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SCOF lost it's favorite son to a heart attack in the hospital just before being released after a long and successful battle against cancer. Bill was a long time charter member of SCOF and was there from the beginning, until his untimely departure. Here Bill & sp156 are enjoying the 2002 Spring Snake Roundup-I In Southeastern Ohio.
Bill Wells was a Ford Marketing Executive from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and owned a Red and White Superformance Mk-III S/C early chassis number 156 built in 1996. Bill bought his Cobra in 2000 from a man named Paul Barnum. Bill was also one of the very first members to join the Superformance Owners Association and SCOF back in 2000, and as a charter member Bill had a huge influence in the direction of the SCOF organization and it's success over the years.
Bill made many friends and loved to make his pilgrimage to the London Cobra Show each and every year, except for the very first one when it was the fling. Even when Bill was sick with Cancer, he made it a point to make the Cobra show last year before ultimately loosing his struggle with life only a few months later. He loved this show, and he loved the people who came. For him it was never about the car, and only about the people. The car just got him there, and in style! SCOF founder, Randy Thomas nicknamed him the "Billdozer" because nothing stopped him from doing the things he loved, with the people he loved doing them with. He loved the name Billdozer (although maybe not at first), and typically signed off as "da Dozer". Sadly, we lost Bill on October 12th of 2011. And while he will never again attend the London Cobra show with his car, he will always be here with us, among his friends. Godspeed Mr. Dozer, we will remember you, always.
Leslie Helwig - of the Bloomfield Township, Michigan reflects on Bill...
Bill was a highly respected citizen of his hometown, Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He was active in two homeowners' associations and followed the local government very closely. He often gave friendly, but persistent "nudges" when something wasn't quite up to his standards, from public meeting agendas being posted a little late where he dogged it till it was done exactly right! More than that, he was a founding member of the Bloomfield Township Classic Car Show committee. The committee was formed to produce a local event to coincide with the famed Woodward Dream Cruise and to raise funds for three nonprofit organizations. Largely because of Bill's efforts, the event has grown from a small car show in one parking lot in 2005 to a large event now covering three commercial properties along Woodward Avenue. It has become a destination for Woodward Dream Cruise enthusiasts who want to see spectacular cars in a family-friendly atmosphere.
This year, Bloomfield Township named the car club portion of the event after Bill - The Bill Wells Car Club Classic - and is introducing a special fundraising "ride-along" the night before the event to kick it off, graciously hosted by the Superformance owners. The car show is expected to sell out and the ride-along will increase the amount of money that can be donated to the three charities. Bill was proud that the Classic Car Show has been successful enough to give more than $40,000 so far to the Bloomfield Township Fire Department Charities, the Police Department Benevolent Fund and the local Optimist Club. and we are proud of Bill. He put into place a great foundation for the event to continue benefiting the community he loved.
Below are the exact words of Bill Wells before his passing, and who better to tell his own story, then our departed friend, Bill himself...
"...I grew up in Detroit during the 1960's car horsepower war days. My father raced Porsche's and was a GM test engineer. There were always new test cars he brought home in our driveway, and he always ensured that they were the high hp variety. At a local hill climb in the 60s, I saw my first Cobra and it was love at first sight. I was no stranger to exotic race cars tagging along with my father to race courses. However, I was not prepared for the first sighting of a Cobra at one of the events nor the roar of its mighty V8 with open exhaust. My fathers Porsche was quiet as a mouse by comparison. Later I learned that the driver of the Cobra that I saw was known as Gentleman Tom Payne, who did very well on the National SCCA road race courses.
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