Press Release
Carroll Hall Shelby and his Cars
A short list of highlights and lifetime accomplishments
1941-45: Army Air Force pilot & flight instructor during WWII. One of the youngest B-26 bomber flight instructors in the War. Retains flying acumen today.
1952: Shelby wins first sports car race ever entered in Norman, Oklahoma, driving friend's MG-TD.
1952-60: Of the 111 sports car races that Shelby completed, he finished in the top 4 places 81 times, or 73%. 50 of the races or 45% were first place finishes.
1956: Sports Illustrated names Shelby Sports Car Driver of the Year.
1957: Sports Illustrated names Shelby Driver of the Year.
1958: New York Times names Shelby Driver of the Year.
1959: Shelby drives to 1st place finish in 24 hours of LeMans endurance race. (France)
1960: Shelby named USAC Driving Champion. Association with Goodyear racing tires formed.
1961: Shelby starts 1st racing school in U.S. called the Carroll Shelby School of High Performance Driving.
1962: Shelby creates the original Cobra Roadster. Fastest production car ever made at that time; 0-60 MPH in 3.9 seconds.
1963: Cobra wins SCCA A-Production national championship & United States Road Racing championship.
1965: Shelby creates Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, only American car ever to win the FIA World Manufacturer=s Championship for GT cars, beating Europe's best: Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar & Aston Martin.
1965: Shelby creates Shelby GT-350. Shelby Cobra 427 created. 427 Cobra establishes high water performance mark for sports cars: 0-100 MPH in 13.2 seconds, 0-60 MPH in 3.2 seconds.
1965-67: Shelby retools Ford GT program. Directs Ford GT team to 2 consecutive LeMans 24 hour wins.
1967: Shelby creates Shelby GT-500.
1967: Shelby creates World Chili Cook-off competition and markets Carroll Shelby Original Texas Chili.
1970's: Shelby focuses on real estate ventures and establishes safari expedition company in the Central African Republic.
1973: Shelby creates & produces 1st aluminum motorcycle wheel.
1982: Shelby invited by Lee Iacocca to advise Chrysler on high performance vehicles.
1983-89: Shelby creates series of Shelby-Dodge high performance vehicles.
1987: Shelby envisions & begins prototype work on Dodge sports car which later becomes the Viper. The Snake, Shelby Blue, & Shelby Racing Stripes continue the tradition in the Viper.
1989: Shelby produces Cobra 427 S/C Completion Cars. Shelby builds 1st Viper chassis prototype.
1990: Shelby creates & produces Can-Am Spec racer, an affordable training Formula One race car for budding Formula One and Indy Car drivers.
1991: Shelby launches Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation that funds heart transplants for indigent children. Shelby inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame.
1991: Shelby honored by being invited to drive the Viper pace car used to start the Indy 500 race.
1992: Shelby inducted into the Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America, Michigan.
1995: Shelby produces CSX4000 Series 427 Cobra S/C Roadsters.
1997-2000: Shelby designs & manufactures Shelby Series 1 sports car.
1998: Shelby creates the (Super Pursuit) S. P. 360 high performance sport utility vehicle.
1999: Shelby Cobra CSX2000; Motor Trend Magazine's most significant car of the last 50 years. Shelby teams with Titan to produce Shelby custom motorcycle; Shelby Series 1 by Titan.
2000: Shelby expands activities: Shelby Cobra 289FIA roadster, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, Shelby Cobra Challenge Senior Race Series, 1967 Shelby GT-500 called Eleanor featured in the feature film Gone in 60 Seconds. Vintage Videos and Shelby Aircraft, Inc. formed.
