Shelton one of oldest Ferrari dealership in the USA
Shelton Sports Cars in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are one of the largest and
longest established official Ferrari dealership in the USA today. Thus whilst in
Florida for the Cavallino Classic in January we thought we would take the
opportunity to pay them a visit. Arriving completely unannounced on the Monday
after the event, and expecting to only be able to visit the sales showroom, we
were pleasantly surprised to find that senior sales executive John Levy was
happy to spend time with us and guide us through the premises, explaining
everything along the way.
Shelton stands on 4 legs
The Shelton brothers, Steve and Tom, have a passion for motor sport and have
competed at various levels in a variety of machinery over the years. A large trophy
and memorabilia display cabinet in the main showroom testifies to their diverse
and successful motor sport association. They purchased the dealership twenty
years ago, in fact not long after Jody Scheckter won Ferrari’s last F1 Drivers’
Championship, prior to Michael Schumacher taking the crown back to Maranello
after a 21 year absence. Since then they have continued to build and strengthen
the business in all areas. Not only is there a full sales and service facility, but
they have their own restoration shop, and run a four car team in the USA 360
Challenge Series.
Ferraris to go
The sales showroom décor also reflects the racing passion of the owners, with
a Ferrari F1 nose section in one corner, and retro advertising banners around
the waiting area and boutique/parts counter. The previously owned inventory on
display was mainly a varied selection of modern Ferraris, including a F355
Spider, 107196, in metallic blue with tan interior, another with the F1 gear
change , 116266, in yellow with black interior, and a third, 110765, in Rosso
Barchetta with tan interior, together with a 360 Modena F1, 117381, in red with
black interior.
There was also an F40, 88451, with numerous modifications carried out at the
request of the previous owner. These included AP brake discs and callipers with
custom built split rim wheels to accommodate them, JRZ hydraulic shock
absorbers all round, larger Sparco intercoolers incorporating water injection with
the reservoir in the front luggage bay, a Tubi exhaust system, and a plumbed in
fire extinguisher system. The larger intercoolers and modified intake ductwork
necessitated the repositioning of the oil filter, and a thermostatically controlled
fan has been added to the oil cooler radiator. Other features include a
temperature gauge for the intercoolers, an air/fuel mixture gauge, plus a tyre
pressure monitor and low pressure warning system. Not one for the purists, but
certainly a well sorted example with the emphasis of the modifications being on
increased safety and driveability, a nice piece of equipment for track days.
Ferraris to collect
The older end of the model spectrum was represented by a very nice Dino 246
GTS, 08310, in yellow, which had unfortunately been completely re-trimmed in a
strange almost matt black material, that detracted from the original appearance
of the rest of the car. There was also an older restoration 250 GT Lusso,
5373GT, on display in red with a beige interior, reportedly sold new in Germany.
In the restoration shop was a 225 S spider Vignale, 0160ED, that had appeared
in the Cavallino Concours the previous Saturday. The Chief restoration
technician is Al Roberts Jnr, who along with fellow Shelton employee Franco
Genesi, were technicians with Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team in
its heyday. The dealership is justifiably proud of its record at the Ferrari Club of
America National Meets, with an unbroken run of award winning cars over the
years that were either restored or prepared by them.
One final ”note”, the company also has an eight piece employees rock band
called the Sheltones, that play at various concerts and charity functions, all we
can say is ”Rock On”!
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