Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

That has to be a very small number.

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

I am kind of surprised Mr. Rosen doesn't exploit his quasi-celebrity status a little bit more. Since many of the Supercar creators/tuners are no longer with us, he is in a unique position.

I don't begrudge him if he has moved on to other interests, but it seems he could benefit himself if he worked it a little better. I personally don't think Carroll Shelby gives a rats a** about Shelby Mustangs (they were a job he took on) and had moved on even in terms of the Cobras. But for better or worse, he uses his appearances and interactions with the Shelby cult to further his interests. Some appear to be good (Children's Heart Fund) some not so good (trying to put some quality Cobra kit builders out of business.) But he seems to play it to his advantage.

At the very least, with some additional support of the hobby, Joel Rosen could cement some sort of legacy for himself and the Motion heyday, something few get to do.

I may not understand his attitude, and question his financial motivations at times, but I do respect the accomplishments he achieved in the cars he built and campaigned, and the media image he created for his business. No small feat in my opinion.

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

He still has his foot in the Supercar door. see attached pic of Mike and Joel

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

Tom,
Shelby is quite the enthusiast. He has always kept a few drivers for himself. He is a big advocate of driving the cars as they were meant to be driven (Health and age not withstanding).

Prior to his last heart transplant, a few years ago, he was ranting about putting his favorite Mustang driver (GT 500 KR Rag Top) through its paces on the Texas back roads close to his home.

Many may not think the topic of Caroll Shelby pertinent to this site, but he was a friend, peer and major influence on the late great Don Yenko.

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

Your point is well taken, Stefano. But in most of the interviews I've read (since the late 70's, I've been a Shelby vehicle fan for awhile), he always seems bemused by the fanatics. I think he's come to appreciate the support and adulation as he's aged, but up to that point he was always into other things. The tire store, PIT STOP deodorant, the chili mix, the quiet time in Africa, the car production was just one of the things he did until he got older and more reflective.

The funny thing is that guys like me (us?) who are so into history may never truly connect with some of our heroes. They tend to be the do-ers of the world, who by virtue of their personalities, don't dwell on history or details, they want to do more stuff, not relive past glories.

This is probably why Don Yenko's quotes are off on the production numbers. He wasn't focused on the historical significance, he wanted to get the cars built, have some fun, and make a living. Over the period of 15 or 20 years, the memories of what you dreamed of building, versus what you were able to actually get or produce, probably blur together.

(I'm just all over the board here. First I put a Motion reference in the Nickey section, then I pollute the Motion section with Shelby and Yenko stuff. Maybe I should stick to the General Section... [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] )

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

Tom406
You make a good point about the "doer's" not dwelling on old achievements. I saw Akron Arlen Vanke at a Supercar Showdown car meet several years ago at National Trails in Ohio. I asked him about his old cars and if he had any nostalgia toward them. He said "they were old used up race cars and I have as much interest in them today as the trash I took out to the curb yesterday" .
His only goal was to get the most power/time out of his latest car.

I've sold alot of old drag mags on ebay and sold stuff to Wayne Jesel, Jason Spehar (son of Ted) and Herb McCandless son John. I got the impression the son's loved the stuff but their famous dads have no interest.

Dave

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

A couple observations/opinions.

showing up at a show - could eventually happen. He's gone from "no" to "we'll see".

re: the disinterest.... and this is speculation and vague on my part.
Running a business is tough. Sometimes bad stuff happens, or stuff you wish went differently. You know, you build a car with someone who goes off to war and doesnt' come home. You get to talk with various gov't entities who are unhappy with what you're doing and want to make an example out of you. You sell
a product that a customer doesn't correctly bolt on to their car and it flys off at 140mph, smashes into a
million pieces and the guy calls up and wants a new one. For free.

It's tough. I can see why he'd rather forget some stuff, if that's what he's actually trying to do.
Obviously I try and be diplomatic when I ask him about car stuff.

Put another way: You get less heartburn selling models to retired ww2 vets than selling a 15 foot 3 element glass wing for a honda.

I'm not up on the payola and all that stuff. I told joel I'm going to Carlisle and was going to throw his arse in the truck with me and he's coming with me wether he likes it or not. Now I just gotta get a couple of his cars to attend carlisle. This is where some of "you guys" come in.

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

Mike,
Let me know if I can be of any assistance. I live about 1hr away from Joel. There is a car show at the Belmont LI. track that is close to Joel. That would probably be the easiest one to bring him to and maybe one of his cars. I was there this year and a guy pulled in with a Firebird with a Motion paint job. I wanted to ask the guy about it but never saw the owner. It didn't have any Motion parts on it but I took a picture of it. see attached.

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

I am assuming that 'Mike' in the picture is MadMike of this board...

Mike..what cars are shown in the picture? What cars does Joel own? Very curious to know!!!

Would Joel be willing to come on here to answer the occasional question? Could you imagine???

It just seems like with so much detective work being done on the cars what an amazing resource to have the one man responsible for it all to be able to fill in the blanks!!

Oh yea....why wont he tell anyone how many cars he made? I dont understand the harm or potential loss of revenue to himself....

Re: Why is Joel Rosen so secretive?
 

In the picture of Mike & Joel, on the right is a Phase III corvette, on the left is his Mako Shark II replica (or Maco Shark as Motion called it). Joel sold the Maco a few months ago, so he doesn't have that one anymore.