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Bonhams to auction Carroll Shelby's prototypes and personal cars

Fans of Carroll Shelby will want to make their way to Greenwich, Conn., this June, because Bonhams will be selling a great many cars from the man's personal collection. And many of them are the first of their kind, marking important milestones in Shelby's career. One of those important cars is a 1982 Dodge Charger prototype, which might not look as impressive as a Cobra, but it was important in that it was the first car on which Shelby collaborated with Chrysler. That car led to the first Shelby Charger, as well as other special small Chryslers including the GLH Omnis and Chargers (GLH standing for "Goes Like Hell"). In fact, the first Charger GLH-S (Goes Like Hell S'more) is also part of this collection. There are even some prototypes up for auction that never resulted in a production car, such as a Shelby modified Dodge Ram. That one is probably our favorite: the gold ram hood ornament, the huge pentastar in the grille, the double-barrel truck horn on the roof. It's wonderful nonsense. Of course it isn't just Chryslers going up for sale. There are a couple of GT500 and GT350 Mustangs in the mix from a variety of years. Perhaps most interesting is the very first Shelby Series I, Shelby's ill-fated roadster designed from the ground-up by the Texan's company. Unlike the other early Series I models, Shelby's had a supercharger, which led to a supercharger option being offered later. You can check out the full list of cars below, and pictures of each one in the gallery at the top. The auction will happen on June 3, and every vehicle offered has no reserve, so they'll all be sold for whatever price is shown at the drop of the gavel. 1927 Ford Model T 1931 Ford Model A 1935 Chrysler Airflow Sedan 1955 DeSoto Hard Top 1966 Shelby GT350 Convertible 1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible 1968 Shelby GT350 1969 Shelby GT 500 previously owned by Jackie Cooper Jr. 1969 Shelby GT 500 1982 Shelby Charger Prototype 1983 De Tomaso Pantera 1983 Dodge/Shelby Pickup Concept 1987 DeTomaso GT5-S 1987 Dodge CSX Serial #1 1987 Shelby Charger GLH-S Serial #1 1987 Dodge Shelby Lancer Serial #1 1988 Dodge Shelby Dakota Prototype 1989 Dodge CSX VNT Serial #1 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Continuation 1999 Shelby Series 1 Serial #1 2008 Shelby GT 500 KR 2011 Shelby GT 500 Super Snake Aurora Race Car Related Video: Featured Gallery Shelby Collection View 72 Photos Image Credit: Bonhams Chrysler Dodge Ford Auctions Performance Classics shelby

Ford tries to get a better handle on what EV drivers want

Ford says more than nine out of 10 electric-vehicle drivers indicate that their current EV won't be their last. Which is a good thing. Given the Blue Oval's most recent green-car sales, that next EV purchase couldn't come soon enough. The automaker took a poll of 10,000 electric-vehicle owners in the US and found that, among other things, more than 80 percent either already have or are considering installing solar panels to enable off-the-grid vehicle charging from home. Less surprising, these drivers use their smartphones to do things like check the car's battery charge and remotely turn on or off their cars' air-conditioning or heating systems before setting off on a drive. Of course, these folks want a little bit more from their smartphone apps. Most handy would be a public charging station locator as well as the ability to reserve and pay for electric charging sessions in advance. And more fast-charging stations appear to be in store, as almost half of the battery-electric vehicle drivers use conventional 110-volt outlets to charge their vehicles at home. Ford is hoping that these repeat-driver indicators bode for good things in the future. Last month, the automaker sold almost 5,800 hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric vehicles in the US. That was down 27 percent from a year earlier. Notably, Ford Focus Electric sales dropped 32 percent from a year earlier to just 135 units, and have fallen 16 percent for the year. It's not just Ford that's facing difficulties. US plug-in vehicle sales overall dropped 22 percent from a year earlier to about 8,600 units. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2012 Ford Focus Electric: Quick Spin View 18 Photos News Source: FordImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Ford Green Culture Smartphone Electric PHEV app

Car-crazy 5-year-old boy writes automakers for treasures, gets big response

Part of the beauty of children is that they can find worth in something adults might deem unworthy or overlook entirely. Five-year-old Patch Hurty didn't see garbage or a broken piece of a car when he spotted a Ford badge lying on the side of a road. He saw an artifact, a souvenir, a start to a collection he could only dream of. Ezra Dyer of Popular Mechanics tells the story of Patch and his quest to turn that one lost badge into a museum of manufacturer logos. According to the article, Hurty is a car fanatic through and through, even using car names as a way of learning to read. After finding the Ford badge near his Connecticut home, he and his mom put together a plan to reach out to dozens of automakers, confessing his love of things on four wheels. In each letter, Patch assembled a picture of himself standing next to one of the cars, and a penny to pay for whatever he hoped was sent his way. The response was unexpectedly and overwhelmingly positive. Of the more than 50 letters he sent out, including to obscure or defunct companies such as Bugatti, Suzuki, and Saturn, a majority responded with warm notes and some type of souvenir. Two of the coolest responses came from Lincoln and Bentley. Lincoln sent a sketch of a Continental (all car lovers enjoy drawing cars, right?), and Bentley sent a wheel center cap. How awesome is that? The story reminds us of something that can easily be lost in all of the negativity involved with the auto industry: Everybody is in this because of a common infatuation with automobiles. For more details on the souvenirs Patch received and accompanying photos, read the rest of the story. Related Video: News Source: Popular Mechanics Read This Bentley Bugatti Ford Lincoln Saturn Suzuki