Crystal Charity Ball Husbands Party vet Chuck Thoele declared for all to hear, “This is the best Husbands Party ever!”
There was good reason for Chuck’s claim. The Crystal Charity Ball event for the husbands of its members on Thursday, October 5, attracted an enthusiastic throng to the Shelby Family Collection in Dallas.
The enclosed private museum is a showroom for the classic and dynamic vehicles of the late Carroll Shelby, the famous, East Texas-born racing legend and car designer.
While there had been last-minute concerns for the gathering after a hoax email threat at nearby Bush Center closed the surrounding streets, the situation resolved itself just as the party kicked off at 6 p.m.
On this night about a dozen of Carroll’s parked cars encircled eight tables, where the casually clad CCB husbands and their better halves would enjoy a buffet repast. Each of the eight was covered with a black tablecloth, white napkins, and a centerpiece display of red, white and yellow balloons plus checkered “racing” flags.
While CCB member Brooke Shelby‘s husband Aaron Shelby—he’s Carroll’s grandson—stood by with tidbits of insider information, fascinated guests threaded their way among the cars, oohing-and-aahing.
Aaron was pleased to hear that Libby Allred had said she was grateful to see such a collection was in the hands of people who truly appreciate and honor Carroll’s legacy.
Brooke’s favorite car, it turned out, was the sterling green 2020 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. She encouraged everyone to lean in and check out the car’s roof.
On the other hand, Billy Esping said the vintage convertibles were more to his liking.
A red 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 and a grey 2006 Ford GT had their fans, as well.
Each of the cars had its own Shelby story, like the 1966 427 CSX3242 that had been stolen at gunpoint and eventually became the dream machine for video gamers.
Meantime, a big-screen TV showed scenes from the 2019 film “Ford v Ferrari,” starring Matt Damon as Carroll.
The movie follows Carroll’s effort to design a Ford race car that can whip longtime champ Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans Grand Prix.
Sunie Solomon said she’d seen the “Ford v Ferrari” flick, and thought it was really good.
The car that Damon drove in the movie — a guardsman-blue 1962 ShelbyCobra CSX8100 — was on display not far away.
Soon enough, 2023 CCB Chair Angie Kadesky welcomed everyone to the party “celebrating the husbands,” and called the Shelby Family Collection “the perfect setting for car lovers.”
One special person in the the crowd of CCB couples was Clements and Church‘s Anna Moore. What was the tie-in between the Shelby cars and the British custom tailor? It was revealed that Clements and Church was also providing a “Couples Custom Wardrobe and British Motoring Experience” valued at $10,000 for the 2023 CCB raffle. Included in the package was a custom-made wardrobe for a couple “to wear during a trip to the Cotswolds, England with a private view of an exclusive collection of modern and heritage cards and VIP tickets to Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace.”
BTW, it was learned that from Tuesday, November 7, to Tuesday, November 14, Clements and Church would be holding an appointment-only trunk show.
In keeping with the evening’s automotive theme, guests discovered gift cards for a visit to Forest Car Wash and Detail in their vehicles at the end of the night.
For more looks of the collection of cars and people, check out MySweetCharity Photo Gallery.