Boy does time really fly by especially when your having fun doing what you truly love each day and sharing your experiences with fans around the world. This is a very special moment for me on many levels because it was a great honor to have been able to finally get a Shelby GT350 without paying the dealer ADM which were insane for over 2 years straight. I knew as soon as owning my 2015 GT PP that the chassis was so damn good the Shelby version would just be the ticket and offer exactly what I was looking for in a modern Shelby sports car, I never was wowed by the SN197 GT500 and came close to buying a 2012 Boss 302 Laguna Seca at one time. Low and behold the engineers at Ford Performance created one of the most special and intoxicating sports cars ever on our US soil, the 2015 Shelby GT350. Special is an understatement of the passion and dedication that went into developing and perfecting this S550 platform to bring back the true pedigree of the original 1965 Shelby GT350. Every special car ever created in history is always focused on the engine as the heart and foundation of emotion, excitement and performance and the 5.2 Voodoo is one masterpiece NA engine.

I will never forget as I was shopping for new cars with my intent to finally sell my 2015 GT PP I looked at the BMW M4, M2, Alfa Romeo QV, Jaguar F Type, Camaro ZL1, Charger Hellcat, Cadillac CTS-V and ATS-V, Mercedes C63s Coupe and Porsche Cayman only to come back to my office each day lusting for the GT350. I have a strong passion for Ford, Shelby and the history of the brand since I was a child. I knew this was the car I wanted but I was not willing to overpay over MSRP because that is just a bad financial decision to make these days. Once the quick fixation wears off you take a bath and I was not willing to do that.

That April afternoon I was on my way back to my showroom leaving Darien Jaguar in CT after driving the Jaguar F Type with a manual gearbox only to hate the car to no end as my arms are so long every time I shifted the car hard my fist hit the radio and climate controls sending things bonkers. It drove me insane and I left the dealer in frustration as I wanted something special to drive. As I got back in my office I logged on to my MacPro and went to Cars.com. I typed in Shelby GT350 and I spent over 2 hours calling every single dealer asking about ADM and selling price and every single one was doing the same bullshit sales job. I then stumbled upon a white with blue stripe model, gave them a $5k deposit over the phone and when the paperwork was emailed over within that hour these pricks in Virginia slapped on a $15k ADM which was not disclosed up front. I flipped out and demanded my deposit to be issued back on my AMEX card and they eventually did. I was tired, it was around 3PM and I was frustrated at the time I wasted all day on finding a new car. I then scrolled to page 37, yes 37 pages of brand new GT350 were listed on Cars.com because it is a great means of locating a new car outside of your area. This is a great idea always for a specialty car. So on page 37 I saw these vague poorly taken photos of my new car to be. A 2017 Race Red with white stripe GT350 brand new. I immediately called a friend and said hey James what do you think of the red as I was aiming for white/blue just to be authentic to the 1965. He said hands down red with white stripes is the one, well James has the same car now too and thats a story for another day. I kicked this around for about 20 minutes I picked up the phone and made my call to the Ford dealer out in the midwest.

I spoke to this quiet guy who was very nice he did not sound like the typical car salesman douche. I said hey I am calling you from NYC and Im going to be brief, #1: is the Red Shelby GT350 posted on Cars.com still for sale? he said yes the car is right in front of my desk right now and boy it is beautiful. #2 I said what are you selling the car for? He said $1000 off MSRP? I said what? He said yes that is the price and no ADM. My excitement began to pump into overdrive I said I will take it, no questions asked I said let’s make this happen. He then commented that this red GT350 was not recalled from the oil cooling line issue and that almost every single GT350 on the market was recalled with no ETA for parts, being this recall had no ETA he told me legally no dealer can engage in a sale of the car until the recall is remedied. I was like this is God looking out for me this day and it took a 2 year dream of owning this car and made it a reality in 48 hours.

This was the most insane car purchase I ever made, the guy took my AMEX card and I told him he can charge $20,000 on the card as it was pre-approved with my Business Account. He said sure no problem I will hire a private enclosed transporter and we will deliver the car to your home in NY in 2 days. I never got a receipt , no emails, no returned phone calls I was on pins and needles thinking this must be a scam or something. Two days later I get a phone call from this older guy with a very thick Texan accent, he said “Sir I got this beautiful red Shelby GT350 loaded on my truck and I am coming through NYC overnight to deliver it to you”. I was like OMG this is really happening. The guy showed up at 10AM outside my house with the enclosed trailer and my new GT350 inside. He stepped out of the cab of his dually diesel pickup and had a huge Cowboy hat and the most polite demeanor you can ever imagine for a car hauler. I asked hey buddy how much do I owe you for the transport he said well, how about we settle on $450, I almost fell on the floor because living where I do in NY I am accustomed to getting shafted all the time with this stuff. Now remember the situation here, I never signed any paperwork, they never charged my AMEX card for the $20k deposit. I had 2 bank checks in my garage and a stack of cash to pay for the car. The Texan and I unloaded the Shelby carefully, he took a dealer plate and said go take it for a ride I will wait right here and if you do not want the car for any reason I will load it up and head on my way. I got behind the wheel and was in complete awe. I drove the car for 10 minutes, no money exchanged, no insurance and under the level of anxiety I do not think I ever experienced before buying a car.

I got back to the house and he gave me an envelope of papers to sign, we drove to my CHASE bank down the road, did the transfers and I was now the proud owner of a 2017 Race Red Shelby GT350 with the most no nonsense purchase of my life. The guy who sold me the car looked me up and realized what a true car guy I was and he saw my car collection on one of my websites and he just respected and appreciated the shared passion we both shared for the Ford brand and the Shelby lineage. I had my 1970 Mach 1 Pro Touring in the garage and the guy from Texas who brought me my new car went nuts over it, hours later we finally parted ways and I took out my detail gear and gave the car its very first bath.

So here we are today April 2019 I just shot a cool video for my channel to share my enthusiasm even more with you guys. Each and every moment I am awake my life is dedicated to all things automotive. This is why Auto Fanatic is all about living and taking part in what I feel is ultimately Automotive Lifestyle. My comprehensive background spans all things automotive not just detailing but the fine technical aspects of high performance and understanding the history of what lies beneath special brands and cars. Months into owning my Shelby GT350 and truly experiencing how special it was I was going nuts reading forums and watching videos of guys who had zero clue or who possessed any relevant real automotive backgrounds like myself who would talk bad about the car. It was almost personal that I gathered the courage and I bought a Sony Camera and started to try to share my GT350 experiences with the world and people started to listen, share and respect what I was doing. Fast forward to 1.5 years since I started my Auto Fanatic Youtube Channel and I now have thousands of new clients in over 120 countries world wide. I never would imagine this in my wildest dreams. Owning the Shelby GT350 also enabled me to have enough passion to take a risk and finish development of the Auto Fanatic Wheel Cleaner I started in 2014 along with my Car Care brand. The Auto Fanatic Car Care brand has exploded with worldwide growth using a grassroots approach and no shill marketing. I did this all on my own with no formal plan or thought of where this was going. I am forever humble, grateful and passionate to share bits and pieces of my Automotive Lifestyle with the world now. I may not have the biggest YouTube channel but I also could care less about ad revenue and views and likes. Our society is so bogus and fake these days I prefer to keep things real! Everything I do is done to educate and share unlike many who choose to humiliate themselves or mock others and spread negativity for more views and ad revenue which is against my morals and personality. I have knowledge and talent to share, I do not need to follow the norm to build this brand up, just hard work and continued dedication is paying off each and every day. Auto Fanatic is about real personal connections and engagement with my fans who ultimately become loyal customers . Success is not quantity of followers or video views and likes it is about the bond and respect amongst the shared passions we all have and that is my motto for success. My quest of leaving a lasting impression in this world has always been a personal one and this is how a legacy is built. As passionate as I am it is my knowledge and expertise that is being portrayed through each and everything I do for you guys. It is this level of passion and dedication that makes my fans want to take part and support what I am doing. I never went into this with nothing more than to have some fun and to share the truth about one of the most special cars I ever had the opportunity to own. Now Auto Fanatic as a brand is being represented all over the globe. I have made friends in places I never would have imagined. I have encouraged thousands of fans each month to take the risk and buy a GT350 or other car I have reviewed only to be thanked over and over each month with kind words and special gifts . This is a very special moment in my life and I have been very fortunate to have lived such a comprehensive life around the most amazing cars anyone could have ever dreamed of. Racing, Building, Customizing, Designing, Manufacturing and honing my Hand Craftsmanship skills each and every day. As fans have always commented they say I am the realest and most talented person they ever witnessed and thank me for sharing and teaching them things along the way. I have been blessed at a very young age with God given talents and opportunities and this is my way of giving back and taking the next step in my adult life while still pursing my true passions in life. I sleep very little but I deliver extraordinary products and services for true automotive enthusiasts all over the world. How amazing is this! I wanted to let everyone know who reads this story after they watched my 2 year video to know how thankful I am for all the continued support in what I do, without you guys this would have never grown into an international brand all because of the ownership of my Shelby GT350 that I decided to share with you all. Sharing has been a true blessing and I wish you all the best in our continued journey together.

Stay tuned for more. The Auto Fanatic!