What Kind Of Car Is A Shelby
The more you learn about the automotive industry, the more you understand what a genius Carroll Shelby was. He was a great thinker, an inventor, and the guy who was famous for turning usual production cars into champions that the whole world loved. In fact, his life seems to come straight out of a Hollywood movie.
But before designing cars, Shelby was one of the best American drivers of that time. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 in an Aston Martin. Unfortunately, behind all the glory, and fame there was his rapidly declining health. So after Shelby retired from racing, he decided to build sports cars under his name... and the rest is history. In this article, you'll find 10 legendary cars that shaped his image in the automotive industry
11 1998 Shelby Series 1
The Shelby Series 1 was introduced in 1998, a long time after retro-styled cars were trendy. But that didn't bother Carroll Shelby. On the opposite, it inspired him to create a stunning roadster with sharp handling, precise driving, and modern powertrain. His idea was finalized in the form of the Shelby Series 1.
At that time the Series 1 was the first car ever built from the ground up from Shelby. And it showed the world what they can do. The low silhouette, round headlights, and the new engine based on the Oldsmobile 4.0 liter V8 that delivered 320 horsepower complemented the car in a perfect way. Because these cars were forbidden as regular models, they are only 250 of them in the whole world. So good luck on finding one.
10 1969 Ford GT40
Is there anything left to say about the legendary GT40? We're pretty sure every car enthusiast knows all the little details, but let us remind again, what the role of Carroll Shelby was. Although in the beginning, he wasn't involved with the GT40, he still played a crucial part with his experience as a driver and constructor.
Carroll Shelby together with the Ford team found a Lola Mk6, redesigned it, re-engineered it, and turned it into the Ferrari-humiliating piece of art that everyone in the world knows. The Ford GT40 thanks to Carroll Shelby's input conquered the world, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times in a row. A true legend.
9 1985 Shelby Charger
The L-Body Chargers were rather ignored back in the '80s. Nevertheless, as always when Carrol Shelby gets involved, the car turns into a masterpiece. The Shelby Charger, contrary to others, gained plenty of respect. But, there was nothing complicated about it. On the opposite, only a 2.2 liter four-cylinder to deliver 175 horsepower.
But, that wasn't all. Shelby equipped the Dodge Charger with a close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox, changed the suspension and did wonders to braking. All those changes turned a boring Charger into an exciting vehicle that could outrun even the trendiest muscle cars of the time.
8 1968 Shelby EXP 500 "Green Hornet"
If this isn't one of the most beautiful cars you have seen, you should seriously check out yourself. No offense, but we are absolutely in love with it. The legendary "Green Hornet" was produced in 1968, and featured one of the most innovative projects of the time: a 390 V8 equipped with fuel injection.
Plus, the Green Hornet featured disc brakes and independent rear suspension. With this kind of engineering and styling, the Hornet was undoubtedly the best handling car of the '60s. Unfortunately, the cost of producing one was too high, so there are very few in the world.
7 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake
The GT500 Super Snake wasn't only groundbreaking in terms of design, it nearly influenced every muscle car of that era, but also in terms of power and performance. Believe it or not, the Super Snake had 500 horsepower coming straight from the V8 engine that won the Le Mans with the GT40.
And once again, the cost of production was just too high, although the idea was to make at least a few of these cars. Nevertheless, this beautiful Mustang reached a top speed of 170 mph-truly unbelievable for the '60s. Carroll Shelby, the man of wonders, once again.
6 1967 Shelby Mustang GT350R
Yet another proof of the wizardry that Carroll Shelby possessed. Everything he touched, it turned into a magical sports car. The same story goes with this beautiful Mustang 350GTR, a car that finally brought Ford the performance credentials they needed. The R models were produced in 1965 specifically for racing purposes, and they weren't street legal.
But they excelled in racetracks. The GT350R cars had a bunch of modifications, they were lighter, faster and safer. It featured a 4.7 liter V8 engine that nearly produced nearly 400 horsepower. Just another legendary car by Carroll Shelby that won races around the world.
5 1989 Shelby Dakota
Here's another collaboration between the legendary Shelby and Dodge. At that time, the Dakota was only a simple, compact pickup truck manufactured by Dodge, but Shelby had the power of transformation, as always. They envisioned a performance version of the truck and created the Shelby Dakota.
They contacted Chrysler, who at that time was collaborating with Dodge, and installed a 5.2 liter V8 engine with 175 horsepower in it. Although, according to today's standards this doesn't sound much, the Dakota was very light. It had a lot of torque, and it was the perfect pickup truck for any red-blooded American.
4 1965 Shelby Cobra 289
Imagine having the creativity and the ability to build a masterpiece like the Shelby Cobra 289. Soon after ACE sports car manufacturers stopped their production, Shelby ordered a bunch of their car bodies and installed Ford 260 V8 engines that could deliver 271 horsepower, which was quite serious for a small roadster.
And as always, Carroll Shelby needed to go back to racing. His Cobra ended beating all the Ferraris and Jaguars in the domestic championships. Soon after 1964, the 289 was on its way to Europe, once again proving itself.
3 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
Although the Cobra roadster was a force to be reckoned with, it still wasn't the perfect car suitable for all types of racetracks. Even with a hardtop, the Cobra lacked the aerodynamics it needed. Inspired by the loss in the Le Mans, Shelby decided to modify the Cobra, and made it one of the most powerful cars of the time.
With the help of many other engineers, Shelby constructed a much longer chassis, for aerodynamic purposes, a different suspension, and called it the Daytona Coupe. His vision came to life when the Daytona finally won the 1965 GT Championship, an event that Carroll remembered for life.
2 1968 Shelby Lonestar
The Shelby with the intimidating name "Lonestar," was a successor of the legendary Cobra 289 and Cobra 427, although it looked completely different from both of them. In fact, the Lonestar was a completely new car, with a mid-mounted V8 engine and racing suspension.
Unfortunately, due to the high costs of production, and complicated process, there exists only one Shelby Lonestar in the world. But, don't worry - that one is still alive and well, and was just restored a few years ago.
1 1968 Toyota 2000GT SCCA by Shelby American
Everyone mentions Toyota's success in the SCCA championship, but no one knows the role that Carroll Shelby played in that. In fact, it was exactly him who made the car from a war-torn country, a legendary champion. The 2000GT featured a 2.0-liter six-cylinder that produced only 150 horsepower. Even
As so, even without Shelby's touch the Toyota 200GT was a magnificent car, but not a race car winner. And the wizard of the automotive world, Carroll Shelby was the one who made the 2000GT one of the most successful cars of the time. But that isn't news, is it?
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About The Author 
Vasilii Kulev (142 Articles Published)
Vasilii Kulev is a marketing specialist during business hours and a gearhead in his spare time. He received a dual degree in Journalism and Marketing from the American University in Bulgaria. Apart from cars, his other major hobby is music, and he's working on expanding his collection of vinyl records. Vasilii currently drives a 1997 Mercedes-Benz CLK 200K coupe and loves it.
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Source: https://www.hotcars.com/most-legendary-cars-designed-by-carroll-shelby/
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