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Carroll Shelby: Patron saint of muscle cars
Where have all the heroes gone? That question popped into my mind Friday when I learned that Carroll Shelby had died at age 89.
To automotive fanatics like myself, Shelby was the hero of performance cars, starting in the mid-1960s when the Mustang, Camaro and Barracuda dominated our imaginations. Shelby took the Ford Mustang to a level never even considered with the Cobra and Cobra GT models.
While most of his fame came from his modifications of Mustangs, Shelby also shared some of his genius with Chrysler for a few years. While there he took an Omni and converted it from a commuter car to a fire-breathing monster that nearly went airborne when pushed to the limit.
Shelby was more than a gearhead and racer. He was a visionary who put an American-designed, American-built muscle car on a global platform. His appeal was more than mere mechanics and was clearly demonstrated a few years ago when Ford unveiled the latest version of the Mustang on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto show.
Rather than a traditional reveal, the event took place in an airplane hangar at the Santa Monica airport. Instead of crowd of jaded automotive reporters, the stands were filled with Mustang enthusiasts who had been gathering all day for the event. The parking lot was filled with their cars, fully restored, polished to perfection and displayed like new children at a family gathering.
As the new cars thundered onto the floor, the faithful cheered until their lungs hurt. But the biggest cheer was reserved for Shelby, who was greeted as a near-deity when he rode in seat in the latest Mustang. Afterwards he patiently signed autographs, answered questions in a soft Texas drawl and walked among the rows of Mustangs parked in the lot.
Shelby was also a fixture at the Barrett Jackson auction of Classic Cars in Arizona. His presence on the stage there was considered the automotive equivalent of a papal audience. His touch on a vehicle was like rubbing against a saint.
Where have all the heroes gone? Mine is somewhere smiling and trying to figure out how to make an angel’s chariot do zero to 60 in less than 4.8 seconds.
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Nicely done. Good read.
Shelby, you da man dude. Rat Fink racer.
Do you remember the rat fink days banasy. My favorite movie gang of those days was the Rat Finks, with Eric von Zipper as their leader. Do you know the movie ?
Damn, CNN deleted banasys post and left me talking to myself again.
Jacker alert.
Not me.
thoughts with his family.
@ banasy©
Wow that jacker is really getting good. I hope this is really you I'm talking to this time.
The movie was Muscle Beach Party. It was awesome back in the day. I saw it again just recently. Not so much now.
I had a '68 charger for a while. I had fun, fun, fun, til my daddy took my charger away.
It's me, Rawr!
I do remember the movie now...it's been years.
And what do you think happened to my Super Bee?
Yep. Same thing.
Sigh.
It was yellow...I loved that car....
Did it have that big black stripe and 10 ft high spoiler on the back ? That was a baaaaad machine.
I see they deleted my answer to you, which is strange, as my Super Bee was a >muscle car< and all.
Yes, it had all that, and the awesone bee decal, naturally.
Reading the article again I saw that Shelby put one of his motors in a Dodge Omni...•that• had to have been a fast little bugger...
On my charger, it was my own fault. I couldn't keep my foot out of the carburator or tires on the rear.
It sure did! And, of course, the cool be decal.
I had no business driving that car; my right foot was made of lead.
My dad sold it to a guy down the block...he laughed hysterically every time he saw me.
Ah well, I was young...
Well, dear man, I'm off to bed.
The baby is wearing this Na Na out!
Talk atcha tomorrow.
Maybe I'll tell you about my love affair with Monte Carlos over the years.
Ta ta for now!
Now carrol shelby has the fastest of the fast mustangs he was the best and deserves nothing but beyond the best
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sniff sniff... i miss my monte ss...
*Monte SS* , Now that's a FAT ride! 😉 lol
That was Poor mans 'looking' version of the bat-mobile ...Morning RUFFIE
I had made a comment last night that they deleted...it was about my long love affair with Monte Carlos starting with my 69 MC and finally ending in the late 80's...has a 75 Super Sport...oh, them were the days!
It was my favorite car manufacter
hola amigos...yep no more monte... a victim of teenage abuse, and negelct
Shelby also had his latest sportscar creation built at a corporate prison in Nevada, long before we started using our Homeland Security Prisons as slave-labor FEMA camps.