Anyone who is a devout follower of these pages knows the Ford Motor Company was kind enough to loan the Law Center a 2012 Shelby GT 500 mustang for the month. Of course we had insurance on it through my long time school chum and friend C. Batsell Bateman, III. I believe, and this pains me greatly, the Shelby Cobra sunk its deadly venom into a hound that ran into its path last evening!
I was on highway 22 traveling east at night in the Township of McKenzie, a delightful hamlet of well off Tenneseans who live between Atwood and Paris, Tennessee on highway 79 and the rail line which used to be the GM and O, and the L and N, now taken over by CSX, when up ahead and to my right I spy a couple of reflections from pairs of eyes in the swell off the side of the road.
Animals running along the side of the road towards traffic for sure. I took note and estimated at my current speed, 45 mph, and the distance they were in front of me, about 50 yards, that I would be out of danger in about 3 seconds.
I made no adjustment in my speed and was in the left hand lane of my side of a four lane highway, which I felt gave me plenty of space between myself and the animals which I recognized as hounds as the gap narrowed to about 20 yards. Still no alarm the dogs are running along the side of the road in the swell.
As sudden as one might expect the rush of the shock of a road side bomb, one the the hounds, turned at 90 degrees and was in full gallop in a race to cross in front of the Shelby. I slammed the oversized Brembo brakes, disc all around, and the Shelby Cobra crouched its nose low in preparation for the strike!
I had enough time to study the doomed animal which was knee high, long haired, thick, not a coyote, and made a most pleasant thump then the front bumper struck that 57 pound hound from Hell squarely on its left side. The hounds head struck first as it was sent spinning clockwise at about 15 rpms off and into the medium on my left.
My airbags did not deploy. My lights did not go out, though I am fairly certain the lights on the hound from Hell are much dimmer after the strike and perhaps even extinguished. I never saw the dog again. I did not stop and had not the heart to look at the front of the Shelby Mustang until I got home and there it was.
The lower grill was broken out and about 50 percent is completely missing. The lower air dam and the bumper are intact and unblemished. I will be replacing a grill for under $200 I hope and I will be whole again.
How do I feel about driving my blemished car? It is sort of like dating a super model with one of her central incisors missing. There is still a lot to admire even with that blemish.
Performance update: I was going 50mph and placed it in 3rd gear noting the rpms were at 3000, with a 6,250 redline I punched it and at 75mph when the supercharger fully kicked in, the rear end got loose and tried to pass on my right. The roads were dry. Be careful when you drive one of these. Apparently dogs will risk life and limb to get a closer look at this beauty.
Jackson Delano Maybolt, President, Urban Poverty Law Center
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