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05-11-2012, 03:45 PM   #1
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Carroll Shelby, Builder of Cobra Sports Car, Dies at 89

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Carroll Shelby, a Texas chicken farmer turned hot-rodder who went on to build innovative sports cars like the Cobra that challenged Europe’s longtime dominance of road racing as well as high-performance versions of production cars like the Ford Mustang, died on Thursday in Dallas. He was 89.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/12/sports/carroll-shelby-builder-of-cobra-spo...ewanted=1&_r=1



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According to Shelby American's Gary Patterson, the Shelby 1000 Ford Mustang shown for the first time at this year's New York auto show was intended as a one-off exercise for Carroll Shelby's personal use.


Once the engineers worked out what was needed for the car, however, it seemed to be a good idea to make just 50 available for well-heeled collectors. The Shelby 1000 package starts at $149,000—in addition to the $50,000 you'll need to spend on a Shelby GT500 Ford Mustang donor car.


Yes, that's nearly $200,000 for a high-powered Mustang claimed to be 50-state street-legal. But the conversion (or upfit, in Shelby parlance) is carried out by Shelby's Motorsport division, which does not have the small-manufacturer status of the Shelby vehicle-sales department or its obligation to meet national emissions regulations. Nonetheless, you will have a car that will probably pass your state's smog test, if it has one.


Read more: 2012 Shelby 1000 Ford Mustang definitely gets your attention - Autoweek


05-11-2012, 03:49 PM   #2
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He lasted pretty long for a Texan, eh?
05-11-2012, 05:46 PM   #3
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66 427 Street Cobra

Fixed your image choice - but the winningest Cobra was the 289 FIA.

05-11-2012, 06:02 PM   #4
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Not wishing to take anything away from Carroll Shelby's achievements, but what often gets lost in this is that the Cobra started out life as an AC Ace. Shelby replaced the BMW-derived Bristol engine with a Ford V8, but the success was in matching a light-weight British body and chassis with a powerful American engine.

Regardless of that, Shelby gave American sportscars a profile in international racing that hadn't really existed before, even with Briggs Cunningham's Le Mans cars, and that makes his passing a loss to the world.

05-11-2012, 11:25 PM   #5
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Yes, being an old Pom (Englishman), & having been a car "enthusiast", particularly V8s, for as long as I can remember, I know all about the English "roots" of the Cobra, but I'll happily admit that I'd prefer Shelby's version, & if I had a choice, it'd be the 427SC.
This man was (IS) a true legend, I never saw ANY of his cars that I couldn't fall in love with, & he was a pretty solid racecar driver as well.
He is a man that truly "Made the most out of life".
Thanks for everything. Pickles.
05-12-2012, 12:42 AM   #6
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I'm sure he would have enjoyed that warmed-over Mustang, but of course it was light-years from the winning formula of the Cobra, which could only lift its front wheels (like the Mustang in the photo) with the aid of PhotoShop.
05-12-2012, 05:31 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by RobA_Oz Quote
I'm sure he would have enjoyed that warmed-over Mustang
You know, of course, that Shelby American assembled that warmed-over Mustang using Carroll Shelby's personally-approved design?

05-12-2012, 05:38 AM   #8
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In tribute, here are a couple of shots of two very nice Cobras I took last year at the annual Concours in Palo Alto, CA. The first is a 289 and the second, a 427.

Jer



05-12-2012, 06:38 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
You know, of course, that Shelby American assembled that warmed-over Mustang using Carroll Shelby's personally-approved design?
No, I didn't know that. It would have been doubly enjoyable, no doubt. I used to watch the international motor racing scene avidly, until the cars started to get in the way of the advertising, so I haven't taken much notice since the 1980s. Shelby was widely respected over here, though, as someone of integrity in a sport corrupted by money and personality.
05-12-2012, 06:57 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by RobA_Oz Quote
No, I didn't know that. It would have been doubly enjoyable, no doubt. I used to watch the international motor racing scene avidly, until the cars started to get in the way of the advertising, so I haven't taken much notice since the 1980s. Shelby was widely respected over here, though, as someone of integrity in a sport corrupted by money and personality.
Heh - pardon my mild snark.
05-12-2012, 06:58 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sailor Quote
The first is a 289
289 Street IMHO the sexiest vehicle ever made. Ever.
05-12-2012, 03:08 PM   #12
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427 for me....Simply awesome.
Cheers, Pickles.
05-12-2012, 04:17 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by pickles Quote
427 for me....Simply awesome.
Cheers, Pickles.
Yeah, tomorrow that will be mine, too. Monday it'll be the 289 again.

I'll never drive either one though. Sigh.

There's always Kirkham.
05-12-2012, 05:40 PM   #14
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I found a couple more from Palo Alto. The first is another 427 - the simple, sensuous lines still knock me out after all these years. The second one, a GT 350, was my automotive hero because it seemed more accessible. When I graduated from high school at 17 in the spring of '64, I got a brand new Mustang - 289 4-V, 4 Spd - I was in heaven. When the GT 350 appeared during my early undergrad years, I "related" to it (remember the '60s), knowing - of course - I'd never own one. I always dreamed of taking my car to Shelby American for the full treatment - pipe dreams for sure, but fun to ponder.

Jer



05-12-2012, 07:25 PM - 1 Like   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sailor Quote
I found a couple more from Palo Alto. The first is another 427 - the simple, sensuous lines still knock me out after all these years. The second one, a GT 350, was my automotive hero because it seemed more accessible. When I graduated from high school at 17 in the spring of '64, I got a brand new Mustang - 289 4-V, 4 Spd - I was in heaven. When the GT 350 appeared during my early undergrad years, I "related" to it (remember the '60s), knowing - of course - I'd never own one. I always dreamed of taking my car to Shelby American for the full treatment - pipe dreams for sure, but fun to ponder.

Jer


Jer - now you've done it. I'll be on eBayAuto the rest of the weekend looking at the "recreations." In 1983 I had a choice - buy a red/black 427S or a house. I bought the house but the buddy I looked at the car with went back the next day and bought it.

Interestingly, the house and the car recently sold for roughly the same money.
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