Carroll Shelby probably needs no introduction. The American-born racing driver and constructor was responsible for such incredible projects as the AC Cobra, the Mustang GT350, the Ford GT40, and the Shelby Series 1. But who was he and how did he become a prominent figure in American automotive manufacturing?

He was born in Leesburg, Texas, in 1923. Carrol was interested in cars as a child, and he and his father attended car and motorcycle races from a young age. During World War II, he served as a flight instructor in the U.S. Army, for which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. After the war, he began raising chickens, and although he did not achieve much success in this field, he says that if he got into it at that time, he would never return to his primary passion, the world of car racing.

Carroll loved speed and was enthusiastic about winning, and thanks to this, he achieved significant success on the racetracks even as a rookie. He began his career in 1952 and in his first year he won 4 races in various races. 2 years later he was given a seat by the Aston Martin team manager, thanks to which he was able to finish 3nd in Sebring, Florida, driving a DBR2. This success also secured his place in the Le Mans team. In 1959, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with his co-driver in an Aston Martin DBR1/300, but heart problems forced him to stop racing at a professional level shortly after.

Despite his health problems, Carrol did not give up on his dreams. Although he retired from racing, he only put his name on the table in design after that. In 1962, he founded Shelby American, a brand that contributed to American automotive history with its most extraordinary cars. Shelby was a true dreamer. He wanted to make street-legal racing cars that could compete not only with the Corvette, but also with European manufacturers like Ferrari. His vision was the following: to make a new type of car that could stand on both the racetrack and the road. And he tried to implement this practically along the principle of “small chassis, big engine”. Thus was born the Shelby Cobra, which combined the maneuverability and speed of European racing cars with the power of American V8 engines. The car’s chassis was based on the English AC Ace, and its power was provided by the Ford 8-cylinder small block. And achieving its goal in 1965, it became the first American manufacturer to win the "World Manufacturer's GT Championship" title.

Another significant milestone in Carroll's life was his visit to Ford Motors Company in 1964, which was aimed at developing a higher-performance Mustang. After a year of joint work, the Shelby Mustang GT350 was presented, and thanks to the success of the project and the effective cooperation, Ford commissioned Carroll to create the GT-40. With the GT-40, the American giant's goal was nothing other than to introduce itself to international competitions with a car that Ford had not yet produced. The result of the extensive developments was a 7000cc3– a 485 horsepower racing car that won the 1966 and 3 subsequent Le Mans 24 Hours races, leaving European automakers like Ferrari and Porsche behind. 

Shortly after, Ford parted ways with Carroll, and in the 80s, his old friend Lee Iacocca approached Carroll. Lee was the head of Chrysler Corporation at the time, and his company felt it was necessary to change its strategy. The goal was to achieve higher performance and gain greater customer trust, for which Lee asked Carroll Shelby to help. Carroll ended up not only lending his expertise to the collaboration, but also his name, for example to the 4-cylinder Dodge Shelby Charger. He also helped develop the Dodge Viper and participated in the promotion of the car, and in 1991 he drove the lead Viper car for the Indianapolis 500 race.

Carrol's career was plagued by health problems from childhood through his racing career. In 1990, he underwent a heart transplant, which later played a significant role in the founding of the Carrol Shelby Foundation, which aims to support children in need of heart transplants. In 1996, his condition deteriorated further, and this time his son, Michael, donated one of his father's kidneys.

Around the turn of the millennium, they again took an active role in the development of various cars, in 97 they jointly produced the Shelby Series 1 sports car, which was intended to be the successor to the AC Cobra, with Oldsmobile. However, due to safety regulations that were introduced in the meantime, they were unable to produce even the planned 500 units. In the early 2000s, they worked together with Ford again, which proved to be successful again. The company's vice president announced the arrival of new "Shelby-Ford" models, and then, in 2005, the new 2007 Shelby GT500 Mustang was introduced at the New York Auto Show. The first produced copy was offered for sale at the Barrett-Jackson auction, where the car was eventually sold for $600.000. The proceeds from the auction went to the Carroll Shelby Foundation. In the summer of 2012, a new Mustang, now with 662 horsepower, debuted, which Carrol himself promoted during development as the best Mustang ever built.

Carrol Shelby was an active player in the automotive industry until his last days. Car enthusiasts still associate his name with “American muscle cars”, “high performance”, and Mustangs, as mentioned on a page. He died of pneumonia on May 2012, 10, at the age of 89. If you are curious about more interesting facts, visit our museum, where you can learn more about not only Carrol Shelby, but also the entire American automotive industry within the framework of our America theme.