I had heard through the grape vine that if you had a SVT engine/Cobra you might have a chance to stop by the Romeo MI Engine Plant and get a tour and possibly meet the guys who build your motor. Well low and behold the grape vine was 100% correct this time. After a few and very determined phones calls I ended up talking to a man named Ron who was the Supervisor of the NICHE/SVT engine assembly line. He was a super nice guy to talk with and was really very happy to talk to me. After telling him I had a 99 Cobra he said there were not many guys around from that time frame but Bill S. was sitting here by him, he said Bill built those Cobra Engines. As my jaw hit the floor, I could not beleive one of the two guys who built my engine was right there. Ron said hang on and the next thing I knew I was speaking with the man who built my engine. I explained to Bill the story about hearing that I might could stop by the plant to look around and me the builder and the part about being in MI for my wifes class reunioun. Bill was very happy to talk with me and was very helpful in attemting to set up the chance for me and my wife to stop by the plant. He said he had to talk to management and he would call me back. I was thinking it was a long shot and it would probably be several days before I heard anything back. But wow it was only about 2 hours and my phone was ringing. Bill said it was all set up and they were looking forward to our visit. I can not begin to put into words how excited I was.
The day had arrived and I was parked in front of the Romeo Engine Plant, to me The Mother Land, and I hear a familiar rumble and turn to see Bill driving up in a 1999 Electric Green Cobra Convertible, almost an exact twin to mine except he has a black top and charcoal interior were mine is saddle top & interior. He say follow me and off we go to the SVT area of the plant. Not only do we go to but pull right into the assembly area. So the line stops and we have the group of people who are hand building the current Shelby GT 500 engine walking over to look at these two basiclly twin Cobras. He also handbuilt the motor in his Cobra but he went down to the assembly plant and walk his car through the line. All I can say about that place is WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The SVT/Cobra/Shelby motors are truely hand built!!! They showed us first hand the line and explained the process step by step. Everybody we meet, spoke with and or ran across in the SVT area was incredably nice!!!!! We meet Jeronimo: NICHE Team Leader, Ron: Supervisor, Bill: Engine Builder, Tom ( I believe is the correct name ) from the Graphics Department, and a bunch of the other Engine Builders ( sorry I can not remember all the names) all of which at different times said they loved to have people come back in with SVT's.They said it is not very often that a car comes back and they love to see them! I even got some really cool gifts from them. Since Bill has a Green Mustang I told him about Green Mustang Registry and am forwarding the link to him. The time at Romeo was incredible and will never be forgotten! A HUGE THANKS goes out to all the people there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From me and my wife.
A side note the second builder of my engine is Doug Campbell who retired a couple of years ago. Just wanted to give full credit to the team!