Galpin Auto is certified as Shelby hot rod modification shop
Interested in upgrading the performance of your 662-horsepower Cobra with Shelby American Inc.’s stamp of approval?
Now there’s a place here on the West Coast to take care of that.
Galpin Auto Sports in Van Nuys announced Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with Shelby American to become an authorized Shelby modification shop. The only other certified mod shop is in Rhode Island.
Now that Galpin is an authorized Shelby Mod Shop, it can take any Shelby car, upgrade its performance or styling and the work will be endorsed by Shelby American. Also, any modifications will be documented in the Shelby registry.
In a statement, John Luft, president of Shelby American, said: “We’re pleased to build on the longtime friendship between Bert Boeckmann and Carroll Shelby and bring to the next generation of So Cal Shelby enthusiasts some of that Shelby performance magic.”
Galpin Motors has had an enduring relationship since Carroll Shelby and Galpin owner Bert Boeckmann met in the early 1960s. At the time, Shelby was designing Cobras out of Venice Beach and Galpin became the first Shelby Cobra dealer in California.
By the mid-1960s, Ford Motor Co. hired Shelby to pump up the performance of its Mustangs. Before he got his hands on the car, Shelby called the Mustang a “secretary’s car,” by 1966 Shelby Mustangs were winning on racetracks and drag strips across the country.
Shelby died in May at age 89.
Shelby American now makes the cult classic GT350 and GT500 Cobra in Las Vegas. The GT500, nicknamed Super Snake, kicks out 662 horsepower, making it the most powerful production V-8 in the world.
ALSO:
2013 Cadillac XTS sedan falls short of its flagship status
Airbag recall reveals slow pace of Coda electric vehicle sales
Pebble Beach: Ford unveils Shelby Cobra with a monster 850-horsepower engine
