Shelby Cobra 427
While everything started for Shelby with the
AC Cobra, you could say that it was the
Cobra 427 that made him a household name. Based on the AC Cobra, the Cobra 427 has
wider fenders and a
more pronounced snout to accommodate the much larger
7.0-liter engine in place of the
4.7-liter mill. It can be argued that it was the Cobra 427 that gave birth to the replicar business to the point that Shelby’s company,
Shelby American, resumed production of the 427 in 1997, 30 years after it stopped producing it, to head off those who were making unauthorized replicas of the car.
Shelby Daytona Coupe
Determined to beat Ferrari at its own game in the
GT class back in the mid 1960s, Shelby created a coupe based on the
Shelby Cobra to make it more aerodynamic. Not intended for production, Shelby only made
six Daytona Coupes. In the mid-1970s, the prototype Daytona Coupe disappeared and was thought to have been lost. In 2001, though, it resurfaced as part of a bitter legal battle on who rightfully owns the car: the person who kept the car in storage for 30 years, the person who was promised the car by the person who kept it in storage once she dies, and the celebrity who said that he had only entrusted the car to be kept in a safe location and not to be purloined by the one who kept it in storage for 30 years.
Ford GT40
We’re sure you’ve all heard or read the story about the
Ford GT40’s origin; how
Ford was one the verge of
acquiring Ferrari in 1963 only for
Enzo Ferrari to terminate the negotiations at the last minute, and how enraged the American carmaker’s chairman and chief executive,
Henry Ford II, was at this development that he was intent on beating the Italian carmaker on the world endurance racing circuit. The first GT40 debuted later that year but performed dismally at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford then tapped Carroll Shelby’s service to turn the car’s fortune around and that he did as it
won the Daytona 2000 in 1965 in its
maiden race under his watch. In
1966, the GT40 earned its place in history when it had a
1-2-3 finish at the
24 Hours of Le Mans.
Shelby GT350
Shelby is known for tuning Mustangs and it all started with the
GT350 in 1965. Based on the
first-generation Ford Mustang, the GT350 was more race car than road car thanks to its
4.7-liter engine which produced
306hp, its use of
high-riser manifolds,
heavy-duty rear axles,
larger, metallic-lined rear drum brakes and
front disc brakes. The GT350 was such a capable car on track that some of the models rented out by Hertz often returned to the rent-a-car company with signs that it had been used in a legally-sanctioned race.
Shelby Series 1
If there’s one car that Shelby can truly call his own, it’s the
Shelby Series 1.
Designed entirely by him and
built by Shelby American in 1998, the high-performance roadster was powered by a
4.0-liter V8 engine that was available
either naturally aspirated or supercharged. Only
249 Shelby Series 1 units were produced, however, as the company was then acquired by Venture Corporation that same year. In 2004, Venture Corporation filed for bankruptcy, giving Shelby and his company the opportunity to continue producing the Series 1. However, as its motor vehicle safety standards certificate had long expired and with the process to re-certify it being too cost-prohibitive, the Series 1 models after that were sold as component cars and lacked an engine and transmission.
