Dib52
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We lost an American Icon today...
R.I.P Carroll Shelby, you will be missed!
R.I.P Carroll Shelby, you will be missed!
Carroll Shelby
- Thread starter Dib52
- Start date
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sgtowing
Supporting Members
Yes he will. A sad day.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
IAExpy
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Sad to hear it. He made a lasting impact on the automotive industry, no doubt.
Nathanialson 08
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From Justin Hyde in Yahoo autos-not me
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motora...er-master-car-builder-dies-age-200041629.html
Carroll Shelby, an international automotive icon who rose from a bed-ridden childhood in Texas to build one of the most iconic sports cars ever and become a world-champion racer died Thursday at the age of 89 after a lengthy illness. His cars will live forever.
A winner at Le Mans in 1959, a driver in everything from Formula 1 to the Bonneville Salt Flats, Shelby's lasting impact will be the cars he built, namely the Shelby Cobra 427 that beat Ferrari in Europe and his variations of the Ford Mustang that he was involved with from the 1960s through his death.
Throughout his career, Shelby battled and overcame his physical limitations, from racing crashes to a congenital heart defect that required several surgeries and eventually a heart transplant in 1990.
Born Jan. 11, 1923, in Leesburg, Texas, Shelby was the son of a rural mail carrier. After being confined to bed for much of his first several years, his heart grew strong enough for Shelby to take an interest in cars. During World War II, Shelby served as a flying instructor, and wrote letters to his fiancée by putting them in flying boots he'd drop on her farm.
Married with children after the war, Shelby began a racing career that quickly rose to international acclaim. After rushing to the track for his early races wearing the same bib overalls he wore at his chicken farm, the look became his trademark. Sports Illustrated named him driver of the year in 1956, and Shelby won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 -- driving some races with a nitroglycerin tablet under his tongue.
Sidelined from race driving by his health in 1960, Shelby turned to building race cars. His masterpiece came from importing a British roadster, the AC Ace, then replacing its undersized engine with a Ford V-8, eventually winning the international Grand Touring championships in 1965 over arch rival Enzo Ferrari. Shelby would later spend decades unsuccessfully suing builders who copied the body shell and chassis, until a U.S. court found that Shelby did not own a copyright on the design.
Knowing how Shelby could beat Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford II recruited Shelby to lead Ford's efforts to beat Ferrari at LeMans with the GT40, eventually winning the race four years in a row between 1966 and 1969. Ford also asked Shelby to help develop a hot-rod edition of the Ford Mustang in 1965, a deal that soon produced the GT350 and the GT500, cars still battled over by collectors today. After a cutback in performance cars during the early '70s, Shelby had to turn to other businesses, and didn't revive his own operation until a partnership with Dodge in 1982.
Throughout his career, Shelby kept a host of other businesses alive, from deodorants to a chili festival. He also launched the Carroll Shelby Foundation to aid children in need of organ transplants. And even in his later years, after a revival with Ford and his own company, Shelby kept to the same answer when asked what was his favorite car to ever bear his name: "The next one."
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motora...er-master-car-builder-dies-age-200041629.html
Carroll Shelby, an international automotive icon who rose from a bed-ridden childhood in Texas to build one of the most iconic sports cars ever and become a world-champion racer died Thursday at the age of 89 after a lengthy illness. His cars will live forever.
A winner at Le Mans in 1959, a driver in everything from Formula 1 to the Bonneville Salt Flats, Shelby's lasting impact will be the cars he built, namely the Shelby Cobra 427 that beat Ferrari in Europe and his variations of the Ford Mustang that he was involved with from the 1960s through his death.
Throughout his career, Shelby battled and overcame his physical limitations, from racing crashes to a congenital heart defect that required several surgeries and eventually a heart transplant in 1990.
Born Jan. 11, 1923, in Leesburg, Texas, Shelby was the son of a rural mail carrier. After being confined to bed for much of his first several years, his heart grew strong enough for Shelby to take an interest in cars. During World War II, Shelby served as a flying instructor, and wrote letters to his fiancée by putting them in flying boots he'd drop on her farm.
Married with children after the war, Shelby began a racing career that quickly rose to international acclaim. After rushing to the track for his early races wearing the same bib overalls he wore at his chicken farm, the look became his trademark. Sports Illustrated named him driver of the year in 1956, and Shelby won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 -- driving some races with a nitroglycerin tablet under his tongue.
Sidelined from race driving by his health in 1960, Shelby turned to building race cars. His masterpiece came from importing a British roadster, the AC Ace, then replacing its undersized engine with a Ford V-8, eventually winning the international Grand Touring championships in 1965 over arch rival Enzo Ferrari. Shelby would later spend decades unsuccessfully suing builders who copied the body shell and chassis, until a U.S. court found that Shelby did not own a copyright on the design.
Knowing how Shelby could beat Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford II recruited Shelby to lead Ford's efforts to beat Ferrari at LeMans with the GT40, eventually winning the race four years in a row between 1966 and 1969. Ford also asked Shelby to help develop a hot-rod edition of the Ford Mustang in 1965, a deal that soon produced the GT350 and the GT500, cars still battled over by collectors today. After a cutback in performance cars during the early '70s, Shelby had to turn to other businesses, and didn't revive his own operation until a partnership with Dodge in 1982.
Throughout his career, Shelby kept a host of other businesses alive, from deodorants to a chili festival. He also launched the Carroll Shelby Foundation to aid children in need of organ transplants. And even in his later years, after a revival with Ford and his own company, Shelby kept to the same answer when asked what was his favorite car to ever bear his name: "The next one."
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rburch
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R.I.P Carol Shelby!
The automotive industry will never be the same!
The automotive industry will never be the same!
tallsville
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he will be missed. i grew up with stories my dad would tell. My dad was in the so cal racing scene in the 60's. He was working at moon speed equipment when shelby was renting a bay there and putting together the cobra.
panda24619
Full Access Members
he will be missed. but in case some of you guys didnt know. he was an ass. he just put on a show for the cameras and press. but if you were to meet him personally he would just snap. really weird. but still. he will be missed. his legacy will live on.
TexasAngel34
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Very sad... R.I.P
DF5.4
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R.I.P. Carroll Shelby .
