Neil Brown didn't set out to become a car collector. It sort of just happened.
About 20 years ago, Brown bought a '93 Mustang Cobra, then took it to show at the Mid America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals.
"They seem to find you," Brown said. "When you buy one car, they seem to come out of the woodwork."
Brown said Jim Wicks, who started the Mid America show in 1974 as a way for Shelby car enthusiasts to gather, convinced him to buy another.
"He said, 'If you've got a new Mustang Cobra, you've gotta have a Shelby Cobra,' " Brown remembers.
Shelby Mustangs are higher performance variants of Mustangs that have been modified by automotive designer Carroll Shelby. Brown ended up buying a '67 GT 350 Shelby.
And so it began.
Brown, 67, now has 22 cars, all but two of them Mustangs. Most of them sit in a garage behind his business.
The garage, which one of Brown's staffers called a "playground for big boys," houses the assortment of cars - models from 1966 to 2013, all in pristine condition - when he's not driving them or taking them to shows.
There's a neon-yellow 2003 Mach 1, which Brown had fitted with Lamborghini-style doors.
There's a 1969 Shelby GT 350, totally original, which still runs beautifully.
There's a 2001 Bullitt GT reminiscent of the mustang model driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 movie that gave this special version of the car its name. It's even in the same shade of green.
And then there's the 1968 Shelby GT 500 KR - Brown's most valuable vehicle.
"A car's only worth what someone's wanting to pay for it," Brown stressed.
But nowadays, it seems, people are willing to pay around $400,000 for the KR, which stands for King of the Road.
Although Brown didn't get into cars for the money - he has just now started to think of selling, partly because he's running out of room in the garage - he thinks investing his money in them is a better idea than the stock market.
"I had played the stock market for a number of years, and I just got screwed," he said. "They say, 'Well the market will always come back.' Well, yeah it will, but how long do you have to wait?"
Cars are different.
"You buy 'em, you drive 'em, you show 'em and you have fun with them, and they increase in their value," he said.
Brown will be showing several of his cars during the 39th annual Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals, ongoing through Sunday. Six of his cars will also be in the "Cruise In" at the event's Brady Ford Fest on Thursday night.
Last year, the event drew more than 30,000 people and 1,200 cars to Tulsa.
"There's a lot of car enthusiasts out there," Brown said.
The Shelby Nationals also gives participants the chance to race their cars.
Part of what attracts Brown to cars is their speed. He's been racing since 1991 and plans to race during this weekend's event.
His love for cars began with the car he had as a teen - a '65 Pontiac GTO.
Since then, though, he's decided he's partial to Ford.
"I like the way they sound, I like the way they drive," he said.
Brown also enjoys working on the older cars - he and a friend built a Cobra kit car, and he's done some of the restoration work on his cars by himself.
The newer cars are mostly computerized, he said, so he isn't able to work on them much. But their speed is what makes them his favorites to drive.
Recently, on a racetrack, he drove his 2013 Shelby at 150 mph. His 2012 Boss 302, which is the car he currently drives around town, is also fairly fast, and he's all too eager to offer people rides in it.
Mid America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals schedule
THURSDAY
Open Track at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit: Gates and registration open at 7:30 a.m. Registration closes at noon, and the track closes at 5 p.m. The event is designed for beginners to expert-level drivers. A swap meet area will feature vintage and new parts. Spectator tickets available for $15.
Brady Ford Fest: A cruise will run through the Brady arts district Thursday evening, starting about 6 p.m. A kids zone and live entertainment will be part of this event.
FRIDAY
Open Track at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit: Registration from 8 a.m. to noon. Track closes at 5 p.m. Spectator tickets $15. Vintage and late model exhibitions.
Mid America Ford and Team Shelby banquet: Banquet doors will open at 7:30 p.m. The banquet includes dinner, door prizes and special guest speakers.
SATURDAY
Drag Racing at the Tulsa Raceway Park: All levels of drivers welcome. Gates open at 8 a.m., and registration closes at noon. Those who want to race must be at the track by 11:30 a.m. A drag racing instruction program will be available. Spectator tickets $15.
Open Track at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
All Ford Super Show: Registration from 8 to 10 a.m. Free to spectators.
Mid America Ford and Team Shelby Nationals awards and trophy presentations: 2:30 p.m. at Marriott.
For more information, visit
tulsaworld.com/shelbynationals
Road closures
Several downtown streets will be closed from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday for the Brady Ford Fest.
- Boulder Avenue and Main Street will be closed from Brady to Easton streets.
- Boston Avenue will be closed from Archer Street to just past Cameron Street.
- Brady Street and Cameron Street will be closed from Boulder to Cincinnati avenues.
Nour Habib 918-581-8369
nour.habib@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Classic collection
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