Carroll Shelby

Carroll Hall Shelby, (born January 11, 1923 in Leesburg, Texas) is an American racing and automotive design legend.

After graduating high school, Shelby enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, serving in World War II as a flight instructor and test pilot.

Carroll Shelby has had an impressive impact on automotive racing and design over the last 50 years. Starting out amateur, he soon became a driver for Cad-Allard, Aston Martin, Maserati teams during the 1950s and 60s. Following his driving career he opened a high performance driving school and the Shelby-American company. In the shop he designed and built the famed "Cobra" cars, which were derived from an AC chassis and used Ford engines. Shelby went on to help design some of the most successful and beautiful cars of the era: the GT40, the Mustang-based Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT500, and of course the 427 Shelby Cobra. Parting with Ford, Shelby moved on to help develop performance cars with divisions of the two other Big 3 American companies, Dodge, and Oldsmobile. The most memorable of these cars was the Dodge Viper.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1992.

In 2003, Ford Motor Co. and Carroll Shelby mended ties again. Carroll Shelby became technical advisor to the Ford GT project. In that same year, he formed Carroll Shelby International Inc. based in Nevada.

Shelby vs Ferrari

In 2004, The BBC commissioned Richard Symons to produce "The Cobra Ferrari Wars", an adaptation of the book of the same name, that tells the story of how from an idea and just one employee (his girlfriend at the time), Shelby's 3-year roller coaster ride sees him go on to make some of the most desirable cars on the planet (the Cobra, Mustang, and GT40), grow to 800 employees across 5 racing teams, and ultimately beat Enzo Ferrari and the European establishment.

External link: The Cobra Ferrari Wars

Shelby Dodges and Dodge Shelbys

Shelby began working with Dodge at the request of Chrysler Corporation chairman, Lee Iacocca, who had previously been responsible for bringing Shelby to the Ford Mustang. After almost a decade of tuning work, Shelby was part of the team responsible for the Dodge Viper.

The following cars were modified by Shelby, and bore his name, but still sold under the Dodge marque:

The following cars used Shelby-modified parts, but were not overseen by Carroll Shelby:

The following cars were modified and sold as Shelbys:

1986 Shelby GLHS (based on the Dodge Omni GLH)
1987 Shelby GLHS (based on the Dodge Charger Shelby)
1987 Shelby Lancer (based on the Dodge Lancer)
1987 Shelby CSX (based on the Dodge Shadow)
1988 Shelby CSX-T (based on the Dodge Shadow)
1989 Shelby Dakota (based on the Dodge Dakota)
1989 Shelby CSX-VNT (based on the Dodge Shadow)

External link: The Shelby Dodge Pages

Series 1

Shelby's Series 1 roadster used Oldsmobile's 4.0 L L47 Aurora V8, but was poorly supported by the ailing GM division.

Ford-Shelby Projects

The new contract between Ford Motor Company and Carroll Shelby signaled hope for Shelby products built under Ford. In 2004, a new Ford Shelby Cobra concept car was shown off in at US car shows. Built with a retro body mimicking the 1960s Cobras mixed with modern touches, it was based on the Ford GT chassis (reworked for front engine/rear wheel drive) powered with a 6.4 L V10 engine that produced 605 hp (451 kW). It received bad press reviews and the idea was scrapped for production.

A production-feasible Shelby product was then introduced, the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept car of 2005. While sporting a completely modern design, it showed a nod to the 1960s Shelby Daytona. The GR-1, like the Cobra, is based on the GT's chassis and was also powered with the same 6.4 L V10 engine, although production versions, if given the green light, could see a 7.0 L V8. Press reviews for the GR-1 have been very positive; it gained cover spots in magazines such as the U.S.' Motor Trend and the UK's Car Magazine. The Ford Shelby GR-1 could possibly be built, taking over the Ford GT's production line after its production comes to an end.

In 2005, the Shelby GT500 was revealed at the New York International Auto Show. Currently as a concept car, it will see production as the next SVT Mustang, as well as being Carroll's own Shelby product. It is powered by a 5.4 L supercharged V8 and is expected to have at least 500 hp. It will have a Tremec T-56 manual transmission, reworked suspension geometry, 18 in wheels, functional aerodynamic body kit, and still retain the solid rear axle. Pricing is expected to fall near $40,000, which would make it more powerful than the base model Corvette for less money.

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Shelby vs Ferrari

Shelby Dodges and Dodge Shelbys

Series 1

Ford-Shelby Projects