Carroll Shelby began his racing career in the 1950s and made eight Formula One starts in 1958 and 1959, driving both Aston Martins and Maseratis. After health issues forced him to retire in late 1959, Shelby opened a high-performance driving school and became a famed constructor of many well-known cars including the Shelby Cobra, Ford GT-40 and Shelby Ford Mustangs.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Carroll Shelby began his racing career in the 1950s and made eight Formula One starts in 1958 and 1959, driving both Aston Martins and Maseratis. After health issues forced him to retire in late 1959, Shelby opened a high-performance driving school and became a famed constructor of many well-known cars including the Shelby Cobra, Ford GT-40 and Shelby Ford Mustangs.
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Shelby's Cobra team, with drivers Bob Bondurant and Dan Gurney, finished fourth overall and first in GT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1964.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby's Cobra team, with drivers Bob Bondurant and Dan Gurney, finished fourth overall and first in GT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1964.
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Shelby attends the Road America CanAm in 1968 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby attends the Road America CanAm in 1968 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
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Shelby poses with E.B. Rose's Maserati 300S 3052/Corvette at Daytona International Speedway before a USAC Road Racing Championship event in April 1959. Driveshaft problems dropped Shelby to a 16th-place finish in the race.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby poses with E.B. Rose's Maserati 300S 3052/Corvette at Daytona International Speedway before a USAC Road Racing Championship event in April 1959. Driveshaft problems dropped Shelby to a 16th-place finish in the race.
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Shelby sits on the front of his Ford GT-40 after drivers Ken Miles, left, and Lloyd Ruby drove it to victory in the Daytona Continental in 1965.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby sits on the front of his Ford GT-40 after drivers Ken Miles, left, and Lloyd Ruby drove it to victory in the Daytona Continental in 1965.
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Shelby and Ray Salvadori's Aston Martin DBR1/300 stops at the pits during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959. The car won the race by one lap.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby and Ray Salvadori's Aston Martin DBR1/300 stops at the pits during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959. The car won the race by one lap.
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Shelby, right, waits on the pit counter with driver Bob Bondurant for his Cobra Daytona Coupe to pit at Le Mans in 1964.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby, right, waits on the pit counter with driver Bob Bondurant for his Cobra Daytona Coupe to pit at Le Mans in 1964.
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The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX260 stands on display in front of New York's Plaza Hotel during an auction preview in 2009. The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby and the first American race car to beat Ferrari in the world manufacturers racing championship. The coupe sold for a record $7.25 million.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX260 stands on display in front of New York's Plaza Hotel during an auction preview in 2009. The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby and the first American race car to beat Ferrari in the world manufacturers racing championship. The coupe sold for a record $7.25 million.
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Shelby, left, and Bob Bondurant before the USRRC race in 1967 at Watkins Glen, New York.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby, left, and Bob Bondurant before the USRRC race in 1967 at Watkins Glen, New York.
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Grand Marshall Carol Shelby gives the "gentlemen, start your engines" call during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby 427 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2009.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Grand Marshall Carol Shelby gives the "gentlemen, start your engines" call during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby 427 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2009.
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Shelby sits on a 1968 GT500 KR during the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Ford Mustang in 2004 in Lebanon, Tennessee. Shelby was the greatest single influence on America's racing posture in the post-1945 period with help in the engine design and racing operations of the Mustang.
Car designer and racer Carroll Shelby —
Shelby sits on a 1968 GT500 KR during the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Ford Mustang in 2004 in Lebanon, Tennessee. Shelby was the greatest single influence on America's racing posture in the post-1945 period with help in the engine design and racing operations of the Mustang.
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