Hearts of Gold

One Man’s Desire to own a G.T. 350.

- Scotty Lachenauer

Finding one’s dream car takes more than just money. You need to have plenty of luck, too, as circumstances and timing have to be just right to link the seeker and the sought-after. Ask anyone who’s gone through it: Luck can be a fickle thing. 

Sometimes it takes even more than a healthy bank account and good fortune to obtain a desired ride. For some it also takes love, the love of a good woman, or great friends. For Kerry Kelly all those elements needed to fall into place for him to score the muscle car of his dreams.

That car was a 1968 G.T. 350. His desire for one started back in his teens and continued for the next three decades. The thought never left his mind for long. Life’s twists and turns seemed to keep him from owning one of these dream machines, but he never gave up hope that one day one of Carrol Shelby’s Mustang creations would be sitting in his driveway.

Birthday Boy

On his 45th birthday, Kerry’s wife, Karlyn, sat him down to open his presents. Once done, she mentioned another gift that she had been working on for some time. “We’ve been together quite a while now,” she said, “and since the day we met you’ve spoken of your dream to one day own a Shelby Mustang. Without you knowing it, I’ve been saving a little money on the side. It’s not much, just a few thousand dollars, but I want you to take it, go to the bank for a supplemental loan, and then go find your dream car before you get too old to enjoy it.”