History
Before there was the car, there was the man. His name is the
stuff of legend. His accomplishments, the envy of every kid
who fell in love with cars and driving and courage and performance.
As a 37 year old race car driver burdened by heart disease,
he would defy death by downing nitroglycerine pills at high
speed. Not just to stay in the race, but to stay alive. Shelby’s
vision of what an American sports car could be has shaped an
entire generation of high- performance automobiles. To this
day, his legacy continues. On a fast track, of course.
Carroll Hall Shelby was born in Leesburg, Texas. Living life
in high gear, he would become a flight instructor during World
War II. He would drive his first race behind the wheel of a
hot rod fitted with a flathead Ford V8. Would break land speed
records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1954. Would finish a
respectable second place driving an Aston-Martin DBR3 against
C-type Jags at Aintree. Would ride with the Aston-Martin team
at LeMans in 1954. Would win at Torrey Pines with a 4.1 liter
Mexico Ferrari. Would become Sports Illustrated’s 1956 ‘Sports
Car Driver of the Year”. And the magazine’s “Driver of the Year”
In 1957. Would win a 100 mile race at Riverside in a V8 Maseratti,
Would co-drive an Aston-Martin DBR 1/300 and win the coveted
24 hours of LeMans. Would drive a Scarab to first place at Continental
Divide Raceways in 1960. And in his last year of racing, would
win the USAC Driving Championship for 1960. Unable to compete
with a deteriorating heart condition, his final lap in racing
was now history. Fortunately for car lovers, a new path was
about to begin.
His racing career now over, Shelby set his sites
on automotive design. On creating cars that would be faster,
lighter, more nimble, and able to win against the world’s best..
The result of this quest: The Shelby Cobra. In 1965, the Shelby-American
Team, racing Cobra’s at the 12 Hours De Reims In France, scored
enough points to win the prestigious FIA World Championship
of GT cars. Taking the title virtually owned by Ferrari for
a decade. Building on their success, the Shelby-American Team
began racing Ford GT4O’s in international competition. The result?
A win at the LeMans 24 hour race In 1966. And another in 1967.
At the request of Ford, Shelby began developing a high-performance
Mustang for the street and track. The popular success of the
Shelby Mustangs of 1965-1970 were, in large part, the result
of Shelby’s racing and design skills. But Shelby’s vision of
building another high-performance car would continue. Serving
as the guiding inspiration, in the 90’s, Shelby American developed
the awesome Shelby Series 1, the fastest car ever tested in
the standing measured.
