The Life of Carroll Shelby

If you are even remotely interested in classic cars, then you are familiar with the name Carroll Shelby. Anyone that has ever been involved in racing or who has owned a Mustang knows the name Carroll Hall Shelby. He has been involved in and spearheaded the design and implementation of revolutionary changes in the automotive industry. His influence has touched road racing, oval racing, and production cars. As a world-class driver and team manager, Shelby has left his mark in the sport.

Shelby was born in Leesburg, Texas on January 11, 1923. The Shelby family moved to Dallas when Carroll was seven. He served in the Army Air Corps after high school. During WWII, he was a test pilot and a flight instructor.

After leaving the military, Shelby tried his luck as a chicken farmer, an oilfield worker, and a dump truck entrepreneur. When all of the chickens died, Shelby turned to racing to make a living.

Initially, racing was just a hobby for Shelby. However, after winning 4 races in borrowed racecars, he caught the attention of Aston Martin’s team manager, John Wyer. In 1958, Shelby won the Le Mans 24 hour for Aston Martin, sharing the ride with Roy Salvadori.

After the record-breaking victory, Shelby was sidelined from racing for health reasons. Instead of leaving the sport, Shelby turned to designing and building racecars. Shelby developed one of the fastest and most famous sports cars ever built: the Shelby Cobra. He designed an aluminum body 289 and a 427 Cobra. The Shelby Mustangs that he built for Ford in the mid 1960s brought him global recognition in the automotive industry.

The Cobra Daytona Coupes that his “Shelby American” team built went on to win the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship. Shelby stunned the world when his Ford GT 40 beat Ferrari at Lemans. The team won back to back wins in the classic race in 1966 and 1967.

In 1967, Shelby introduced his original Texas Chili and kicked off the product by starting the World Chili Cook-off. He developed and manufactured the first aluminum motorcycle wheel. In the Central African Republic, he started a safari expedition business.

In the early 1980s, Lee Iacocca hired Carol Shelby to design a group of high-performance cars for Chrysler Dodge. Iacocca was a long time fan and an admirer of Shelby’s work at Ford in the 1960s. Together they launched the work on a concept car that evolved into the Dodge Viper.

By 1990, Shelby headed back to his racing roots and developed a low-cost, entry level Can-Am Spec Racer. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and other sanctioning bodies recognized the benefit of the class and established a standalone division for Shelby’s spec car.

On top of his contributions to the automotive world, Shelby has taken time out to head up several charitable foundations. Despite undergoing major surgery having a heart transplant, Shelby continued to be very active in auto racing and the community. After surviving his own transplant, Shelby launched the Shelby Children’s Foundation in 1991. The foundation raises money to fund heart transplants for children around the globe. To raise money for the foundation, Shelby himself participates in golf tournaments and charitable autograph sessions.

In 1991, Shelby had the honor of starting the 1991 Indy 500 race as the driver of the official pace car, a Dodge Viper.

In 1996, he was inducted into the Mustang Club of America Hall of Fame.

Outside of the racing arena, Shelby is now involved in several engineering projects. He is participating on the team developing the OX2 engine. Working in conjunction with the engineering team at Advance Engine Technologies, their efforts are focused on reducing or eliminating the world’s dependency on fossil fuels.

Carroll Hall Shelby has truly impacted the world in a positive way. When you think about the Mustang, you can’t help but remember Carroll Shelby and the Shelby Mustang.