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Birth of Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby is born to Warren Hall Shelby, a mail carrier, and Eloise Lawrence Shelby in Leesburg, Texas -
Business time
Shelby goes into business on a farm raising chickens. His first batch of chickens earns Shelby a $5000 profit, but he goes bankrupt when his second batch of chickens dies from disease. -
Racing time!
Shelby's first foray into racing. He pilots a flathead Ford V-8-powered hot rod in a quarter-mile drag race. -
First race
Shelby takes on his first road race behind the wheel of an MG-TC in Norman, Okla. In his first race against other MGs he takes first place. Later in the day he wins again, this time beating out much faster Jaguar XK 120s. -
New beginnings
Carroll Shelby Sports Cars opens in Dallas, with backing from Dick Hall, a Texas oilman from, and the brother of Jim Hall, who was known for building Chaparral cars -
The first car made by Shelby
CSX 2000, the first Cobra, is painted a pearlescent yellow by Dean Jeffries and shipped to the New York auto show, where it appears in the Ford display. "I think I paid him $200," Shelby recalls, "Actually I don't think I paid him at all. Maybe I traded him something for the work." With dealer orders and deposits coming in, Shelby American formally commits to building the Cobra. -
Test drive
Shelby promotes the new Cobra by offering test drives to the automotive press. The May 1962 issue of Sports Car Graphic describes the Cobra's acceleration as "explosive." CSX 2001 (the second Cobra built) is shipped by from England to New York and is prepped by Ed Hugas in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CSX 2002 is shipped out to Los Angeles and built into the first race-ready Cobra. -
Not a good start
Shelby American deals with start-up problems resulting in slower-than-anticipated production. The AC chassis the Cobra uses requires extensive re-engineering for Shelby's intended application. Meanwhile, CSX 2000 is repainted a new color each time a different magazine test drives it, giving the appearance of many cars in production -
Start those engines
Shelby American enters the Cobra in the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix, its first race. With driver Bill Krause behind the wheel, the Cobra starts poorly, falls back, and then takes the lead at lap nine. The Cobra ends up breaking a rear hub and does not finish the race. The Cobra, however, is proven lighter and faster than the new Corvette Stingray. -
Gt500 in New York
The Ford Shelby GT500 is introduced at the New York International Auto Show. It's the first Mustang to wear the Shelby name in 35 years. -
Droptop Time
The drop-top Ford Shelby GT500 convertible is introduced. -
Fast Forward
The first 2007 Ford Shelby GT 500 is auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction and raises $600,000 for the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation. -
Anniversary time
Shelby American releases the 45th anniversary 2011 Shelby GT350. The GT350 gets new suspension bits, and adds a Whipple supercharger the Mustang's 5.0-liter V-8, bumping power to 550 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. -
More horsepower
On the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra's 1962 New York auto show debut, Shelby rolls out the Shelby 1000 at the 2012 New York event. With an astonishing 950 horsepower, the Shelby 1000 is a culmination of 50 years of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a company and a man dedicated to building some of the greatest performing cars of all time. -
The ending
Carroll Hall Shelby passes away at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. He was 89 and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest car manufacturers