Carroll Shelby: A Living Legend

Carroll Shelby: A Living Legend
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DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 28, 2005 -- Who would have thought that Carroll Shelby would go from his humble beginnings as a chicken farmer in Texas to become one of the greatest automotive legends of all time?
Certainly not Shelby, who doesn't give a lot of credence to the word "legend."

"It's a good feeling, but that's not what I live my life for," said Shelby, who was in Detroit this month for the North American International Auto Show. "I live my life for automobiles and the people that I work with that help me build them. I've seen too many people that are on top of the world and then suddenly the world turns upside down. That's happened to me a few times. So, I don't pay any attention."

"I found out that I couldn't make a living raising chickens. So I got out of that when they all died and decided to become a race car driver," said Shelby in his Southern drawl. "I asked myself, 'Hey, what do you really want to do?' And the answer was, 'Be around automobiles.'"

Shelby was 29 when he first raced in sanctioned competition. In 1954, he turned professional. He was named Sports Illustrated's "Sports Car Driver of the Year" two years in a row in 1956 and 1957 and was featured on both covers.

In 1959, Shelby raced to victory in the 24-hour Le Mans race, which he describes as "one of the greatest thrills of my life." His victory, however, was bittersweet.

"I won the Le Mans taking nitroglycerine pills," recalled Shelby, who recently celebrated his 82nd birthday. "They told me in 1960 that I had only five years left to live."

Luckily, the prognosis was wrong. Shelby's heart ailments would not prove fatal, but they would force him to retire from the sport he had come to love so much.

Carroll Shelby always kept a pad of paper and a pencil near his bed, just in case he had an inspiration during the night. One morning, he woke up to find the word "Cobra" written on it. He had always wanted to build an American sports car, and he decided then that "Cobra" would be its name.

When AC Cars of England lost its engine supplier at the same time that Ford Motor Company was developing a new high-performance engine, Shelby knew that the timing was right. He put the pieces together and Shelby American, Inc. began manufacturing what would become an American performance star: the Shelby Cobra. That venture marked the beginning of Shelby's collaboration with Ford.

"It's almost hard to calculate Carroll's influence on Ford and our products," said Steve Lyons, president of Ford Division. "I don't think anybody back in the '60s, when Carroll began to work on Mustangs and was part of the GT40 success at Le Mans, had any idea the legend he would become."

Shelby eventually left Ford to pursue other ventures. In 1990, he faced another, more serious health threat. His heart was failing and he needed a transplant.

"I had to wait a year for a heart, and when I got it, that was the greatest thrill of my life because at that time the doctors told me that I had less than two weeks to live," he recalled.

1996 brought yet another fork in the road for Shelby. His kidneys failed and he needed a transplant. His son, Michael, gave him one of his kidneys.

Thankful for his life and wanting to help others, Shelby and his wife, Cleo, established the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation to help indigent children with heart or kidney problems. The Foundation has become a centerpiece of Shelby's life. So has his support for organ donation.

"I am a double organ transplant recipient," said Shelby. "If there's one thing I would like to say publicly, it's that organ donation is very important. Too many of them [organs] are buried when they could be keeping people alive."

The health barriers in Shelby's life did not prevent him from continuing to pursue his automotive dreams. In 2003, he joined with Ford again to produce specialty niche performance cars like the Ford GT.

"My heart's always been with Ford," said Shelby. "Edsel's been my friend for many, many years, and although a lot of the people that I knew are now gone, it's wonderful to be back with Ford. That's where I'll wind up the rest of my days."

The Shelby Cobra concept won "Best in Show" at last year's auto show. The Shelby GR-1 concept was unveiled to rave reviews at this year's show.

"I've always done what I have a passion for, and I think that's the way you've got to live your life," said Shelby. "If I have anything to pass on to anyone else, it's make sure you do what your passion is, and chances are, you'll be successful."

Asked which of his cars holds the most meaning to him, Shelby replied, "A lot of them have special meaning, but the one that occupies my mind and has the most meaning to me right now is the one that we're going to build next."

Spoken like a true legend.
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