Kirkham Motorsports, a Shelby replica-car manufacturer with facilities in Utah and Poland, has opened its factory doors in Mielec, Poland, to support evacuation efforts for Ukrainian refugees from the Poland/Ukraine border.
On a March 10 Facebook post, David Kirkham, president of Kirkham Motorsports, relayed an email conversation with the manager of Kirkham’s Poland facility about supporting Ukrainian refugees.
“Part – or even all – of Kirkham Motorsports’ building, forklift, and other equipment is available to support the relief materials from the [Mormon] Church and the Jesuit charity in Poland,” Kirkham said in the email exchange to facility manager, Greg Pawlik. “In addition, please prepare our buildings to house refugees, as I fear the time may come sooner rather than later when this is needed.”
Russia started a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, and since the invasion, more than 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine.
Kirkham Motorsports manufactures replica Shelby Cobras, Shelby Daytona coupes and custom builds. The bodies and chassis are hand-built in Kirkham’s Poland facility and shipped to Utah for touchups and assembly as rolling chasses. Kirkham Motorsports, established in 1994, is also a supplier to Shelby American. The Poland facility is a part of a former MiG fighter jet factory and is less than a 100 miles from the Ukrainian border with Russia.
“Our full manufacturing facility is open to help support the evacuation and relief effort, including welding, fabrication, repairs, etc., as travelers always have problems along their way that need attention,” Kirkham stated in the email exchange to Pawlik. “In addition, I have wired [extra funds] to you to buy fuel and whatever other supplies Kirkham Motorsports needs to support the evacuation of the Ukrainian refugees from the Poland/Ukraine border.”
