Carroll Shelby History Carroll Shelby has been one of America’s most prolific individuals for the past fifty years. Born in Leesburg, Texas, he enjoyed success in virtually every sports car and formula series in the world. Shelby spent his formative years in North and East Texas. The son of a postman, he loved cars from the day his father first took him on a mail route. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, where he quickly gained a reputation as a fast driver. He even earned several speeding tickets from the local police for his love of speed. If not for the hand of fate, Shelby might never have become a motorsports legend. After serving as an Army Air Corps flying sergeant, test pilot and instructor in World War II, he returned home to raise chickens in East Texas. The enterprise failed when the chickens contracted a disease and died over the course of a few days. Bankrupt, the coops were sold on the steps of the Dallas county courthouse. Carroll Shelby started his racing career with a 1932 Ford in bib overall work clothes at an East Texas drag strip. A year later his motors were roaring past crowds of cheering fans as a member of the Aston-Martin team at the June 1954 Le Mans in Europe. A short time later, he broke land speed records at Bonneville in 1954 for Austin Healey and was Sports Car Illustrated named him Driver of the Year in 1957. He raced in various series and won the 24-hours of Le Mans in 1959. Shelby even opened a successful sports car dealership, Carroll Shelby Motors, in Dallas, Texas, during the late 1950’s. When Shelby’s health caused him to abandon his driving in 1960, Carroll got out of the driver's seat and turned his attention to design. He had a vision for the automobile industry and went for it. Carroll Shelby built his first Cobra, the CSX 2000, in 1962 and was a smashing success at the New York Auto Show that same year. Leading a band of intrepid motorsports heroes, Mr. Shelby created a legendary automobile empire. His company, Shelby American, built small block and big block Cobras from 1962-1967. His racing teams won national and world championships in many different classes. The group helped Ford Motor Company win Le Mans in 1966 with the GT40. and when Ford Motor Company asked Shelby to make the car a race winner, his team built the G.T.350 with "street" equipment and a competition version called the “R” for in the SCCA B/Production road racing class. This car, too, was an instant winner on both the street and track. From 1965 through 1967, Ford delivered unfinished Mustangs to Shelby American, where the company took its performance to an entirely new level. Production shifted to A.O. Smith for all 1968-1970 Shelbys, under the supervision of Mr. Shelby. With the growing regulation of cars and rising cost of insurance that was dampening the market for powerful cars, Shelby American officially closed its doors in 1971. The company had a long and successful run as a manufacturer, development group and race team. Carroll Shelby is probably the only person to have worked at a visible level with all three of the American Automobile manufacturers. Not only did he work with Ford Motor Company, he helped create the Dodge Viper and partnered with GM to build the Series 1. His charisma, vision and ability to know the best person for the job have made him into a master organizer and team leader able to produce results. In 1992, Carroll Shelby was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. However, he is still making automotive history. Shelby opened a new Las Vegas manufacturing facility in 1996 to begin building Cobras again. With all new components, chassis and body, the authentic Shelby Cobra is produced in 427, 289 and FIA configurations. Shelby introduced a series of continuation cars based on the Ford Mustang in 2002, including the Shelby G.T.500E and G.T.350SR. These Shelbys are an updated continuation of cars based on the Ford Mustang that were built in the 1960’s. An important differentiation from the early cars is that modern technology is used to update the performance and comfort of the muscle cars today. Built in Shelby’s old stomping grounds of Dallas, the facility has returned the famous name to the area. But perhaps his greatest achievement is the establishment of the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation. This organization is dedicated to providing assistance for acute coronary and kidney care for indigent children.