About the Club

What's it all about? The Shelby Dodge Automobile Club is an automotive enthusiast group whose aim is to preserve the spirit of Power by Dodge, Unleashed by Shelby. The cars produced by Shelby Automobiles, Inc. and the Dodge Division of Chrysler Corporation under the guidance and influence of the legendary Carroll Shelby continue to be standouts in the performance car market. As such, they take their place in history alongside the 1962 Shelby Cobra as a breed of vehicles that give more bang for the buck than their higher-priced competitors. The enthusiast who understands and appreciates these traits is the typical SDAC member. This individual enjoys the performance, style, and technical innovation provided by their Shelby Dodge automobile. This same person also looks to maintain and modify their car and its performance image as well as show the fruits of their labors.

Who are we? SDAC, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization. We are primarily a bunch of enthusiasts working towards making your Shelby Dodge a pleasure to own. The LSSDAC is the official North Texas chapter of SDAC. We currently have over 80 members on our mailing list.

Shelby Dodge?  Carroll Shelby's involvement with the Dodge division of Chrysler Corporation began in the early eighties to breathe some life into an industry that had become at best, ho-hum. This relationship grew to produce the legendary Omni GLH and Shelby Charger and progressed into limited-production full-blown Shelby Dodge performance cars, such as the Shelby GLHS and Shelby CSX, straight from Shelby's "skunkworks" in Whittier, California. This relationship continued into the late eighties with more factory Shelby Dodges pioneering leading-edge technology. The 1990s brought to life the Shelby-influenced 1989 Viper show car and the Dodge Shelby Can-Am spec racer.

Is the SDAC just for the Shelby- produced cars? Not at all. Carroll Shelby, in cooperation with Lee Iacocca, re-ignited the flames of high performance within Dodge. This collaboration produced and inspired the vehicles the SDAC considers its growing family. See the next topic for a list of the sorts of vehicles you might see in an SDAC member's driveway.

What sort of cars qualify? All sorts! Members have all manner of cars, not just the pure Shelby cars produced in Whittier, but many different models that were influenced by the Shelby Dodge team. That covers just about all Chrysler turbo products and 2.2L- and 2.5L-based machines, as well as the newer performance entries, including the Dodge Viper and new Neon. If you've got one of these or their relatives, then the SDAC is for you. We're a national club dedicated to the preservation and performance of these cars.

Do I have to be an owner? No. SDAC is for enthusiasts that just really like these cars. Any Shelby Dodge enthusiasts that are interested in these vehicles are welcome to be members and to attend and participate in SDAC events.

Is this a "concours" club or a "hot rod" club? Neither and both. SDAC covers all aspects of ownership. As a club we are covering what members are interested in. Whether your car is a no-miles show car, factory prototype, full race car, daily driver, or newly acquired project car, SDAC aims to cover material interesting to all.

Is there a membership fee? The LSSDAC has a voluntary annual fee of $10 per year or membership in the national club. The national SDAC organization has an annual fee of $30. Membership in the national SDAC is encouraged, but not required, for membership in the LSSDAC.

Is there a newsletter? The national SDAC organization prides itself in providing Up Front, the official SDAC national newsletter, with up-to-date technical information, original articles, and features on performance modifications, regional and local event coverage, schedule of upcoming events, and an excellent selection of SDAC-related classifieds. All articles that appear in Up Front  are contributed by members, associates, or the Up Front  staff. Our standards for accuracy are high, and articles of a technical nature must be thoroughly researched. Our reputation is on the line every time we go to press, and it is something we value highly. Rather than lower our standards to meet a monthly deadline, we will use extra time to complete each issue right.

What do you get with membership? As a member of SDAC, you'll get one year's worth of issues of Up Front  per membership. Also, as a member you will get an SDAC window decal, you can run classified ads for free, and you will be able to take part in the on track events at the national convention, held in different parts of the USA each year. You can order SDAC T-shirts offered several times per year. We're always looking to establish more membership benefits, and news of these will be outlined in Up Front. The publication schedule for Up Front  isn't exactly monthly. We rely nearly totally on member contributions for the contents of the publications, and during the weeks surrounding big events and year-end holidays, things get pretty busy.

What about events? The SDAC participates in or hosts many events each year. From our annual national convention to local chapter meetings and events, members getting together for some bench racing, and everything in between, SDAC is there.

A typical SDAC national convention will include:

• Performance driving school
• Technical sessions
• Popular vote car show
• Drag racing
• Awards program

You will also find SDAC chapters getting together to invade the large and smaller local car shows or heading out for a visit to the local go-kart track. The limit is only your time and enthusiasm!

The LSSDAC's largest event is the Annual Poker Run, held each September in Southeast Oklahoma. You can find a schedule of events in the Event Calendar.

Do you distribute your membership list? No! The membership list is property of SDAC. No selling or other distribution is done except for the following:

• Special offers: We have worked with companies in the past to deliver materials we thought were of interest to the SDAC members. The items must have a benefit to the SDAC members, and we, SDAC, do the distributing.
• Chapters: We do distribute the names and addresses of SDAC members to SDAC chapter and regional officers. This is to solicit input for the chapter or to advertise a local chapter event. Otherwise, chapters will not distribute membership lists.

Legally speaking: We do not condone, encourage, or promote illegal activities. This includes speeding, street racing, or any other reckless behavior, period. Take it to the track!