Contributed by Tara Bush and Sheri Peplau, photos by Russ Muller Photography
It's a fact that the majority of the car community are male. Nothing wrong with that, but the female interest has grown since our early days of cruising in the mid 1980's. Here's a tale of two, dare I say, “middle aged” females that had different experiences with cars growing up but recently found themselves together among the local car guys with twin Shelbys…40 years apart!
Tara Bush
I’m a GM girl! I’ve found Mopars to be exciting, in a bad-boy sort of way. But Fords were on the fringes of my life. I’m aware of them, know what they are, but never got close. Shelbys were an enigma. So, here’s the story of how I became an owner of a rare 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
On Christmas eve 2008, I wanted to take my mother to view Christmas lights in my 1969 Camaro Convertible which was stored in a run-of-the-mill storage facility. Not a soul around, but my bay door was blocked with a pickup. A gentleman was working in the bay beside me and I could see between the cover and boxes and motorcycle, the unmistakable Shelby inboard headlights. We chatted, exchanged numbers, and went our merry ways. Every few months he’d call to chat. After a year or so, THE call came….he needed to sell NOW!
As the story was told to me, the Shelby came from JD Ball in Miami, candy apple red, 4 speed, 428 engine, and air conditioning. A doctor from Venezuela purchased the showroom display and had replaced the 428 with a 427 side-oiler, the racing big block and shipped it to his home country to race. Once he passed, the widow sold it to another Shelby owner who took some pieces from it for his other Shelby then sold it to the gentleman that I purchased it from. He brought it back to the United States, repainted it slightly off from the original red, and rebuilt the engine back to factory 427 specs. After 12 years, and never driving it, it was offered to me. I am a big fan of matching numbers so this story concerned me.
Not knowing much about Fords, even less about Shelbys, and never knowing what an FE block was, I consulted some expert friends. Armed with the knowledge of what to look for, the Marti report, and the original notations in the registry book; I took a leap of faith and made the purchase. I told myself this was a retirement investment, better than Ford stock.
My friend, DJ Don from Cruisin Orlando, spiffed it up with a few more dollars. There were a number of deep scratches down the fender, extensive trunk paint bubbles, no brakes, loose steering, pitted chrome, and several other small issues. Years later, my friend Steve gave me an original set of shoulder harnesses for my birthday. My family never did understand the significance of that gesture.
Even though it is of significant importance in the Shelby history and may be extremely rare in its very makeup, it is still a car meant to be driven and enjoyed, therefore I have decided not to restore it to Concours correct but to maintain it enough that I can have fun driving and showing it.  It might not be perfect, but it is mine and it’s still a real 1967 Shelby GT500.
Sheri Peplau
It all started in 1978 when my father brought home a 1968 Meadowlark Yellow Mustang fastback with black interior. It was in rough shape as it had been sitting outside for a good while and Connecticut weather is not conducive to keeping a car rust free. My brother, father, and a few family friends went on to spend the next year and a half restoring it and turned it into a gorgeous car with a 289. Our entire family was proud of what they had accomplished. That car also bonded my brother and I because we not only had fun with it, but we also worked in the car delivering newspapers together. We would laugh, fight, and drive around listening to music all while getting closer. I realize now what a special time that was.
When I turned sixteen four years later, my parents bought me a 1972 Pontiac LeMans when I was out of town. Not that I wasn't grateful, but it was a four-door, repainted car that wouldn't start if the distributor got wet. It had some other weird electrical issues too. It served a purpose for a while, but deep down, I wanted a Mustang. My brother Walt knew this and found me a 1974 Mustang II fastback. He and I restored that car for about a year and I had one of the coolest cars in my school with my own special parking place. It was a fun car for me, had really nice wheels, tires, louvers, and of course it was red with a black interior. My love for that car faded as it got older, developed some problems, and I graduated high school. I bought a 1980 Trans Am seven months after graduation which I had for thirty-five years. I never thought I would get rid of that car, but I had a driving force. I wanted to get back to my roots and explore my love of Mustangs. I had my sights set on a 2007 Shelby GT500. (Spoiler alert – it's red with white stripes and a black interior).
So, I sold the Trans Am in June of 2021 and bought the Shelby twelve days later! To say I was on the hunt would be an understatement. My best friend and I flew up to Pennsylvania and received the car from the dealership. They actually drove it to the airport for me. We were met at the airport by my niece who lives in Philadelphia, so I got to see her too. That made it extra special because my Shelby was her dream car when she was younger. I was so excited that I could barely sit through lunch. I took my niece for a quick ride and then we were off on our adventure. We spent the next two days driving from Pennsylvania to Florida and had a blast! That is one fun car to drive.
Buying my GT500 is one of the best decisions I've ever made, as it opened me up to an entire new group of people to spend time with. Car enthusiasts are fantastic people to talk to, learn from, laugh with, and make lifelong friendships.
One of those people is Tara Bush. She is an integral part of the Central Florida Car Circuit. I've admired her 1967 Shelby GT500 for years, and her as a person. What a beautiful car she has. (Oh, and there are others). So, one day in February 2024, we did a photo shoot with our friend and photographer, Russ Muller. It's pretty cool that two ladies very close in age have met, become friends, and have two amazing Shelby's that are 40 years apart. We followed each other home from a car show a few weeks ago and it was pretty cool seeing history go down the road together. (Sometimes a little faster than we should have been). I wonder if the people on the street realized what they were seeing as we drove by them?
In the last four years I've won eight trophies which are special to me, but I think the car has brought me on a more important journey. That would be the importance of having great people in your life and having a hobby that you love all while driving your dream car.
