that could make even the most dedicated Shelby fan faint at its mere existence, this creation was beyond what the master could have envisioned. This one was one of Shelby’s hottest muscle cars fed enough steroids to make a thoroughbred stallion choke. This was “Gone in 6.0 Seconds” and Shelby loved it to death.

That approval was enough to lift the weight of the world from the shoulders of Pro Modified’s original low qualifier Ashley, whose initial introduction to the sport garnered him the “Kid from Long Island” nickname. Gaining the thumbs up was crucial to Ashley’s efforts. It was another personal victory for the racer that seems to be attracting them in droves.

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“Anyone who is a car enthusiast immediately relates to the name Carroll Shelby,” explained Ashley. “I was real excited about doing the project. I just wasn’t sure in the early going that I was going to be able to pull it off. This hadn’t been attempted by anyone else in Pro Modified that I knew of. I was initially concerned about what it would take to get the mold and get the body and all of that in time for the following season.

“I was very excited about the project. I realized the awesome responsibility that came along with representing an icon like Carroll Shelby. I wasn’t sure if I was up to the task.”

So how does one put together such an intricate deal with the precision of a plastic surgeon? In the interest of fair reporting, Ashley will be the first to admit that it all fell into his lap at an opportune time.

Ashley was on the heels of one of his more frustrating seasons on the NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge, when his sponsor InfiNet Insurance and Financial approached him with the feasibility of such a project. The company, which is run by the trio of Richard Kearby, Doug Hasty and Chris Lane, had just embarked on another business venture under the name of Unique Performance.

Unique Performance was founded to serve the immediate need of high-end musclecar restorations for clients and immediately struck paydirt with a popular product line of “Eleanor” reproductions.

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The reproductions actually began as Hasty had built one for himself and found it hard to fend off the countless inquiries as to how others could get one just like his. It didn’t take long for Unique to begin marketing aftermarket replicas through the blessings of Shelby.

The initial production line began in a 3,000 sq. foot shop, but has since increased drastically with the demand. It is now 30,000 sq. foot and incredibly there’s a six month waiting list because the demand is so high.

Hasty, Kearby and Lane didn’t immediately draw an answer from Ashley. Instead, he first chose to investigate the possibilities available first. As fate would have it, the idea was already in motion by another racer, albeit not on the same path of marketability that Ashley planned to travel.

“This guy named Mike Herring, a very likeable gentleman, had absolutely been in love with that car and was building one,” explained Ashley. “He had Tommy Mauney build him a car and had the molds from the body. It was actually a nitrous car and he was getting ready to debut it.

“I called him and conveyed that his car was exactly what I needed. I asked him if he would sell it and after some convincing, we were able to acquire it. We converted it to a blown engine combination and the rest is history.”

Seeing Shelby’s approval visible on his countenance, was enough to clue Ashley and his backers that they’d hit a promotional homerun on the first pitch.

“He loved it,” admitted Ashley. “He told us that we should pat ourselves on the back for doing such a fine job. He loved the paint scheme, its likeness to the original project and he especially liked his portrait on the rear deck of the car. He was into it because he’s really in tune to the racing stuff. It was amazing to have a man in my corner that the legends of our spot…John Force and Don Prudhomme…look up to and admire. The whole track was going crazy and there were more than a handful of people waiting for his autograph. The guy’s amazing and certainly lives up to his reputation as a legend.”

Did he feel a lot of pressure to live up to the Shelby standard?

“Oh yeah,” Ashley answered. “When you have a legend like Shelby there and couple it with 25 of the toughest Pro Modified cars in the world, it puts a mountain of pressure on your shoulders. We did well in the face of that pressure because we went out and ended up number one for the first day and third by the end of qualifying. We also went to the semi-finals.

“The very next race we qualified on the pole and won. Just having this car has served as a confidence builder as we are now just a few rounds out of first place in the points. We are in first place in the shootout points which shows our consistency in qualifying. My crew really stood up to the test under a great deal of pressure.

Ashley’s first victory with the Shelby came during the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas. A little less than two years earlier, Ashley had won in his debut outing with InfiNet Insurance and Financial as his major sponsor. Doing well in his initial outing is something that has become a trademark for Ashley.

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Case in point, when Ashley debuted a new Trans-Am as a teenager in the late-Eighties, he became the first driver to exceed 210-miles per hour. One year later, he brought out a radical Beretta in the newly created Pro Modified division and became the first-ever low qualifier. Ashley will concede that success all has to do with the preparation one takes before making their debut.

“The natural evolution of bringing out a new car is to do better than its predecessor,” explained Ashley. “We always test extensively before we bring one out. We won’t bring a car out before it is properly tested.”

Ashley’s Mustang had well over 100 test runs on it before the first national event in Gainesville, Fla.

While the street version of Shelby’s GT500E boasted 302 cubic inches and a healthy 325 ponies, it appears anorexic when compared to Ashley’s 526-inches of Ford Hemi. This powerplant was the brainchild of Ashley’s crewchief Chuck Ford, who built the 2,500-horsepower creation. While Ford’s forte is in cylinder head development, he didn’t skimp on parts by adding the best combination possible such as a healthy 14.71 Kobelco supercharger, JE pistons and Brooks rods, Bryant crank, and an Moroso oil pan. The modified cylinder heads carry such valvetrain components as Manley valves, Stage 5 Rockers and a Crane Camshaft. The ignition is from MSD. When it comes to the fuel it burn, only one choice pleases Ashley and that is Torco Racing Fuels. The spent gasses are projected through a set of Hedman Hedders.

With the car originally prepared for a nitrous combination, how hard was it to convert the Ford to a supercharged Hemi? It went beyond being a simple bolt-in procedure.

“I wouldn’t say that it was easy,” explained Ashley. “We had to make some changes to the chassis although they are basically the same and adjust the body to accommodate the engine. We had to adjust for the fuel cell and tank, headers and move some bars around for the Hemi.”

The chassis was originally built by Tommy Mauney and was later converted to the Hemi specs by Alan Pittman. The Shelby features a 110-inch wheelbase and the chassis was crafted by the finest chromoly available. Ashley’s suspension is more than adequately handled through Lamb Struts in the front and shocks incorporated in a TM Race Cars four-link design. The rearend is from Mark Williams. Absorbing the shock to the racing chassis are a set of Goodyear Top Fuel size slicks spun on Weld Racing wheels.

The carbon fiber body was created by Hairy Glass. One has to wonder with the success of this Shelby GT500E will there be a crop of new ones coming out the in the near future? Not if Ashley has his way. He is not enthused about the potential of other Shelby GT500E’s hitting the strip, but if they do it will be without his support. Ashley has already turned down many requests for use of the molds to build bodies. Right now, the only other one being built belongs to Ashley. He is currently having one more built as a back-up for 2004 and for the 2005 season.

“It had crossed my mind, but the ’63 Corvette that we have which is being driven by Danny Rowe is doing well now,” explained Ashley. “For now, I like our car being the only one out there.”

Of course, there’s the radical paint schemes that his cars tend to generate. It’s just a part of the persona that Pro Modified has made famous. As the legendary John Force pointed out, “I love these cars because they put on the doors whatever they want.” Illusions Paint and Body’s Mark and Allen Adkins along with talented graphics “Picasso” Mark Brown, merged Ashley’s Gotham City theme along with the Shelby legend on this 230-mph easel within the confines of their Bristol, Tenn.-based shop.

“It is all a part of the excitement that Pro Modified generates,” added Ashley. “We want the class to be as exciting as it can be. I really believe in the value of having a theme car when it comes to marketing. We want the cars to look as radical as they can. The fans really seem to love it. That’s our goal…to make the fans happy. We have developed a pretty large fan following. We are always looking forward to the next car and the challenge of making it even better.”

It all ties in to his personal approach to the sport. Ashley admits that very little of his mortgage banking occupation is relevant to his race team. However, his strong point in the industry for over two decades has been in the marketing aspect. In 16 years of racing, Ashley admits the marketing benefits the team very well.

“I love drag racing, the driving, the travel and meeting new people,” explained Ashley. “I love the fans and my fellow racers. I really love everything about drag racing. I love the fact that it is a family sport. The bottom line is that you have to separate the sport. One half is the passion you have for it and doing it. People always do better when they love doing what they do. They other half is financing it and making it all happen. It’s expensive and you have to be able to finance it. If you want to finance it, you have to treat it like a business.

“That’s what I try to do. I try to run it like a business. The only reason we have the radical paint schemes is to make our program more marketable and attract more of a fan following. The more attention you get. The more of a perceived value it has for a sponsor.

“I look at my car and every part of it is for sale. The doors, fenders and wing…the uniforms…and every part of our racing operation is for sale to a potential advertiser. I won’t put someone’s name on my car unless they are providing some kind of benefit for my team. The way it all works is that I go out of my way to ensure that I am providing a value for them. I will not allow someone to join on as a marketing partner unless I am sure that I can deliver a value for their investment.”

Ashley sees that as a successful formula for his racing operation. However, one has to look at his operation and draw the assumption that he has to be spending way more than the class brings to the table. Such an assumption is one that Ashley quickly dismisses.

“It’s not what the class brings to the table, it’s what you get out of the class,” explained Ashley. “At this point, the class brings ten races to me at ten incredible facilities where you have over 50,000 fans in attendance. There’s a top-notch television show on ESPN2 dedicated only to our class. There’s a huge value for a potential sponsor there.

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“That enables us to raise the money to field a first-class operation. I’m not going to allow someone to invest in our team unless I can deliver a value. I want to be first-class.”

It all makes one wonder, why after a decade of being a dyed-in-the-wool nitrous advocate would a competitor of Ashley’s stature make the abrupt change from nitrous (which was on the street-driven “Eleanor”) to the archrival supercharged combination.

“I think a blower car gives me the best chance to win,” admitted Ashley. “I think the blower cars have gotten more consistent in the last decade. I also think there’s a huge potential for improvement with the nitrous combination. I wanted to try a blower car and it was addicting. It was the raw horsepower that got me.

“As much as I loved running the nitrous cars back in the day, a supercharger has now stolen my heart. I guess the ultimate would be a blower car with nitrous. You never know these days with the way this class is changing.”