When it comes to aftermarket Fords there is one name that dominates the playing field—Shelby American. Cementing its position in the industry by establishing itself as makers of unique, versatile, and extremely capable automobiles.
Shelby American was Caroll Shelby’s vision wherein they could market performance parts and customize stock cars for enhanced performance. Starting its life back in 1962, Shelby American very quickly adopted the Ford Mustang and went on to create some of the most iconic cars that remain synonymous with the brand’s ethos.
Shelby has more historical value than anyone else in the industry and helped establish Ford in the world of motorsports. With a crisp and definitive legacy, Shelby American has given muscle car fanatics a thing or two to cherish about the bygone era. Sure, the name is now largely centered around Ford, but there was a time when Shelby was entirely dedicated to all sorts of performance modifications, regardless of the brand.
Caroll Shelby is undoubtedly a legend in every respect. The man gave birth to high-performance aftermarket motoring that lives on even today. In essence, he has left behind his unadulterated passion for building the best of the best.
Shelby American: A Brief
Caroll Shelby had an immense interest in cars at a young age. After serving in the military, Shelby returned home and pursued his passion for speed. Winning races year after year, Shelby ended up being bagged by Aston Martin as their factory racer. This partnership along with his racing prowess led to Shelby winning the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans in 1959.
Shelby was intrigued with how European cars handled but felt their engines were too complex and were highly unreliable. In order to take on Corvettes and Ferraris, Shelby gave Ford a proposal; an all-American V-8 sports car that had European dynamics and was easy to work on. Lo and behold, the Shelby Cobra was born, an American brute that soldiered on to dominate several race tracks across the globe. In 1965, housing Ford’s 289 cu.in V8, the Cobra went on to win the World Manufacturer’s GT championship. This earned Shelby the title of being the only American automaker ever to win the championship which remains unbeaten even today.
That same year when Ford launched the Mustang, it saw incredible success. However, Ford was concerned about the Mustang lacking a performance image to which Carroll Shelby was called in. This resulted in the birth of the 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 which raced and won various events across North America, resolving the performance image issues. In 1967 Shelby added a 428 cu.in big-block to the enlarged Mustang and called it the GT500.
Fast forward to the 21st century and you have various Shelbys ranging from insanely capable Mustangs to absurdly wild trucks. Mustangs like the GT350 and the 800+ horsepower GT500SE have taken care of things on the road while the Shelby F-150 and the Shelby Raptor take off-roading to another level. In addition to Ford’s mass-market prowess, their association with Shelby helped put an end to the European dominance in motorsports. Not only did the partnership help Ford’s financials, but it also helped Shelby American prove their might as the go-to brand for aftermarket performance mods.
Shelby American: Advocates Of Absolute Lunacy
Shelby has waved its wand countless times and gifted us a lot of memorabilia. The Shelby Cobra 427, the 1965 Mustang GT350R, the Cobra Super Snake are some of the icons of the motoring industry. Shelbys of recent years have stepped up their game, by a lot. If you have a look at the Mustang GT500 and the GT350, Shelby’s ingenuity is fairly apparent.
However, the performance-tuner one-upped its competitors by bringing ludicrously fast and capable trucks. We’re talking about the 770 horsepower F-150 Supersnake and the Baja-ready Shelby Raptor. The latter makes 525 horsepower and 610 lb-ft of torque instead of the stock 450 and 510 lbs of twist. The Supersanke on the other hand is a 770 horsepower four-wheel-drive super-truck capable of reaching 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Caroll Shelby: The Legacy Lives On
As you might’ve seen, Shelby American is more than just an aftermarket tuner. It’s turned out to become a brand that’s kept the core ethos of American ingenuity. While it’s certain that some of his not-so-glorious days with Chrysler and Dodge have given things a different perspective. You cannot deny the importance and largely his contributions to the American muscle car industry. The man put most of the native thoroughbreds on the map, thanks to his ambitious and goal-centric mindset.
Sadly, Caroll Shelby succumbed to pneumonia and died on May 10th, 2012. Today, Shelbys are revered as one of the best in the business. An independent brand that works with major conglomerates in producing top-of-the-line high-performance machinery capable of blitzing lap times like there’s no tomorrow. Caroll Shelby’s contributions to the world of muscle cars are enough to show how prominent a figure he is in today’s automotive industry.
Sources: Shelby, CJPony, Motortrend