Jerry Titus car(s) unearthed
Whatever production number it finally will get, after the SAAC has finetuned its records, it is the car that Titus drove at Green Valley and that ended up with the chiselled out air inlet and we found traces and a subsequent line of custody of the second missing Titus car through the research of Jim Lange, where Ponysite.de could be a part of! 
Remember you read it here first - already in exerts in the past year, but by now we come out with a first interview with the buyer of both cars back then in late 1968 or 1969 - Richard Dick Guider.

Follow the interview. It may be still modified slightly in some passages, as we have to do a 4th and 5th phone call to eliminate a few misunderstandings maybe, but we do so with the intended appropriate accuracy. Anyway we aren't better than other historian, so allow us a glitch here and there due to language barriers or misunderstood sequences of events. We take the right to correct it upon better understanding of the historic facts. Actually this seems to be the way of recording facts not only at ponysite.de:).

Richard „Dick“ Guider seems to have been a rather overlooked racer in the Mustang world of today, but he was a well-known name back then.
Many may remember his name through his Can-Am success, but in fact he is a very important factor in or after the Shelby Racing history …having bought actually 2 of the 25/26 only Shelby built 1967 notchback race cars. As of current knowledge we have to pin those cars as the production number #3 and #5. The number designation can be only solved by the SAAC finally, since in their records they have been changed even in the past registries more than once. Our own research with related insider sources tells us that this survivor is definitely one of 25 almost identical cars with 10 having different equipment plus one may have a special history by itself. Since original factory paperwork appeared through research by the SAAC the sequence got more clear, although obviously there are still some points for discussions between the registry and the related owners or former employees at S.A.

Whatever the final number assignment will be, the sale of 2 T/A notchbacks to Dick Guider will be confirmed soon this summer in the public domains.
Ponysite.de is proud to have been supportive in this ultrarare Find of the Year together with Jim Lange, who spent a number of years in the research of certain race Mustangs. We talked to Richard Guider three times recently on the phone. Here is the result of those Interviews. We are just researching the race appearances and subsequently will fill the story with more picture proof.

Interviews: Mid May, June 6th and 18th, 2011, to be continued .

Interviewer: Wolfgang Kohrn

Richard Guider turned his interest to Riva boats later and teamed up with speedboat racer Fabio Pucci in Italy. This is a picture from the Geneva Classics 2006, which I took back then. It might be one of Richards boats. 

Please note: Pictures sourced through Ford Media, Dave Friedmanns Pony Car Wars, used for identification purposes only here. Removal upon request.

One of the Titus cars at Green Valley 1967 during practice - Ford Media picture

The accident in practice, that caused the reported night action and a visit at a nearby Ford dealer with subsequent exchange of many a body part. Many a spectator assumed a new car had been flown in by the next day, but reports of  interviews with the related people such as Bernie Kretschmar (SAAC-magazine) showed, a Mustang was pulled from a dealers spot and body panels of that new car being transferred to the Titus car. 
That is the story that is supported by the fact that obviously no vent window could be installed in time. If true or not, time will tell.

The Titus car at the end of the Green Valley race during a stop. Shelby mechanic Lance Smith (or Ron Sampson acc. to another team eye witness) chiselled the air inlet into the roof top to ease Jerrys life according to Dick Guiders discussion with Lance in 1970. Typically the vent window was wired wide open to get fresh air in. This missing air supply caused Jerry a lot of trouble. He passed out finally despite that quick modification and Ron Dykes overtook the steering wheel in the final rounds. (Dave Friedmann photo/Pony Car Wars)
According to Richard Guider this is the car he has today still in his ownership.

Dick, thank you very much for the opportunity for this interview. 
Of course we are mostly interested in the actual buying of the 2 1967 T/A notchbacks. Where and when did you find them?

Well, I was an active racer in that period and was in the parts business already. It was a smaller parts shop, which has become today Valley Motors and I still run that business, although I have given up my active role in that to have more time for my passion now.
O.k. lets look back: I remember that - after seeing an ad in Autoweek probably - that I walked 1969 into a well-known Muffler shop in Torrance/CA or in its neighbourhood in Inglewood - yes rather there in Inglewood on Sepulveda Blvd, I think. I talked to the shop owner and was interested. 
The car was converted into a 68 version already with big flares and widened fenders. I don’t know the exact connection to Shelby American, but according to my knowledge they were working often for S.A.. I don’t remember the name of the owner unfortunately, the Mustang was painted orange or redish already, not sure who painted it and what its history was. The seller however mentioned already the Titus history. I did not pay much attention to that back then. I bought it for about 4500 dollar, as far as my ex-mechanic Ray Ross remembers. 

Right next to our parts shop and racing garage was a Dyno shop run by Lance and Larry Smith, a mechanic that worked for Shelby American back then and he later also worked for the Penske team on Camaros and later for Garvin Brown as a crew chief for CanAm. We worked sometimes together and we had some of our cars there for testing.

What about the second car, you bought?
My first thought was, it was a pale yellow, but my former mechanic Ray Ross put me straight these recent days, it was blue, when we bought it in Culver City/Venice. We had it soon painted orange at Earl Scheibs to match the other one.

How do you know those were the Shelby American backed up notchbacks?

On my car, which I still have stored away, ex Shelby American mechanic Lance Smith later pointed out in 1970 to me that this was one of the Titus car. He said something like ”See that modification on the roof, the rectangular cut-out crimped like a scoop - on the drivers side, that’s what I* made on his car to get cold air in. It was done at Green Valley 1967, as it was that hot and Titus wanted more air in the car. I made that modification myself, so I know this is one of the Titus car” he said. 
He also told me they did it again at Mid-Ohio from memory ...and the other car I bought may have had it as well. (not sure about this response or my misunderstanding yet, might be corrected- Editors note - in fact Ron Sampson did the cut-out according to eye-witnesses on site (name withheld at this moment, as the story is counterchecked))

Was any of both cars faster, when you raced them?
No, I think not, I raced the car I still have mostly in Riverside, Willow Springs, etc. and the second one in Phoenix, Denver and Salt Lake City, but both seemed to be same, of course the race tracks are different, so it is not easy to say.

Which door numbers did you race?
That is a difficult question to remember, but my favourite number was 68, also in CanAm, because you could easily change the numbers, if another car already had that number...just change it to 98, 66, 69, 93, 39 and so on. Those numbers might appear in pictures, but of course also others. 

You still have one of the cars?  
Yes, I kept it stored in a container with my Can-Am car. I have rechecked the VIN and …trusting you now …it is 7R01K1XXXXX  (number withheld by editor).

 Wow, that’s a real big surprise. The number is indeed one of the 25 or 26 cars, of which we have a few VINs on file. We verified it through our network and resource connections. The DSO confirms it as well clearly.

What else do you have as paperwork to prove it is the real deal? Do you have a logbook?
There were no race logbook, but it was ruled in the early 70ies that offroad cars should be registered, so I have a March 24th, 1971 California registering paper plus several through the years, the last one from August, 16th 2004, when my daughter had it registered again. I might have more, but need to dig through my old paperwork again. My daughter went through the stuff we have and came up with a number of things. For the registering you needed to have a Certificate of origin and that said "Shelby American". 
(Editors note: The mentioned papers have been sent to the SAAC registrar for proof already in May 2011, yet they are probably waiting for the car to be presented.)

What did you do with your car after having bought it?

I bought the two cars for racing in the following season and I raced them mainly in that 1970* season at Willow Springs (March 15th), May 29th-31st at Riverside, June in Portland/Oregon, again at Riverside July 4th and October. In August in Denver with the second car, in September in Orange County and the other one again in Phoenix/AZ, where I finished second. At the Continental Devide Raceway and Salt Lake Race I was also one of the first 3 with the two cars. Actually I think I never was less than first to third, when I got into the race. Mostly SCCA races, no national ones.
(*Details of individual races later, when we sorted them out with the dash plaques, which Richard Guider still has, we found race entries mainly in 1969 and 1970 so far - Editors note)
However at Orange Country I crashed one of the cars slightly, but we just had to bend the fender back. I think that was a DNF however then.
After racing them…the cars sat around until about 1974. I kept one and put it into storage some time. Still have it.  

Update: Races confirmed meanwhile through research:
A) Sept. 14th, 1969 - Orange County A Sedan (Post Grid Cal. Sportscar Sept 69/Page 5)
B) Oct. 25/26 - Times Grand Prix Riverside 1969, Race 6, car #39
C) March 15th - Willow Springs 1970 (Post Grid Cal. Sportscar May 1970))

What about the second car?
I sold it to Ron Burns in 73 or 74, who raced it in the season as well. I don't remember what happened to it. According to Jim Langes research he may have crashed it, but I have no idea what he did with the car then. I sold it for 1500 Dollar to Ron in Phoenix/Arizona and got a burglar system on top for my home.  
Editors note: As for the traces of the second Shelby Notchback car after Richard Guiders ownership, please read again about Jim Langes research of his car here at  www.ponysite.de.

Do you remember any unitbody damages due to Titus rolling?
Well, the car looked straight when I bought them. Those were race cars, so fur sure they got fixed up more than once. There must be welds, but I need to have another look at my car, when I get it out. On Formula 1 racecars every bit is exchanged more than once and that certainly applies to some racecars that were used in the last decades. For sure a 60ies/70ies Trans Am car may have more original parts from the unitbody, but of course many drivetrain components and other pieces maybe exchanged or new. I know that – since Titus crashed his car often, body parts were mostly exchanged. I haven’t done a thorough check yet, since the car is in storage since 1974 as I said. It will be a part of investigation we have to do still, that is why I will show it around with only minor fixes to get it running again.

I know for sure that we changed the carb set-up due to the rules. May other things were touched – race cars were subject to constant improving.
It maybe that my car was sold privately because it was acid dipped. I am not sure however, but I heard such kind of guessing back then. We will see soon.

Anything else about Lance Smith?
Yes, as I said, he ran a Dyno Shop with his brother. I remember he also worked some time for the Penske team after Shelby and I met him again as a crew chief of Garvin Brown later in CanAm. Would like to get in touch with him again and let him check the car again. I think he is still around, as far as I know.  
Update: Jim Lange found Lance Smith meanwhile. Interview coming soon.

Back to your car. You said it is in a container now.

Yes, it is pretty much in the same condition, as I stored it, have not seen it for a while, but it should be o.k.. 
I have raced later boats more often in  the neighbourhood of my second home in Italy.

Are you planning to restore your car?
Hmm, I will first get it just going and show around. Those cars should not be restored, I prefer the traces of history and I want to ride it now that I still can. The effort to have it running might be a bit more, we’ll see…and I am very busy this year…so it may take some more time until next season, but I am now really keen on getting it out again.

What were your other adventures back then and today?
I raced at the Springbok series in South Africa and it was a lot of fun, I used to run a Chevron B23 there.

In Italy I was also since quite a while into boats with Fabio Puzzi, who is an active speed boat racer. Together we also restore currently three Riva boats and constantly hunt rarities amongst them. I have been to the Geneva Classics once to display a Riva boat. Maybe you’ve seen it?  
With my partners we raced boats near Venice. Mr. Pucci is a close friend. However they don’t allow me anymore in the boat racing these days. It is an “age” thing in Italy. Elder drivers over 60 are no more allowed in boats. That is why I turn my interest now more again to the US tracks and cars again and thought about getting my old cars out again to show them around and possibly race them again.
BTW I only raced an Audi once in 2002 in Italy.

Yes, I saw the Riva boat while I was at the Geneva Classics in 2006…will check my files and come back to you and continue the interview soon...so we did and corrections were made to the above text accordingly..  

We are looking for more pictures of cars with a door number 68 or derivated numbers like 88, 69, 39 or similar at any SCCA local races up west and Phoenix in 1970. 68 was Richard Guiders preference.

Editors note: The Green Valley used Titus car is currently listed as production car #4, but we are pretty sure the first 5 numbers might be corrected for the next SAAC registry or put in another context of sequence. Richard Guider is of opinion from his memory of the 67/68 season that the change of car 2 to Bucknum and history of car 4 may need corrections. It does not say anything about the correctness of car #4, it may just get another number or race record.

Read again our intro of the 67/68 section. The reason why we were confused by the official production number sequence was indeed that they have to be updated upon these rare finds.

Please note: Pictures of the actual car as of today will follow, as soon as Richard Guider can access it and start work, which is rather likely to happen not before early 2012. He promised us also to browse his archive for more pictures from its racing at the SCCA events.