Carroll Shelby: A Racing Legend

Born in Leesburg , Texas in 1923 and died in Dallas in 2012, Carroll Shelby has made his mark on the history of the automobile, both as a driver and as a manufacturer. A look back at this iconic character, creator of the legendary AC Cobra and the Shelby Mustang.

1959: Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Aston Martin 

Carroll Shelby's passion for cars was passed down to him by his father, who took him to see races in the Dallas arenas from a young age. After his studies, and after working in various fields, such as road transport, oil exploitation, chicken farming, Carroll Shelby ended up devoting himself to what drives him most: motorsport. It was in 1958 that he made his debut in Formula 1, participating in the French Grand Prix. 

The following year, Carroll Shelby joined the Aston Martin racing team. And it was after a more or less difficult start that he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959, still with this team. This victory remains Aston Martin's only one in this competition to this day. 

The man who propelled Ford to the top 

In the 1960s, Carroll Shelby retired from racing and became a car manufacturer by creating the Shelby American Inc. team. With the ambition of competing with Ferrari racing cars, he created the AC Cobra, equipped with a Ford engine. This would be available in many models and would become the main adversary of the Ferrari GTO.  

In 1965, convinced by the performance of the AC Cobra, Ford called on Carroll Shelby to develop the Shelby GT 350, a sportier version of the Ford Mustang. 

A year later, Ford turned to Shelby again, in an attempt to dethrone Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and thus the victorious Ford GT40 was born ( see previous article ). 

Carroll Shelby in the spotlight in the Luc Kieffer X Le Mans collection: 

In his recent collection, designer Luc Kieffer paid tribute to this legend by creating cufflinks , tie clips , collar stays and scented candles . All these products are in the colors of the Shelby American Inc stable and bear the first name "Carroll".