Shelby is the son of a postal worker in a small village in Leesburg, Texas. He attended high school in Dallas and joined the army in World War II. After the war, as a pilot, he returned to his hometown of Texas, where he set foot in the business of dump trucks, chicken farms and sports car dealers. He got his first taste of automobile manufacturing and distribution when he co-owned Shelby with fellow Texans Jim and Dick Holdallas. Together, they created "Scaglietti Cruiser", a sports car based on General Motors.
At the same time, he began to satisfy his obsession with speed. Shelby's first game was at Ford 1932. Mobile road course, he races all over the United States in his spare time. When all his chickens died of Limbnek's disease, Shelby moved into the cockpit as a career.
Once on the way to the competition, Shelby had to put on his work clothes and the departure time from the farm to the new farm. When his fancy racing clothes won him more attention and publicity than victory, Shelby introduced striped cloth with his trademark.
In a few short years, he became an important figure in the racing world. He tried to drive for the world's top car manufacturers, including Ferrari. Shelby won the sports car championships in three countries, won a place in the European teams in the United States and aston martin, and won the land speed record of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was held on the salt flats in Barnavia. He was named "Driver of the Year" by Sports Illustrated twice.
Still in the prime minister, his heart condition made him give up driving early on 1960. Shelby felt sorry for himself, but he turned his attention to talent racing design and automobile manufacturing.
Carroll shelby believes that the combination of high horsepower and inspirational engineering. He first came into contact with Chevrolet because of his experience with Scaglietti's frigate. At that time, the idea was that in order to adapt the 283 CID Chevrolet car to the AC ace chassis, the British automobile manufacturer had lost the processing capacity of the engine. However, GM rejected competitors who were basically its existing sports cars.
This led Shelby to approach Iacocca's idea of making a two-seater sports car at Ford Motor Company and using the company's new small air cylinder engine. This is the beginning of their lifelong friendship.
When Ford agreed to provide cars and cash, he began to put Shelby Archie enterprises into practice. He formed a Rhodes Group around Shelby America in Southern California. They crammed into the engine of the Ford light ace sports car. Carol, the baptized Shelby Cobra, said many times that she came to him in her dream. 1962 A name, CSX2000, was introduced at the new york Auto Show. It turned out that the sports car industry was pricking up its ears.
Shelby Cobra developed a competitive version and sent a team to race against time in Europe to get the best results. In addition to the racing cobra, whether it is a coupe or a convertible, he finally joined the Ford GT team in the legacy of Ford Motor Company.
1965, they won the FIA sports car world championship and the full victory of Le Mans and Ford GT next year, and won the first class of Daytona Cobra sports car. Carroll shelby is the only one. As a driver, team owner and automobile manufacturer, he won the famous Le Mans race.
"carroll shelby is a visionary car leader," said Dan Gurney, who is part of the legend of Shelby American racing team and American racing industry. "His home style in West Texas gave me a great emotional impact. When he launched his legendary Ford Powered Cobra Team, I found myself very willing to lend it to him to pursue my driving ability and build a European team in their lair.
Shelby is a part of the United States, and we have won some major events together: the first FIA sanctions points competition Cobra 1963, a Cobra sports car in Bridgehampton, the GT class of Targa Florio, and the Daytona Cobra Coupe 1964 in Goodwood Le Mans. Then we got the crown jewels: 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours and Ford Mark IV. His leadership is very unconventional and stronger than his friends or competitors imagined. Will miss his charm, his reputation, as a racing idol is safe. "
At the same time, Shelby's business turned out to be 289 and 427 Shelby Cobra, as well as the creation in Iacocca at the request of Ford Motor Company headquarters in Mustang Shelby's inheritance. In the late 1960s, when his business in California, new government regulations and insurance rules began to affect the sales of high-performance cars, he downsized. For several years, he started his business in Africa and closed his business in the region until the end of the civil war.
Shelby is also a pioneer of modern brand solutions in the automotive industry. Since 1960s, he began to authorize his name and design for various products. Unfortunately, over the years, he has been forced to defend his rights to famous trademarks and designs many times.
1982, he began to help his friend Iacocca, who took charge of Chrysler's troubled company and improved the performance of the car. His team's weak K watch was put into a pocket rocket car, creating a new car. They also created the muscle truck and developed the Dodge Viper, speeding up the 199 1 Indy 500 Shelby at the wheel.
1988, the construction of shelby cobra began again. McCrosky Co., Ltd., he began to develop the "Mystery 43" S/C 427 cobra, which is the chassis number left by Ian Technology in the past 43 FIA. This laid the foundation and set a limit line for the big cobra to "continue".
1995, his time-honored company Shelby America opened a factory in Las Vegas to expand his cobra business on a new track. In Las Vegas, he later cooperated with General Motors to produce the 1 series convertible powered by Oldsmobile and other cobra models. In 2005, Shelby reached a new agreement with Ford Motor Company on the development of the new Ford GT, and launched several Mustang Shelby cars, including Ford Shelby GT-H, Shelby GT-500, Shelby GT-500 "Super Snake", Shelby GT and Shelby GT500KR.
Carroll shelby spent 50 years to establish and protect his name, trademark and automobile design right, and in 1980s he established carroll shelby authorized company, which authorized the company to produce, market and sell all the best and fastest muscle cars (such as the 1960' s Shelby Cobra 289,427 and Daytona sports car, and the recent Ford Shelby GT-500) as Shelby souvenirs. These first brands obtained licenses from Ford Motor Company to manufacture new models, clothes, die-casting model cars and exciting video games of Ford Shelby GT-500, such as "Need for Speed" (Electronic Arts) and "Extreme Racing" (Microsoft).
"In Ford, carroll shelby will always be remembered by people." As an innovator, he expressed the legend of vehicles, but most importantly, he was an incredible partner and close friend for more than 60 years, edsel Ford II, a member of the board of directors of Ford Motor Company, and the great-grandson of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company. "The cooperation between Ford and Shelby has always been very important to me. The individual and Carol will continue to be our future cooperation and will carry the inspiration behind his name. My family and I are honored to have friends and family like Carol. He will never be forgotten. "
Meanwhile, Shelby USA, now headquartered in Las Vegas, continues to build a real Shelby Cobra vehicle. It also provides the best and most exciting contemporary American muscle cars on the road, such as the Shelby GT500 "Super Snake" after the title, Shelby GT-350 and Shelby GTS.
John Rafter and Tracy Smith, presidents of carroll shelby International and Shelby USA, are also presidents and board members of carroll shelby authorized companies. Joe Conway, president, combined with the experience and dedication brought by a strong team, showed carroll shelby's vision for the future.
Conway said: "We are all deeply saddened and feel great loss to Carol's family, herself and the whole automobile industry." "We have never had a player like carroll shelby, and we will never have one. However, we promised Carol that we would continue, and he put his team, products and vision on being able to do this. "
"Rafter" pointed out: "Carol is a visionary and never stops looking for ways to make faster and better cars." He actively participated in every car model, the cars we made today, the development of our parts business and the plans to be launched in the next few years. Carroll shelby is the ultimate competitor, and his spirit will continue to guide our company. "
Shelby thinks that his greatest achievement is the establishment of the carroll shelby Foundation? . Shelby was founded on 1992, when he was waiting for a heart transplant. In hospitals, charities are committed to providing medical assistance to people in need, including children. The foundation also supports young people's educational opportunities through car and other training programs and the welfare of Carol Shelby Automobile Foundation.
"Carol gives back to those less fortunate than him on the basis of medicine and education," M. Neil Cummings, a member of the board of directors of the Carol Shelby Foundation, explained on the other side. "Continue Carol's foundation and vision."
Shelby was still actively managing his company and foundation until his death. He lived for the past twenty years, although he endured heart and kidney transplants. Innovator and pioneer, he achieved almost mythical status and never weakened. He traveled around the world, society, movie stars and beauty queens, lost countless wealth, won competitions, built cars and lived in a big house.
Shelby left behind his three children Patrick, Michael and Sharon, his sister Anne Shelby Ellison's Fort Worth, six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and his wife Cleo. Plans for the funeral will not be announced immediately. The family asked the carroll shelby Foundation to donate in his name, not flowers.
Note: The above article was translated from official website, Shelby, USA. The purpose of the author's translation of this article is to let friends who love American museums know more about their founders, without any commercial intention. Because of my academic pressure, I have no time to translate in person, so I have to ask Google to help me translate. I'm really sorry. If there is a problem with the language, I hope everyone will be honest. If I have time, I will proofread it myself.