Highways and Byways: Shelby GT350 road trip, part 1
If you have the courage to just head out on the highways and byways of America in your classic car, you can find great rewards. Tim and Marjorie Suddard, the publishers of Classic Motorsports magazine, are big fans of using their classics this way, and have logged thousands of two-lane miles, both on their own and as participants in organized rallies and tours.
After taking their teenaged kids on a 4,000-mile summer trip to the upper Midwest in their 1966 Mercedes 230S (a journey we shared with you on these pages), the senior Suddards needed a vacation from their vacation. So Tim and Marjorie planned a western jaunt in the 1967 Shelby GT350 that he has been restoring as a project for the magazine. (Read about the project at http://classicmotorsports.net/project-cars/1967-shelby-gt-350)
The first leg of the route would go from San Jose, Calif., to Whitefish, Mont.; and except for the first day’s run up I-5 to Mount Shasta, at the Oregon border, they would be taking back roads through the wilds of Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Once they arrived in Whitefish, the Suddards planned to join a like-minded group for another 1000-mile trek up into British Columbia on the Going to the Sun Rally.
A trip like this takes a spirit of adventure, some carefully chosen tools and spares, and a bit of planning. The latter is made easier because Hagerty’s classic car policy covers this activity and even provided a special rider (at no charge) for the Suddards’ adventure in Canada.
“It helps to know how to work on your car,” Tim adds, “but there’s usually someone in every town who can help if something goes wrong. And we have met some of the best people when car problems occurred.”
So with their car sorted and prepped, and clothes packed tightly (and lightly) to fit in the small trunk of their Shelby Mustang, the couple are off on their 2,500-mile adventure.
Next week we’ll let you know how their journey went to Whitefish, and the following week we’ll take you along as we cover the Going to the Sun Rally.
