Interview: Carroll Shelby

In observance of Carroll Shelby’s recent passing, VR is presenting an edited combination of the interviews he granted the magazine—one conducted by Editor/Publisher Casey Annis, the other by Associate Editor John Zimmermann—during which he discussed various aspects of his life in the sport. Behind the wheel he became a multiple U.S. driving champion under both SCCA and USAC auspices, while also scoring points in Formula One and helping Aston Martin win both Le Mans and the World Sportscar Championship. Forced to quit driving by a hereditary heart condition, he came up with the idea of mating an American small-block V8 engine with a nimble British sports car chassis, and after failing to find acceptance at Chevrolet took the idea to Ford. The rest is history. His Cobras began dominating SCCA racing, and in 1965 both coupe and roadster variants were used to claim the FIA’s World Manufacturers Championship, the first and only one ever for an American firm. When its massive Le Mans program stumbled out of the gate, Ford brought in Shelby to set things right and his guidance produced the desired results with overall wins at La Sarthe in 1966 and ’67. When Ford wanted to go racing with its new Mustang pony car, Shelby again got the call and the GT350 was born. He carried on with various other projects in and out of the realm of the automobile—he was a founding partner of Dan Gurney’s All American Racers—and in 1990 had his original defective heart replaced by a transplant, which inspired him to create the Carroll Shelby Foundation to help deserving children get necessary medical care. He lived several different lives to the fullest and for that alone deserves all the plaudits he has received over the years.

From your racing career, what sticks out in your mind as the high point?