SP Rides: Happy is the man who drives a King of the Road
BY JERRETTE KAMAKA
OWNER: Happy Barcelona
YEAR: 2008
MAKE: Ford
MODEL: Shelby Cobra GT500KR (King of the Road)
ENGINE: 5.4L SC 4V V8, blower, cold air intake, Pro-Cal Performance Calibration, performance mufflers w/ chrome plated tips, unique H-pipe exhaust system, Shelby GT500KR engine fluid caps, engine compartment plate
DRIVETRAIN: 6 – Speed manual transmission, racing front brake duct cooling kit, Brembo front brakes 14” vented disc & calipers, ABS/Traction control, 3.73:1 limited slip rear axle,
SUSPENSION: SVT tuned suspension, revised front & rear springs, performance tuned front struts, performance tuned rear shocks, stuffer front & rear sway bars, strut tower brace
WHEELS: 18” Forged aluminum Shelby GT500KR wheels, 18” Goodyear performance tires, front P255/45ZR18 Goodyear track/street, rear P285/40/ZR18 Goodyear track/street
ELECTRONICS: Remote keyless entry, DVD based navigation system
INTERIOR: Short throw shifter, shifter ball, aluminum dash plaque, Carroll Shelby signature headrests, custom Shelby floor mat badges, sport bucket seats, light-toned cluster gauges, A/C, 2nd generation dual airbags, side-mounted airbags driver & passenger, rear window defroster, ambient lighting
STEREO: Shaker 500 audio system AM/FM 6-CD in-dash changer & MP3
EXTERIOR: Silver clearcoat metallic, SHELBY hood & trunk letter kit, Shelby GT500KR carbon fiber components, hood w/ functional intakes & extractors, front aerodynamic splitter, mirror skullcaps, satin chrome-finished hood pins, Shelby GT500KR fender & grille emblems, Shelby racing stripe kit, fog lamps, HID headlamps, GT500 trim package
After serving in the Army, Happy Barcelona returned home in the late ’70s hoping to purchase the car of his dreams — a 1968 Shelby Cobra GT500 KR. But all he could afford was a used 1969 Mustang coupe, which he wound up buying for $2,500.
“(At the time) I was driving a Volkswagen Beetle, because it took me back to the time I was stationed in Germany,” recalled Barcelona. “So, I traded that in to pick up the Mustang. One day while driving in Waipahu, I was playing with the radio and then I looked up. The car in front of me came to a complete stop and, BOOM!”
The impact rolled the front end under while the hood kinked upward and shattered the front windshield. The totaled Mustang couldn’t have come up at a worst time for Barcelona, who would soon be married, starting a family and beginning his job at Pearl Harbor shipyard.
“I’ve had car fever before I got married, but I couldn’t see myself spending money on my hobby while I had a family to support,” said Barcelona. “But I knew one day when the time was right, I’d get me (another) Mustang.”
Barcelona kept tabs on the Mustang, and in 2004, Ford released news that the following year’s model would be a throwback of the first generation body style. But even though the likelihood of Barcelona buying a fifth-generation pony looked pretty positive, a series of unfortunate news made buying a new ride the last thing on his mind.
“My son, Air Force Staff Sgt. Kalae H. Barcelona, was in a car accident while stationed in Arizona and passed away. That was in January,” explained Barcelona. “Then in April, my wife Diana passed, and in November my dad John passed away too.
“Yeah, it was a rough year.”
Eventually, Barcelona got back into the car scene after visiting his daughter Anrael in Arizona, where he purchased an ’06 Mustang and shipped it back home. Two years later, he upgraded to an ’08 Shelby GT500, but word at the local dealership was that it would be getting a pair of KRs. Naturally, Barcelona took an immediate interest in that bit of news.
“We are the only dealership in Hawaii that received two King of the Roads,” said Joe Mangupa, assistant manager at Cutter Ford Aiea. “Happy came down to see the KR, and within a few minutes I knew that he was the right person for that car. We completed the paper work, and he took delivery of the very first KR to be sold in Hawaii.”
That night while a 2008 Shelby Cobra GT500 KR 40th Anniversary Limited Edition sat in Barcelona’s garage, all he could do was stare in amazement at his newest ride and smile. After years of blood, sweat and tears, he now owned the latest car of his dreams. And that made Barcelona one happy man.
