Carroll Shelby

Carroll Shelby
Shelby in 2007
BornCarroll Hall Shelby
(1923-01-11)January 11, 1923
Leesburg, Texas, U.S.
DiedMay 10, 2012(2012-05-10) (aged 89)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Formula One World Championship career
Active years19581959
TeamsAston Martin, non-works Maserati
Entries8
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1958 French Grand Prix
Last entry1959 Italian Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years19581959
TeamsDavid Brown Racing Dept
Best finish1st (1959)
Class wins1

Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified during the late 1960s and early 2000s. He established Shelby American in 1962 to manufacture and market performance vehicles. His autobiography, The Carroll Shelby Story, was published in 1967.[1]

As a race car driver, his highlight was as a co-driver of the winning 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans entry driving an Aston Martin DBR1. He then went on to win the SCCA USAC Road Racing Sports Car Championship in 1960 driving a Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage" and a Chevrolet Scarab Mark II. As an automotive designer, he is known for developing the Ford GT40 along with racing legend Ken Miles, which won at Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. As of 2024, it remains the only American built car ever to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He and Miles's efforts at Le Mans were dramatized in the 2019 Oscar-winning film Ford v Ferrari.

  1. ^ Levine, Robert (July 15, 2006). "King of the Road". Vanity Fair. No. July.