[69bossnine]

Just because Shelby is providing permission/license to Ford to use the GT350 and GT500 names, does not necessarily mean that Ford is "paying" for the privilege on an every-occurrence basis, or any substantial amount.

Given the fact that SAI pretty much benefits heartily from their relationship with Ford, I would surmise or assume that Ford understands the intangible value of their relationship, and feels no need to pay fees on top of the value that they're already heaping towards SAI in the form of insider exchange of information, products, engineering and co-branding.

In other words, I don't think the use or proliferation of SAI trademarks on Ford-produced products adds a single red cent to the cost we pay on the window sticker. It's a symbiotic relationship, seems to me. Prior to Ford resurrecting the Shelby GT500 for 2007, SAI was operating at a far smaller scale with a pile of financial-stress from what I remember.

 

[69bossnine]

Everything I saw about Shelby... he was an absolute businessman, so I'm sure there was some form of compensation.
When he died, I wondered if the use of the Shelby name would stop and I vaguely remember hearing/reading somewhere that the right to use the name was in perpetuity.

I dunno about that... Shelby took SAI to the brink of bankruptcy during the Series 1 debacle (there actually was a bankruptcy of Venture Holdings who owned 75% of SAI).. And SAI was barely limping along when Ford dropped-in and said "would you like to help consult on this new Ford GT we're working on?". At that time, I was hearing stories of Cobra replicas sitting un-finished at SAI, because component suppliers had shut them off pending payment of past-due bills.

Ford truly tossed him a life preserver right around the time he needed one, and he was not negotiating from any position of leverage. Had he been greedy or cranky or difficult about it, we'd all be driving "BOSS" Mustangs, this website would be called "BOSSXXX.com", and Ford would've given Shel' the same treatment they gave that fellow who wanted to be paid royalties for the use of the GT40 nameplate.

I'll tell you one thing that I know about FoMoCo after years of observation. They are, let's say, "frugal"... LOL... They don't come off a nickel that they don't have to.