Hello everyone,
Any book will have some mistakes--and as I stated in the preface in the
registry section, there WILL be errors, and I had to work from what people
sent me. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours decifering the data sent to
me to do this registry. If there were only a few errors out of 1,350 cars
listed, then I'm doing just fine. To take every car and analyze each data
code number and whether it fit in line with the others would literally have
taken me "four more years" to get right. Remember--I was working with what
people sent me, and once all this data was lined up in print (an incredible
job in itself), it's really easy to find things that may appear
inconsistent. Also--this registry, and its data supercedes my 1989 and 1996
books. Production began on January 18th, according to the data from Kevin
Marti. The confusion I see here can be resolved if those really interested
would read the entire production chapter, and see everything in context.
You can't judge this data simply at face value--you have to understand it
all in context. The numbers game for these cars is not an exact science,
despite my best shot at figuring it out. There is clearly no other Mustang
out there with this much data in print.
Curtis' GT/CS IS the car on the stage. The Marti report stated that it was
specially ordered by Lee Grey, and (specifically stated on the Marti Report)
was sent to his office at the Pico Rivera Plant, just in time for the Feb
15th event. It truly is a one-of-one car, and worth a lot! This has all
been confirmed by talking to Lee on the phone.
If anyone reads in detail about how the script was attached to the early
cars, I said that there "could" be some descrepancies in position. This is
because the drilling fixture to install the script had to be made very
quickly to satisfy 200 cars out in the parking lot behind the plant.
Production was again, NOT an exact science. I stated that the first 50-100
cars were hand-built, and some parts may have not been consistent, due to
how this was done. Again, read--read--read how I explained this, and you'll
find out the answers to most of your questions and confusion.
I just want people to enjoy this book, and I DID put literally everything I
had and could do for it--including the sale of my own GT/CS. I am getting
magazine editors stating that this book "has no equal" for books on specific
Mustangs, etc.... I would hope that those who are reading and enjoying this
book understand that this is a huge, 80,000 word book, with TONS of data and
charts.
There are some new details that took a lot to find, such as the taillight
backing plate grommet sourced from a pickup speedo cable. That alone took
an entire day to resolve. I also have part numbers from the blueprints that
took a lot of effort to figure out. Numbers that were translated from
Shelby Automotive numbers to Ford numbers, then to Ford Service part
numbers. I also had to research the Cougar trim color part number for the
GT/CS grille...that I found in a paint store with old Ford sourcebooks,
since no Cougar experts were able to provide me with that number. Not an
easy job. The DSO pages took quite a lot of time to work from, since there
were two versions to interpret from old Ford paperwork. ALL of this was
painstaking work, and I'm just glad that it's now in print. Whew!!
If anyone wishes to persue any specific detail with this car, then go for
it, and others interested will benefit from it. I took my 25 years of
materials and research skills to provide what you see, to set the roots for
newly discovered aspects that might surface months to years from now (that
kind of energy here might be more beneficial and legitimate than just a
close edit of my book).
As for the Concours information, I printed what Jeff Speegle gave me. Ford
also went over the book, and a few things may have been lost in the
translation. I think that considering the chance Jeff and I took by
bringing all of this information and diagrams forward, the open discussion
WILL bring out any new information and updates to specific parts, colors,
etc. But we are so far ahead by having this information in print for those
who wish to do a Concours GT/CS restoration!! Once the paint is done
corectly, the bolt-on parts are easy to change, update, etc. We owe Jeff a
ton of thanks for making this effort for me and my book. My goal of
creating Concours-ready GT/CS Mustangs out there to take trophies at car
shows just might be realized!
Despite all of these details and whatever "differences" flew among some on
this board in the past, my goal was to give back to those who love their
cars, something to make them very proud to have and show at car shows--or
wherever you may be where people ask about your GT/CS. It's already
happening.
I also wanted to bridge that gap between the original and late-model cars by
telling their history. There is no doubt that you will benefit by how this
book will raise the awareness, desire for restoration, and overall increase
in values in the many years to come. The GT/CS marque is now finally secure
by my book. This has been my contribution to the Mustang world, despite all
the difficulties to produce it.
Thank you for your time, support and understanding for all these years.
Know that my book is a celebration for you--of what GT/CS was, is, and will
become for many years to come, like no other Mustang!
The bottom line is that you have fun with your GT/CS.
That's all that matters.
Paul M. Newitt
they are cast main bodies and plated caps. BTW the text shows semi-gloss black, not Gloss black as mentioned in your post - CORRECTION - the rules (posted online) still state 
