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Photos: Mike Gomez

Broken Dreams: Unique Performance Comes To An End

Story by Sam Haymart

The final chapter closes on the builder of the GT-500E Eleanor and Foose Stallion

 

03-30-08: The news has been out there since last fall. It started with Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc cutting the cord on Unique Performance due to complaints from customers that they weren’t getting the cars they had put huge deposits up for. Then came the news that the Texas Department of Transportation raided the Farmer’s Branch shop that has been building a variety of custom cars for the past few years including the 1967 Shelby “Eleanor” GT-500E, continuation Shelby GT350SRs , the Foose Stallion Mustang, and other notable custom classics.

Local authorities raided the Unique Performance shop and headquarters and seized some 61 vehicles. It is alleged that these vehicles had improper or illegible VIN numbers and that the authorities have been investigating improper actions on the part of Unique Performance with regard to VIN numbers and titles. Some 58 Mustangs in various stages of completion and 3 Camaros are reported to have been confiscated by the Texas Department of Transportation. Story

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The legal fallout has lead to the entire company being shut down and liquidated at auction. Regardless of how it all came to this, wrong doing, bad times or a combination of both, it is a sad story for all involved. There are customers who put down money for cars that never materialized. There are employees that don’t have a job anymore. There are company founders who had been well respected and celebrated throughout the hobby who have lost everything; their livelihood, their reputaions, and their dreams.

Last week, everything within the building including parts, memorabilia, cars, tools, furniture, decorations, paper clips and adding machines were auctioned off to the highest bidders. It was likely a boon to collectors and dealers. The following photos tell the story that words cannot, a tale of broken dreams.

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