Carroll Shelby: Legendary Car Designer Dead At 89
Carroll Shelby, legendary car designer and brief, but successful, race car driver, has passed away at the age of 89. Shelby, who was the inspiration for Ford’s Shelby Mustang and Shelby Cobra, passed away in Dallas Thursday night, reportedly after an illness.
Leslie Kendall, curator of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, remembers Shelby as having lead an outstanding, fast-paced life. He shared:
“He was the only individual to influence the designs of all three major American automakers. Everything he touched became legendary. Even recently he was working on an experimental engine.”
The 1956 Sports Illustrated driver of the year started designing cars after a short racing career, which ended because he had heart problems. The legend even ran a 200-mile race in 1960 while trying to stave off an anticipated heart attack.
Carroll Shelby reportedly raced the whole 200-miles with nitroglycerin pills under his tongue, and finished in third at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey. He said after the race:
“If I hadn’t slowed down each time I popped one of those pills, I might have won.”
Edsel B. Ford, a member of the board of directors at Ford Motor Co., stated that:
“Carroll Shelby is one of the most recognized names in performance car history, and he’s been successful at everything he’s done. Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene, to building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him.”
Shelby, who grew up the son of a rural mail carrier, and farmed chickens, said that:
“I never made a damn dime until I started doing what I wanted.”
Carroll Shelby’s most recent creation is the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, which comes with 650 horsepower, the most powerful V-8 engine in the world so far.
Check out the video below to see Shelby speaking about the Mustangs he helped build:
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