The Racing Years

Carroll Hall Shelby was born in Texas, a part of the country known for a fiercely independent, yet forthright individualism. His interest in fast cars

started at an early age, and stayed with him through various means of earning a living.  Ultimately, this fascination with speed and autos took over.  He started his automotive career in 1952 racing sports cars in Texas and by 1954 he was driving professionally for private owners and internationally as a team driver.  He won three national sports car championships, including a record 19 consecutive victories and numerous wins in Europe.  Shelby was twice named Sports Car Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated and once by the New York Times.  The pinnacle of his driving career came in 1959 when he won the 24 hours of LeMans race with co-driver Roy Salvadori, for Aston Martin Limited.
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The Dream Began

Shelby's dream was to build his own sports car.  When not racing, much of his time was spent visiting  various sports car manufacturers, keenly observing their operations and their management.  Forced to retire from driving in 1961 due to a heart condition, Shelby established a Goodyear racing tire distributorship.  He also opened the Shelby School of High Performance Driving at Riverside Raceway, hiring Pete Brock to manage the school.
   

Always in touch with the world of high performance cars and racing, Shelby frequently dined with magazine editors.  One such lunch conversation revealed that A.C. Cars, Ltd. Of England was about to lose its source of engines from the Bristol Engine Company.  Even with its overweight, underpowered engine, the A.C. Bristol was a strong, competitive car in SCCA/E Production competition.  It was a good companion for an American V8 engine.  The gestation period for Shelby's dreams and ideas was due to end.

The Ford Involvement

Carroll Shelby began his involvement with Ford when he talked the company into supplying the then new, lightweight V8 engine.  He obtained two 221 cubic-inch displacement engines for initial development work.  The three-inch tube frame chassis was strong enough and the engine bay large enough for the eight-cylinder engine, but the engine mounts and wheel spindles required substantial strengthening to handle the power and the torque.  The firsts car shown to the automotive press in 1962 revealed an experimental 260cid engine.  Initial production began with the 260, but was soon changed to the 289cid powerplant.  Envisioned in a dream, and born from the combination of circumstance and determination, the Cobra would become a legend.
    

Shelby surrounded himself with some of the best talent available on the West Coast.  Perhaps one of the most capable employees was Pete Brock.  Brock was involved with design and development of cars such as the Daytona Coupe, and with advertising and logos.  Lew Spencer managed business details, with some time included in the driver's seat.
    

Shelby realized that his success depended upon offering a streetworthy car to the performance enthusiast, since a much smaller number of owners would be interested in racing.  The Cobra was built to race, and Shelby took it racing with a vengeance.  The Cobra strategy against the competition resulted in winning the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) in 1963 and 1964, and the SCCA/A Production title in 1964 and 1965.
   

Raising his expectation, Shelby prepared an assault on Ferarri's stranglehold on worldwide Grant Touring competition, and in 1964 he nearly succeeded.  In 1965, Shelby won the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile World Manufacturer's Championship with the Cobra coupe, beating the renowned Ferarri in its own backyard.

In four short years, Carroll Shelby created a sports car, took it racing, and consistently beat the best in worldwide competition.
    

While Shelby was achieving success with the Cobra, the Ford GT was going through its birthing pangs.  In 1964 the GT showed great promise.  However, it never stayed together long enough to finish a race.  Ford turned the racing program over to Carroll Shelby.  The following year he took the GT40 to  Daytona for its first win, quickly followed by a second place finish at Sebring.  In 1966 the GT40 was so successful it was propelled into the winners circle circle in race after race.  The GT40 convincingly won the 24 Hours of LeMans race under the Ford banner in 1966 and 1967, and under John Wyer's Gulf team colors in 1968 and 1969.
 

With the introduction of its new Mustang in mid-1964, Ford wanted to make an impression in racing competition.  The company turned to Shelby for assistance.  The result was the 1965 Shelby GT350. . . . 1965 also introduced the 427 Cobra, which replaced the 289 Cobra.  .  . .
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The Dream a Reality
Carroll Shelby created a heritage of performance, endurance, and popularity that is unmatched.  There is an intangible mystique that accompanies these cars wherever they are.  The racing heritage established their performance pedigree, the styling innovations expanded through the industry, and the snake oil charm anointed it all.  That special charm was the Shelby touch.

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Carroll Shelby Today [1992]
Carroll Shelby remains active as an automobile designer, performance consultant, and heart care advocate.  In the early 1980s, Lee Iacocca requested Shelby's assistance as a performance consultant in the designing of several sports car lines.  Shelby aided in the creation of a "modern day Cobra," the Dodge Viper. . . . Keeping with his active lifestyle, Shelby went on to build the Shelby CAN/AM, a race car to be included in his concept that all racing vehicles should be required to be physically identical so that skill instead of wealth can be tested.
  

Entertaining the Indianapolis 500 crowds, he drove the 1987 Chrysler LeBaron and, with his health improved by a 1990 heart transplant, the 1991 Dodge Viper pace cars.
   

Shelby's [next] undertaking was to finish his line of Cobra 427SC's, a design which ceased production before the initial run of 100 cars was made. . . . Profits [from many of his projects] will go towards Shelby's transplant fund for children.  He is even trying to convince Cobra replication builders to donate a portion of their funds to the same charity, in hopes that others will be able to enjoy life to its full potential as he has.
(by the late Steve Yates, 1992)
    

Update- 2002
And the beat goes on, both in Carroll Shelby's transplanted heart (and kidney) and in his automotive activities.  Currently  Mr. Shelby is producing the Series 1, Component Cobras (both 427 and 289FIA cars), and the Completion Cobras, aluminum bodies on original chassis with serial numbers granted in 1965.   And he's working on producing more of the prized Daytona Coupes.  And . . . for the man who never stops dreaming, who knows what's next