Champion Auto Racer and Builder. After being confined to bed for much of his early childhood with a heart ailment, Shelby grew strong enough to take an interest in cars and eventually served during World War II as a flying instructor and test pilot. After the war he embarked on a racing career that quickly rose to international acclaim. Sports Illustrated named him driver of the year in 1956 and 1957. He won at Le Mans in 1959, becoming only the second American-born driver to win the 24 hour endurance race. Shelby drove everything from Formula 1 to the Bonneville Salt Flats. A heart ailment forced him to quit driving and he founded Shelby American in 1962 where his lasting impact will be the cars he built, namely the Shelby Cobra 427 that beat Ferrari in Europe and his variations of the Ford Mustang. His masterpiece came from importing a British roadster, the AC Ace, then replacing its undersized engine with a Ford V-8, eventually winning the international Grand Touring championships in 1965. After leading Ford's efforts to beat Ferrari at LeMans with the GT40, Ford asked Shelby to help develop a hot-rod edition of the Ford Mustang in the 1960s, a deal that soon produced the GT350 and the GT500, cars still battled over by collectors today commanding six and seven-figure prices. In the early 1990's, Shelby began working with Dodge at the request of Chrysler Corporation chairman, Lee Iacocca, who had previously been responsible for bringing Shelby to the Ford Mustang. Shelby was brought on board as the "Performance Consultant" on the Dodge Viper. In 1992, Shelby was inducted into the Automobile Hall of Fame. He was one of the nation's longest-living heart transplant recipients, having received a heart in 1990. He also received a kidney transplant in 1996 from his son, Michael.
Champion Auto Racer and Builder. After being confined to bed for much of his early childhood with a heart ailment, Shelby grew strong enough to take an interest in cars and eventually served during World War II as a flying instructor and test pilot. After the war he embarked on a racing career that quickly rose to international acclaim. Sports Illustrated named him driver of the year in 1956 and 1957. He won at Le Mans in 1959, becoming only the second American-born driver to win the 24 hour endurance race. Shelby drove everything from Formula 1 to the Bonneville Salt Flats. A heart ailment forced him to quit driving and he founded Shelby American in 1962 where his lasting impact will be the cars he built, namely the Shelby Cobra 427 that beat Ferrari in Europe and his variations of the Ford Mustang. His masterpiece came from importing a British roadster, the AC Ace, then replacing its undersized engine with a Ford V-8, eventually winning the international Grand Touring championships in 1965. After leading Ford's efforts to beat Ferrari at LeMans with the GT40, Ford asked Shelby to help develop a hot-rod edition of the Ford Mustang in the 1960s, a deal that soon produced the GT350 and the GT500, cars still battled over by collectors today commanding six and seven-figure prices. In the early 1990's, Shelby began working with Dodge at the request of Chrysler Corporation chairman, Lee Iacocca, who had previously been responsible for bringing Shelby to the Ford Mustang. Shelby was brought on board as the "Performance Consultant" on the Dodge Viper. In 1992, Shelby was inducted into the Automobile Hall of Fame. He was one of the nation's longest-living heart transplant recipients, having received a heart in 1990. He also received a kidney transplant in 1996 from his son, Michael.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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