A Shelby GT350 gets T-boned during “Ponies in the Smokies,” and the story turns into a real-time look at how the Mustang community shows up. The owner recounts the Tail of the Dragon trip, the passenger-side impact, and airbags deploying—then describes calling 911, park rangers, the sheriff, and state patrol arriving. Club members stayed, helped with belongings, handled logistics, and even sent replacement-car leads while the wreck went to auction for parts.
Mustang enthusiasts “in the know” already know that the annual Ponies In The Smokies show is one of the top must-see events in the country. (To see why, check out our Podcast Playlist to see John and Mike’s own coverage from last year’s Ponies show.) With its assortment of fun activities, spectacular venue at the Sevierville Convention Center and close proximity to the famed “Tail Of The Dragon” driving route, PITS has become a bucket-list event. So it should be no surprise that Show Me Mustang Club President Jerry Watkins and club co-founder Mitch Mitchell decided to jump in Jerry’s Shelby GT350 and head for Pigeon Forge, TN, to join in the fun. But while heading out to take on the Tail Of The Dragon before the show, catastrophestruck: They got broadsided by a Kia! They both survived the crash but the GT350 was totaled. How would they get back to their hotel from the hospital? What’s going to happen to the car? How will they get home so far away from their home in St. Louis? Listen in as Jerry explains how some fellow club members and the Mustang Brotherhood and Sisterhood stepped in – not only to help them get around and experience the show, but also to even find a replacement ride for the smashed GT350. Listen in as Jerry reveals this incredible story (plus his new car) while John and Mike confirm what great friends we all have in the Mustang enthusiast community!Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe and leave a Comment. Plus, show that you’re a true Mustang insider by wearing Mustang Owner’s Podcast branded apparel, available on TheSVTstore.com!
"everybody goes to ponies in the smokies, you probably heard about that beautiful Shelby GT350 that got T-boned... when you go to ponies in the smokies and then you get smoked at ponies"
“Ponies in the Smokies” is an event where Mustang owners get together. The story they’re telling is connected to that event, which is why so many people already knew about it.
“Ponies in the Smokies” is referenced as a Mustang event people attend, and it’s tied to the origin of the widely shared crash story. The hosts use it to set the scene for why the community reacted so strongly.
"you probably heard about that beautiful Shelby GT350 that got T-boned and everybody cried and wept a tear."
A “T-bone” crash is when one car hits another from the side, like the vehicles make a “T” at an intersection. Side hits can be more dangerous because there’s less protection on the doors.
A “T-bone” crash is a side-impact collision where one vehicle hits the other near the door area, forming a “T” shape in the intersection. It’s especially dangerous because the struck side has less structural protection than the front or rear.
"everybody goes to ponies in the smokies, you probably heard about that beautiful Shelby GT350 that got T-boned and everybody cried and wept a tear."
The Shelby GT350 is a special, performance-focused version of the Ford Mustang made by Shelby. Here, it’s the car that got hit in a side-impact crash, which is why the community story matters.
The Shelby GT350 is a high-performance Mustang variant from Shelby American, known for its track-focused tuning and V8 sound. In this story, it’s the specific car that was involved in a T-bone crash, making it the central vehicle of the episode segment.
"And we get settled in and then we said, you know what?
[302.2s] Let's, this is our tails of the dragon tour.
[305.8s] So we jump in our cars and we drive about an hour"
The “Tail of the Dragon” is a well-known twisty road that drivers go to for the fun of navigating lots of curves. The hosts are saying they planned a trip specifically around driving that route.
“Tail of the Dragon” refers to a famous driving route known for a very large number of tight, winding turns in a short distance. In the episode, the hosts frame their trip as a planned tour to experience that specific road.
"the engineering team of the S550 chassis,
[335.2s] the airbags, the engineering technology,
[338.3s] God above saved us, right?"
Airbags are safety cushions that pop out during a crash. They help protect your head and chest by slowing you down more gently than hitting the steering wheel or dashboard.
Airbags are supplemental restraint devices that inflate extremely quickly during a crash. They work with the car’s crash sensors and seatbelts to reduce injury by cushioning the occupant’s forward motion.
"Wait a minute. It wasn't a Kia Soul, was it? Because if a Kia Soul lacks a Shelby GT3..."
The Kia Soul is a small car with a tall, boxy shape, made for everyday driving. It’s generally more about practicality than track-style performance. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as part of a “was it this car?” identification question.
The Kia Soul is a compact, boxy-styled crossover/hatchback that’s often chosen for its practicality and easy everyday use. In this episode, it’s mentioned as a comparison point—specifically questioning whether something was a Kia Soul rather than a more track-oriented Shelby GT3. That kind of reference usually comes up when identifying a car involved in a story or discussion.
"...hecked on us, checked on the other driver, called 911, did the whole bit, right? And they just, they re..."
The Porsche 911 is a high-performance sports car made by Porsche. It’s known for being quick and fun to drive. In the podcast context, it’s mentioned during an accident-related moment.
The Porsche 911 is a long-running, rear-engine sports car famous for its distinctive design and high-performance driving dynamics. It comes up in conversations like this because it’s a well-known benchmark for sports-car handling and because real-world incidents and safety discussions often involve recognizable performance cars. The mention of calling “911” in the context of an accident highlights its presence in the episode’s story.
"Oh, yeah, it went out with SVT, but that's a long time ago.
[802.6s] Oh, I did it many times with Roush."
SVT was Ford’s performance team. So when they mention SVT, they mean the earlier Ford group that made the more enthusiast-focused versions of cars.
SVT is Ford’s “Special Vehicle Team,” the in-house performance group that developed and branded many of the company’s enthusiast-focused models. When the speaker says the event “went out with SVT,” they’re referring to an SVT-linked group or lineup from that era.
"[802.6s] Oh, I did it many times with Roush.
[805.2s] I've been asked to do, you know, follow on a on a pony trail on these great twisties."
Roush is a performance brand that modifies and builds faster Ford-based cars. They’re saying they’ve done this kind of driving before in Roush cars or with Roush people.
Roush refers to Roush Performance, a well-known aftermarket and performance brand associated with tuning and building high-performance Ford-based cars. The speaker’s “many times with Roush” suggests they’ve done similar twisty-road runs in Roush-prepped vehicles or with that community.
"I've been asked to do, you know, follow on a on a pony trail on these great twisties.
[809.2s] The problem is, Jerry, they would always ask me to participate"
“Twisties” just means a curvy road with lots of turns. People use it to describe routes that are fun because you’re constantly steering through corners.
“Twisties” is enthusiast slang for a road with lots of curves, typically requiring frequent steering and throttle adjustments. It’s commonly used when describing routes that are fun to drive because they keep the driver engaged corner-to-corner.
"...er. And that's when you say, you know, if I had a Corvette, I'd have a grab handle right here."
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car made by Chevrolet. It’s designed to be fast and exciting to drive. The podcast mentions it while talking about a practical feature inside the car.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a performance sports car from Chevrolet, typically known for strong acceleration and a driver-focused layout. It’s discussed in enthusiast settings because owners often talk about practical details—like interior features and ergonomics—along with performance. In this episode, the Corvette is referenced in connection with a specific cabin/handhold detail.
"So the car was taken to a. Just a towing yard temporarily, and then the insurance company moves it off."
When a car is wrecked, the insurance company often has it towed to a yard temporarily. Then they decide what to do with it next, like selling it for parts.
After a crash, an insurance company may move a damaged car to a storage or tow facility while the claim is processed. This can be a step before the car is sold at auction or otherwise disposed of.
"And I learned from this side of the process, they, you know, they sell it. They take it to auction so that they can part it out."
Instead of fixing the whole car, they sell it at auction so people can buy it and take it apart for usable parts. That’s why specific parts can still be valuable even if the car is too damaged to keep.
“Part it out” means selling the damaged vehicle in pieces—like the engine, transmission, and body panels—rather than repairing and reselling it as a whole. Auctions are commonly used to transfer these salvage vehicles to buyers who harvest parts.
"I mean, the engine, the transmission, the fender, these cars are rare, right?"
When a wrecked car is sold for parts, the engine is one of the biggest things people want. If the car is rare, the engine can be worth a lot even if the rest of the car is damaged.
In a “part it out” situation, the engine is often the most valuable component because it can be removed and sold separately. For rare cars, demand for the engine can be especially high among enthusiasts and restorers.
"Co-part does that a lot, I'm sure. So you you knew the insurance company would take care of the car to auction."
Copart is an auction service where damaged cars are sold, usually for parts or repair. The hosts are saying this is where wrecked cars like the GT350 often get sold.
“Co-part” is short for Copart, a company that runs online auctions for salvage, wrecked, and otherwise non-retail vehicles. In this context, it’s being described as a common place where insurance-salvage cars end up.
"So I want to start. hear cold. [1304.1s] I want, you know, cold start. [1305.6s] I want to hear it idle down, you know, et cetera, et cetera."
A “cold start” is when the engine is started after sitting long enough that it’s at near-ambient temperature. Enthusiasts listen for things like rough idle, unusual noises, and how quickly the engine settles—signals that can reveal issues that might not show up once the car is fully warmed.
"And they they had two other shellways. They had an RTR in there. They were asking almost 100 grand for."
RTR is a performance brand that builds and modifies Mustangs. The hosts are saying the dealership had an RTR car there too.
RTR refers to a performance brand associated with aftermarket Mustang builds. In the segment, it’s mentioned as another car the dealership had in stock, priced near $100k.
"And straight up and honest with me, they for example, they they put a new clutch in at their expense, knowing that that would make a happy customer."
A clutch is what helps a manual-transmission car smoothly change gears. If someone replaces it, it usually means they’re fixing a wear item so the car drives better right away.
A clutch is the friction device that connects and disconnects the engine’s power from the transmission. Replacing a clutch is a meaningful service item because it can indicate how hard the car has been driven and can prevent drivability issues.
"“Modern motor cars, modern motor cars.”
“And it's three miles out of St. Louis.”"
They’re giving a shout-out to a dealership called “Modern motor cars.” It’s the place they worked with to handle the paperwork and buying steps.
“Modern motor cars” is the dealership/business the speaker credits for helping them through the purchase process. The episode uses the business name as a shout-out, including location context near St. Louis.
Term
overbody stripes
"There it is.
There it is.
And it does have the overbody stripes.
That GT 350 is wicked."
Overbody stripes are the racing-style stripes you see painted on top of the car’s main body. They’re mostly about the look, but on some special Mustangs they’re also part of the car’s original style.
"Overbody stripes" are decorative racing stripes applied over the main body panels of the car. On performance Mustangs like the GT350, stripe packages are part of the visual identity and can be tied to specific factory or enthusiast styling choices.
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Hello Mustang fans and welcome to another episode
of the Mustang Owners Podcast.
I'm your host, John Clark.
And along with my co-host, Mike Ray.
And I'm gonna tell you folks right now,
we always say everybody has a Mustang story.
This is one Mustang story you're gonna wanna hear.
You know, Mike, we talk about the brotherhood,
the Mustang brotherhood, the Mustang sisterhood,
about people that say, oh, should I join a club?
You know, who cares?
You know, I'd rather go by myself.
But every once in a while,
being with like-minded Mustang people
really makes your whole life a lot different.
I think tonight's episode will prove that point.
Yeah, I've had actual personal experiences
down the same road, not as bad as this one,
but in other situations where we were broke down on the road
or couldn't get a car home from an event and things like that.
But at the end of the day, it was all sudden done and good.
And luckily for all of us, especially our guest tonight,
that it all worked out well and he's home safe
and cars all back.
But I did think your title for this episode
was pretty fitting and might not have been too funny
if the outcome would have been different.
But since the outcome turned out good, John,
tell everybody what the title of this is.
Well, I just thought maybe, guys,
for once in my life, I wanted to spend some time
in thinking, hey, what's going to really make you,
I know a lot of people might know about this story already
because everybody's on Facebook.
If you're a Mustang insider and you know,
everybody goes to ponies in the smokies,
you probably heard about that beautiful Shelby GT350
that got T-boned and everybody cried and wept a tear.
That's why we got to bring in the guy that survived that
with one of his club founders
and he got through this whole ordeal pretty well.
And we're going to tell his whole story tonight.
Welcome, Jerry Watkins, president of the Show Me Mustang Club
from the great city of St. Louis.
Jerry, welcome to the Mustang Owners Podcast.
Thank you, Janice. Appreciate the invite.
I'm thrilled to be here.
This is going to be, let's have some fun.
It's going to be a great story.
Oh, yeah. Well, Mike, you're right.
You know, when you go to ponies in the smokies
and then you get smoked at ponies,
that's not a good thing that happens to people.
But Jerry, we have to tell you that Mitch Mitchell,
we just saw you guys in the beginning of the year.
We got to visit Karen.
We were at your anniversary event.
I got to speak there.
Then we had Eric on.
We got a chance to talk to Eric.
We saw a lot of fun and then we lost Karen,
which was really tough on us.
We had worked a little bit with Mitch about looking for a car.
And then we found out you and Mitch
were going to go to ponies in the smokies.
And Mike and I were saying,
damn, couldn't we go this again this year, Mike?
Isn't there some way we can make it?
We had a blast last year when we were there.
It was really a lot of fun.
So we're sad to miss it this year.
Yeah, even though Mike did take me on a,
he wanted to go to, was it a shoe outlet?
It was right across the street from our hotel.
So we put it into the GPS and it took us 45 minutes
to get there.
I'm an Air Jordan collector, so that's what I got.
We lost smokies and then, and I knew you guys went,
then all of a sudden my wife says that she was,
John, look, Jerry and Mitch got in an accident.
I go, no.
And then there, I know Mitch had mentioned it.
He had texted me, Jerry.
And then when I saw the photos,
I said, what the heck happened?
So Jerry, in your own words, tell us what the heck happened?
I know you were gonna have a great time.
You took your absolutely stunning Shelby GT350 down
and then something bad happened.
Sure, let me start from the beginning.
We had some members from Cape Gerardo,
which is about two hours from here,
that frequent the ponies and the smokies.
And they said, you know what, guys, we should do this.
So Mitch and I were retired.
We're like, well, that sounds pretty fun.
And we heard, and we've had a member tell us
about the tail of the dragon.
So we're really excited to go down there,
check it out, never been to the smoky moans.
And they just raved about it.
So we wrote, we do our plans, we road trip down there.
And we get settled in and then we said, you know what?
Let's, this is our tails of the dragon tour.
So we jump in our cars and we drive about an hour
just to get to the park to where the tail is at.
And as we were turning left, Tennessee's very hilly,
we were turning against oncoming traffic to enter the park.
And the other driver came up and we committed
and I punched it and fortunate for us
and for the engineering team of the S550 chassis,
the airbags, the engineering technology,
God above saved us, right?
We got out of it with some bumps and bruises
and as did the other driver.
So you were team bone though,
did it hit you in the driver's door?
No, it was the passenger side.
We were trying-
Oh, it was Mitch's side.
Okay.
Yeah, it was Mitch's side.
And the driver didn't show any sign of braking,
swerving, anything too.
And just, you know, our theory is
he's playing around on his phone, right?
Was that another Mustang?
No, no, it was a Kia.
Okay.
So John was a lion.
I don't think I'm making that up.
Wait a minute.
It wasn't a Kia Soul, was it?
Because if a Kia Soul lacks a Shelby GT350,
it has no Soul.
That proved it.
It wasn't a, maybe it was an Optima or something.
I don't know when it was, John.
So wait, so was the hamster driving?
So the EMT folks, well, let's get to the guys,
the brotherhood for a sec.
Is this a good time for that?
Well, yeah, I mean, so he puts your car in the weeds
and you guys went off on the lawn there.
You guys, obviously the airbags go off into a loud bang.
You didn't get injured from the airbags?
I mean, were you able to actually get up
and walk out of the car?
Both of us.
We were pushed up into an embankment to a hill,
so I couldn't open my door, so I climbed across.
And so Mitch and I both climbed out
and kind of got our bearings
and our club members with us were,
they turned into first responders.
They just, they jumped up, ran to us,
checked on us, checked on the other driver,
called 911, did the whole bit, right?
And they just, they really, really took care of us.
Now, also going on was passers-by,
because people coming and going from the tail of the dragon,
and they were all just like, everybody okay?
Is everybody okay?
And people stopped, a couple of younger guys right there
in their 20s or 30s stopped and we didn't know them
and they were witnesses to the whole bit
and just wanted to make sure we're okay.
It was quite moving.
And then we can go on to the story here
and I'll pause for a sec.
Well, no, I was really surprised, first of all,
that first of all, you didn't even get
on the tail of the dragon.
You were just at the start end.
We were just entering the park, right?
Oh, geez.
And because maybe it was Mike, it's possible,
since he had a GT350, which I think the car
was built for tail of the dragon.
That's, maybe the GT350, maybe it was so anxious
that when the Kia pulled up, he thought,
that's a great time to text somebody, and then.
So you and Mitch, here you are.
It was an evening, early evening,
was it the middle of the day?
It was the middle of the day, late morning, almost noon.
So here you are, you never got on the tail of the dragon.
Your car's wrecked.
You're out in the middle of nowhere, really.
But you're lucky, so you did have club members around
who said, hey, now what did you do?
You called 911.
How long did that, I hope they didn't take
a police explorer down through the tail of the dragon.
We were off a main highway, and so the park rangers showed up,
the local sheriff showed up, and then the state patrolman
showed up, and they all did their thing.
But again, the really cool thing was our club members,
first of all, they're great.
So the first thought, once we kind of got through that
processing, we're going to take the ride in the ambulance
to the hospital, just to make sure we're OK, right?
OK.
All right, so you've got an ambulance ride,
but when you get to the hospital, you've got no transportation.
Yeah, we quickly discovered, first of all, how we get into the hotel,
right?
So our club members went with us,
and this was about a three hour process,
and they stayed with us the whole time.
And then we got released, they took us to the hotel.
We hadn't eaten, so we went to grab something to eat first.
And it was hard to eat, especially after all that.
Yeah, I'd still be shaking.
Once you like, I mean, you just lost your car.
Yeah, was all your luggage in your car still and everything?
Or the guys, I forgot to tell you,
the guys pulled out all the personal belongings they could.
OK, the car.
So OK, yeah, so they they brought them with them.
Yeah, OK.
They put it in there.
So you were you if you did check in first to the hotel.
Yeah, we were checked in.
This was the next day.
Yeah, OK, so OK, OK, so you got out of the hospital.
You the guys picked you up at the hospital.
Was it far from was it in Severeville?
Yes. So the hospital was I mean, that was where the event was
was in Severeville.
We were staying in Pigeon Forge, which is pretty close.
So they get us to the hotel after we eat and then the reality
started to set in a little bit.
So do you know what I mean?
Did you call a tow truck?
What happened to your car?
Yes, they the first responders all took care of it.
They gave me the report to where to go get my car and into the whole process.
So yeah. Oh my gosh.
So here you are.
Mike, can you imagine you show up?
It's just before Smokies, you were going to go spend the day on the tail
and then your car gets destroyed.
You get out of the hospital, you have friends to take you the now.
What do you do?
I mean, you're there.
I mean, your car is in some lot someplace.
I mean, guys, the story is better.
It gets better.
So we're at the hospital and Eric, as you know, was in Atlanta on a business trip
because look, I'll fly in there and I'll pick you and Mitch up and we'll all
drive back together to St. Louis.
And we're like, and he was going to take off work and all this stuff, right?
And we were like, you know, as we started to rationalize our options,
even the rental car was was tricky.
And we ended up, our guys, our teammates, our clubmates packed all our stuff somehow
in the trunk of their Mustang trucks, aren't very big as you know,
our stuff, our luggage and everything.
And they they brought us back into Missouri from there.
That's where some of our members were from, from Cape as I was telling you.
So there then Eric drove down.
He flew back home to St. Louis as we scratched his idea.
He drove down to Cape Gerardo and picked this up.
So it's like 90 miles each way.
OK, so with the club members, then if they had to drive you that it wasn't that night.
It was the next morning.
They had to drive you back into Missouri.
They well, two nights.
Actually, we actually let me back up just a moment.
The story gets better.
We we went the next day to the car show.
Oh, you did. Mike, that is a Mustang person.
We did.
My my my show, we just got smoked.
Let's go to the smokies and see where the car.
Let's go look at the show.
We're we're here.
We're we're at the show.
So we figured it out, guys. Yeah.
We figured it out.
And then one of the members says, you know, we can stay at the car show
all all afternoon or guys, you want to go do the tail of the car.
I said, no, not again.
Really?
So so Mitch and I went as passengers with two other members
and we got the tail of the dragon.
So we got to do it.
OK, Mike, you know, I would do that.
But the last time I was at one of these, I did a Shelby event
and I got the tail before, right?
Oh, yeah, it went out with SVT, but that's a long time ago.
Oh, I did it many times with Roush.
I've been asked to do, you know, follow on a on a pony trail on these great twisties.
The problem is, Jerry, they would always ask me to participate
with the vehicle I drove, which happened to be the Club Connect Transit Van.
I know that.
I wonder what all my stuff is going this way and hitting them.
How did you get damaged?
You know, plastic bins with giveaways broken was terrible.
No, so so you did get so you got to see the show.
You got to have a couple of other members get you.
Now, Mike, you know this, it's not as much fun being a passenger
at tail than it is driving it, because it's a totally different experience.
Plus, your stomach feels different.
You're just going to say that your stomach feels very different if you're a passenger.
And that's when you say, you know, if I had a Corvette,
I'd have a grab handle right here.
So so you got to at least experience it as a passenger.
And then and then you said, listen, guys, I'm having so much fun.
I have to really kind of think like how I'm getting home.
I'm going to get my car home.
Did you get the car home?
Would you have to have it looked at there?
How did that work out?
So the car was taken to a.
Just a towing yard temporarily, and then the insurance company moves it off.
And I learned from this side of the process, they, you know, they sell it.
They take it to auction so that they can part it out.
I mean, the engine, the transmission, the fender, these cars are rare, right?
So anything you can grab off these cars that will.
Oh, especially the engine.
Mike, can you imagine somebody with the first thing they picked that up is, oh,
man, a GT 350. Right.
I snagged that baby.
Co-part does that a lot, I'm sure.
So you you knew the insurance company would take care of the car to auction.
So you guys got home and then all of your friends said,
so didn't they have a big party for you and Mitch like, thank God you're OK.
Well, what were they most about your beer somewhere?
Well, we we came back and I put a note out to the club.
I said, many of you may have heard.
I just want to let you know, you know, told my side of the story
so that they were aware what was going on.
And then it was for for the club, it was business as usual.
For me, it was going through the, you know, the process, the insurance.
And and that that's that's interesting.
Well, Mitch, Mitch is from the insurance industry,
so he could help you out there, I'm sure.
But so. But so when did it occur to you that, OK, I made it home.
We're OK.
The car is going to get parted out.
I got to deal with insurance.
But tell me you didn't immediately start thinking about replacing that car.
Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
Without without question, sir.
Now, get this, the members.
Once they they were aware, I'm getting texts and and emails of,
hey, here's a car you might want to look at.
Here's another car.
And so they were helping me shop for the replacement car.
I mean, easy to spend other people's money.
Yeah, I mean, it's fun.
That is like he doesn't even have his check yet.
No, he has no idea how much, you know,
he's got to wait this goes this whole insurance
so nice to happen, and he's already shopping.
I've been very well to help spend other people's money when they don't want to.
So so your own club members, you know, first of all, your board members
have to give, you know, Eric a lot of credit.
That's that's a lot of I don't know when Mike and I were on the boxing board.
If our board members would have picked us up in the smokies.
But I got to tell you, it was really to me
that had to make you and Mitch feel good that, you know,
you this is the kind of club that stood by you guys.
You had people come out and and help you out.
And then then you get home and as as as crazy as that situation was,
I did see the photos on Facebook as I told you.
But I didn't even think that I thought for a while
you you was just going to not drive for a while.
You know, just get out of the car for and you didn't even wait
until you had the check.
I did not because, you know, I actually lost three cars
I was looking at because I didn't have the check.
Oh, wow, that fast, guys.
Yeah. So what we talked before,
you said there's an old adage about horses like Mustangs.
Yes. What did you what did you tell me, Jerry?
So so when I wrote the note to the club, I said, hey, so, you know,
you know, guy gets bucked off a horse.
What does the guy do? You get back on, right?
Right back on. Get right back in the saddle.
Get right back on it. Let's go.
So knowing Mitch Mitchell as we do
as the founder of of that club and he's just a car guy through and through.
And Mike, we're going to have Mitch on.
You should I'm going to have him walk us through his garage
because I know Jerry's going to show us a surprise
as we look at what he how he chased the car down.
But he probably was was
every night of searching for you as well as you, Jerry.
Both of you guys probably launched a nationwide search.
And what exactly did you want to get that?
What what did you want to do the same car?
How would what were you looking for exactly?
The same car, there was actually one same similar car that didn't work out.
So then I opened it up to anything and everything.
And it had to have certain requirements like
I like comfort seats, right?
You know, I'm not a car guy.
So I like those that was a requirement.
You know, the mileage, the year gen has to be gen two, right?
So a 19 or a 20.
You know, colors when it boiled down to John were funny creatures.
It boiled down to the Shelby signature striping.
Can you imagine that, Mike?
His previous car didn't have the over body stripes.
Now, if he's going to get the car, he'd want to go back and
this time make it with get one with the stripes.
I mean, you know, but that's just going to narrow your search.
Even though, you know, those cars, a lot of people did love having the stripes on it.
But but you wanted to kind of get something with it.
Was it more miles than you had on it or less?
I mean, well, how was the car you're searching?
It was, you know, something was reasonable miles, you know,
the same that my car had or less, of course.
And because I think I mentioned to you, John, when you were here
for the 40th, that I drive my car a lot.
And I, you know, I mentioned that at the 40th banquet.
And and I said, why class?
And they said, well, why?
And I said, because I love this car.
I absolutely love it.
I can't. It's my happy place.
OK, it is.
They call you GT 350.
The new Jerry GT 350, right?
The GT 350 Jerry.
Yeah. So so who was the one that found the perfect car for you?
You were rich.
One of our club members, John Threel,
he was one that was one of the guys from St.
Louis that went to the ponies with us. OK.
It's got an S197. It's beautiful.
So you said, so did you have to fly across the country?
How was that? How was that purchase deal?
I was prepared to, as we talked about, I did a nationwide look and
the Florida, Texas, Arizona,
California, Chicago, Ohio, I was I was all over the place.
Then this one pops up here in Missouri.
And so, yes, I was like, OK,
we've got to give this one a good hard look.
And so we decided that Mitch
was going to be my subject matter experts.
So he agreed to go with me.
We did all the we did everything remotely, which was crazy,
you know, videos, pictures, everything, starting the car.
It's like, I want to hear it start.
We looked at one that somebody it looked completely stock
and somebody took the they put a new muffler system on it that was obnoxious.
So I want to start. hear cold.
I want, you know, cold start.
I want to hear it idle down, you know, et cetera, et cetera.
So anyway, we we go down there and it has to pass the Mitch test
or we talked about it on the way.
We be prepared to drive away just to come back.
Right. So we have to drive a couple hours, right?
Three and a half hours each way.
Wow. And so Mitch, actually, when he got there, he gets what he does.
Like he he'll crawl. I mean, he will crawl under the car.
He is. Yeah, you're supposed to.
He's worse than a border patrol agent at the Canadian border.
Yeah. Yeah.
So he he you guys probably went over that thing tooth and nail.
Was that a little dealership, was it?
Yes, it was a real like a boutique specialty higher end car.
It's like a fast lane here in St. Louis for the folks that recognize that.
And they they had two other shellways.
They had an RTR in there.
They were asking almost 100 grand for.
And yeah, so they they were an outstanding dealership.
Again, small boutique, but they had all the things I was looking for.
And straight up and honest with me, they for example,
they they put a new clutch in at their expense,
knowing that that would make a happy customer. Right.
So right. And the fact is, Jerry, when you do ask for all those extra videos,
all that time online to spend that settlement is going to go out.
Mike, you know how that is.
If you could spend hours with one person
and have no idea if they're actually going to pull the trigger.
And once they decide, oh, forget it,
you've wasted four hours of trial of salesmanship.
Yeah. My how many times that happened to you?
I can't even count. Yes.
I can't even count what happened last week, literally at a Rauch Super Duty.
Oh, gosh. So Jerry, you that had to give you
a feeling what these guys are pretty decent
if they're going to spend that amount of time with you.
They really were.
And they worked extremely well with me.
They were patient, say, hey, look, I'm still I don't have a check for you.
So I'm interested, you know, you know, so we did the down payment thing.
And they were just outstanding to work with.
So this, did you tell them that if you were going to be on a podcast,
you'd name their their business for them?
Yeah, give a shout out.
Yeah, give a shout out. What's the name of the place?
Modern motor cars, modern motor cars.
And and it's three miles out of St. Louis.
Three hours.
Well, not too bad.
So so then you then you had to drive back with the paperwork.
And then did Mitch follow you and you guys tanned him out on the way home?
We we did.
He took on knowing he took pictures of me.
He followed me and he took pictures of me driving the car.
And and he says, man, it looks really good rolling down the road.
Yeah, yeah.
So did you have the GT 350, Mike, as you know,
it's got a lot of tech on it.
But is there any, Mike, and I'm not sure of this,
because I have I've only driven two of them.
And is there even if you get a tech package, there is no Kia avoidance system.
No, that was not about on the optional list.
But Jerry Watkins gets the car home.
And then he it's now it's now your car.
And they're obviously that it's a traumatic experience,
the fact that you're OK.
But Jerry, I think and it's right there by you, isn't it?
Somewhere are you aren't you home right now with the car?
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You with us, John?
I mean, that thing, Mike, to be able to show that car.
Now, what can you spin it around and show us, Jerry?
Shall. Here we go.
Watch this, Mike.
I say, wait a minute, is this car in his bedroom?
What's happening?
There it is.
There it is.
And it does have the overbody stripes.
That GT 350 is wicked.
But the GC Mike, this is what you do.
Waiting to see the carper in the couch next to it.
This is this is my garage.
And it's also the boardroom for our board meetings.
You are. Oh, that's awesome.
Plus, Mike, you're ready.
He's got the 60th poster, which means he's got to be connected to somebody.
He's got his Club Connect banner.
What a wonderful program that was, you know,
Jerry, not only are you a great president for the Show Me Mustang Club,
but I got to tell you, you survived a difficult thing.
A lot of people have a hard time parting with the car.
But Mike, you used to say something
that's the whole reason of this episode, you know, about the cars come and go.
But what was the most important thing you preach for 20 years, Mike,
about being in a Mustang Club?
It really wasn't the cars.
Cars bring us together, but it's the people
that make all the difference in the lasting memories with you.
Yeah. And that's exactly what happens with Jerry and Mitch
and everybody in the Show Me Mustang Club down there in St. Louis.
You know, I was blessed to be with you guys before we lost Karen
and I talked to Mitch a lot, but Jerry, this kind of shows you
the value of being in a club that you get make close knit friends
and they'll stand in their head for you, especially in a time of need.
It is. It was incredible.
It was incredible. Speaking of Miss Karen, we had a member make a poker chip.
Oh, wow, eating ice cream.
She loved ice cream.
So, oh, my God.
She loved ice cream.
We keep every member has one and we keep these in our glove boxes.
Our cars. It was in my car.
So that is awesome. Yeah.
Yeah. That is so cool.
Now, I'm hoping now that you have this car, you're still going to
you still drive it a lot. You're going to go to shows still.
Oh, yeah. And if somebody maybe next year says to you, hey, Jerry,
you want to go to Ponies and the Smokies?
We're already signing up.
We're going. We are going guys.
That's awesome.
It is no fear there, John.
No, I guess not.
We're going.
Oh, good for you, Jerry.
I can't tell you. I just, you know, I think it's so great.
You know, I felt really bad when I saw those pictures on Facebook and
and everybody and I didn't want to reach out because I didn't know if you were
I didn't know if we're going to replace it and get something else.
Are you going to just stay out of cars for a while?
Because a lot of people get disenfranchised, you know, and they say, oh,
geez, and they don't know what to do.
But you didn't lose sight of what you wanted to do.
Of course, you hang out with Mitch Mitchell.
So that's a problem.
And Mike, as you and I know right after this, Mitch contacted us about
chasing a car down for him.
We should bring Mitch on and have us explain that on the heck he pulled
that off of Mike. You pulled off a miracle for him.
But Jerry, for me and your club and for clubs all around the country
who are listening in tonight, their members, this is what it's all about
to be in the Mustang Brotherhood and Sisterhood.
It's good things happen. We enjoy them and laugh together.
Bad things happen. We cry together, but they were there for each other.
And all I know my luck, if that happened to me, first of all,
nobody would take a Mustang to the copart and try to get the motor out of it.
The second thing is Mike, my luggage would have wound up in some river somewhere.
Mine too.
And then the guy taking us to the hotel probably would have, you know,
dropped us off at Applebee's and asked us for cash.
You know, we just don't have the kind of Jerry, you were truly part of the
I called the Mustang Brotherhood and Sisterhood, but hats off to you
and to Mitch and to everybody in the Show Me Mustang Club.
But John, you know, this goes back to what people say about Y Clubs.
This is the epitome of Y right here.
And there's the 40th.
That's awesome.
So that was the Y and this is the sustaining, you know, the 40th year.
I mean, just the longevity of it, right?
Yes.
The culture is great. We treat each other like family, right?
We care about each other.
That's exactly the way it should be.
Yeah, yeah.
So I hope everyone who listened to another podcast tonight.
I mean, yeah, you know, this is a tough story, but it just goes to show you
being in the car community is different than just going out there by yourself,
going to cars and coffee, kicking tires and coming home.
Cars are too enjoyable, especially the Mustang and the Mustang Club community that already exists.
It doesn't have to be recreated.
There's hundreds of Mustang clubs.
And to see the way that the show me Mustang Club down there in St. Louis
reacted to their club president and their club founder getting in a little bit of trouble.
But pulling together and then Jerry, you wound up on your feet.
He jumped back on the horse and now you're back in your Shelby GT 350.
Congrats to you and thank you for sharing that story with us here tonight on the Mustang owners podcast.
My pleasure, gentlemen. Thank you for having me.
Oh, how much fun is that?
Mike, I told you, you know, I had a little tear in my eye, especially when I saw those crash photos.
But Jerry, Jerry looked like, you know, he he shrugged it off.
Yeah, he was just like, OK, we get back on that horse and we ride it really cool.
I hope everyone enjoyed this episode of the podcast.
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Let's make it happen, folks. Thanks for joining us tonight.
So until next time, we're just going to have to catch you guys down the road.
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