To call Carroll Shelby merely a racing legend would be a disservice to the man who created one of the world's most lusted-after performance cars of all time. Ol' Shel is much more than just the father of that Anglo-American alchemy called Cobra; he's the patron saint of everyone who has an ounce of gasoline in his veins and of anyone who dreams of rising from obscurity to make a lasting mark for himself.
I have had the great honor not only of working for the man, but of calling Carroll Shelby my friend.
Following is a thumbnail sketch of some of Mr. Shelby's incredible achievements, followed by an intimate, one-on-one interview in which the snake charmer speaks out about everything from Lee Iacocca to the settlement of his disagreement with Ford Motor Company over ownership of the Cobra name. Today, at an age when most men can only sit back and reminisce, Carroll Shelby is as busy as ever, building his new Series 1 sports car and dreaming of all he can accomplish in the next 10 years. His hair may be grayer and his shoulders a bit more slumped, but the trademark wide grin, warm handshake, and mischievous gleam in the eye are as bright as ever.
Carroll Shelby Q&ACarroll Shelby has always been one of the world's greatest story-tellers, but at age 74, with no sign of slowing down, he's also one of the world's greatest stories. We caught up with him shortly before this year's Monterey Historic Automobile Races, where the man and his creations were being honored.
Q: Motor Trend: It's been thirty-five years since the first Cobra. Did you ever imagine the allure of the car would remain so strong?A: Carroll Shelby: The other day, they were shooting a photo of me, and the Cobra had a historical car license plate on it. Ha! Of course, I had no idea. I was trying to build a hundred cars. Who knows what would've happened if emissions and safety hadn't come along? Who knows what kind of cars we could have built?
Q: In your auto-building career, you've worked with Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, and now Oldsmobile. What drove you from one company to the next?A: It started when I was at Dean Moon's, selling Goodyear tires. Ray Brock came in and said Ford had a new cast-iron thinwall-cast engine. I had just fallen out of bed with Ed Cole because Zora Duntov had found out that Ed had given me three Corvette chassis without bodies, to build aluminum bodies on in Italy. I had them three-quarters finished, and Ed called me one night and said, "I never gave you those cars, forget that I ever had anything to do with it, you're strictly on your own." That finished what I thought was going to be the beginning of me building cars, possibly. So, I finished the three cars, and I was looking for something else then because I knew it'd never be Chevrolet. I started to look around and moved to California because I knew I'd never be able to do it in Texas.
Anyway, Ray Brock told me to call Ford. Dave Evans was one of two guys who ran Ford's performance then. He took me to see Don Frey, in Detroit, who I was told I could get an AC chassis if they'd ship me two or three engines, which they did. I went over and lived at AC's for about a month to make sure I could get the chassis. Then I went back to Ford and had a meeting with Iacocca, who was sales manager. I told him I had a chassis and needed some engines and $25,000 and I could build a car that would blow the Corvette off. They told me to leave the room. Don Frey and Dave Evans stayed in there, and Frey came out in a few minutes and said, "You got your $25,000." Later, Evans told me Iacocca said, "Give him that $25,000 before he bites somebody."
Q: Are the times so different today? Could an ex-racer do today what you did 35 years ago-and have it be successful?A: I don't think so. You'd have to spend a lot of money. I know how much it's cost me of my money to build this Oldsmobile-powered car.
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