Allman's Shelby Super Snake
Allman does his part in supporting U. S. automakers and always has. Last year Allman bought a 2008 Shelby GT500 at J.C. Lewis Ford and asked the dealership to help him ship it to Shelby to convert it to a Super Snake. Allman rates his Shelby a 9. It has 600hp, a JBA exhaust system and 20 inch wheels.
"So they had it drop shipped to Shelby's factory in Vegas and he starts pulling parts off and putting other parts on and they sent me this beautiful car," Allman says proudly.
Ever since he was young, Allman has always loved grey cars or any color close to primer grey. "The color of my Shelby Super Snake is called Tungsten, in other words, one more shade of dark and it would be black," he laughs. "Real grey and you can't see the stripe until you get in the sun."
Allman keeps traction control on, to preserve his tires on leisurely drives such as a recent cruise to his mom's house for Thanksgiving. "There's a button you push on the dash to keep the tires from smokin' white," he laughs. "It's the first Ford I've ever owned except for a couple of Navigators and I really like it. But it's not quite loud enough for me."
The dealership Allman bought his Mustang from is the oldest Ford dealer in Georgia. It has been the family business since 1912 and owner Walter Lewis, whose grandfather was able to keep the business afloat through the Great Depression, owns a Cobra kit car that Allman covets -- for its sound.
"A perfect 10 would be what Walter has. It's just a 350 but, God, just to hear it run is such a treat. It's got these little short rods on it and it's firing all the time," Allman laughs.
The story around Allman's purchase of the Shelby coincides with his publicized hepatitis C diagnosis that caused the Allman Brothers to cancel their 15 sold out concerts earlier this year at their annual gig at New York's Beacon Theater.
"I ordered it last summer and got it last November, went through a bout of hep C," Allman begins. "I didn't have energy to leave the house -- November 23 to May 29. I killed it all, all the virus is gone. Anybody who had a history of drinking or had any tattoos done pre-AIDS --- like I went in and got a tattoo when I was about 20 years old and the guy fished two needles out of a bottle of alcohol. And that's how they think I got Hep C."
Allman underwent 24 weeks of interferon treatment. "I ordered the Shelby before I got sick, right when I got well, it was delivered," Allman continues. "It worked out perfectly. It took 24 weeks of what feels like the flu."
The only caveat Allman has about his Shelby are the fog lights which are located below the grille in the bumper cover. "I do miss the other two front headlights, there are two small ones down at the bottom where the super charger air intake is," Allman says. "There's air intakes all over the car. There's lots of air, for that boost you know."
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