Inside Shelby American


Book Description

In the late 1950s, a young John Morton was transfixed with sports car racing. His dreams of competition eventually led him to enroll, in 1962, in the Shelby School of High Performance Driving. In a bold moment after the last class, Morton asked Carroll Shelby if he might come to work for the newly formed Shelby American. The answer was “Yes, here's a broom.” Thus ended Morton's college career and began his long racing career. Over the next three years, Morton would be a firsthand witness to the evolution of one of the most iconic sports car builders and racing teams of the 1960s. Inside Shelby American is his personal account of a company overflowing with talent, from designer Pete Brock to fabricator extraordinare Phil Remington to drivers like Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, and Phil Hill. The cars were equally captivating: AC Cobra, Mustang GT350, Ford GT, Daytona Coupe. In this book, Morton’s story is intertwined with the memories of other Shelby staffers of the period, revealing through historic photography and an untold perspective the rousing story of America’s most legendary racer and car builder.




Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years


Book Description

Ken Miles is one of the most famous sports car racers in history, and his time at Shelby American was the pinnacle of his career. Ride shotgun with Ken Miles through the twists and turns of Sebring, Laguna Seca, Riverside, and Le Mans as seen through the lens of Shelby American photographer Dave Friedman! The hiring of Ken Miles by Carroll Shelby in February 1963 initiated arguably the greatest pairing of driver/owner partnerships in the history of motorsports. Not only did Shelby hire Competition Manager Ken Miles as an accomplished road racer but also Miles brought professionalism, innovation, and a keen attribute of being able to surround himself with budding, talented individuals. The list of race cars that Ken piloted at Shelby American is nearly unrivaled: the Shelby 289 Cobra, 390 Cobra, 427 Cobra, King Cobra, Shelby Daytona, Mustang GT350R, and Ford GT. Ken dominated the 1964 United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) racing season by winning 8 of 10 races to secure the Manufacturers’ Championship. However, it was at Le Mans where Ken Miles became a worldwide household name. The robbery that was the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans is laid out in excruciatingly accurate detail as Ford royalty Carroll Shelby, Carroll Smith, Homer Perry, Leo Beebe, Charlie Agapiou, Bob Negstad, Carroll Smith, and Peter Miles recall the race and the tragedy that followed two months later. Recapture Ken Miles’s career as told by esteemed Shelby American photographer Dave Friedman in this firsthand account titled Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years!




Shelby American Up Close and Behind the Scenes


Book Description

Shelby American Up Close and Behind the Scenes takes readers inside the shop that produced the 289 Cobra, Daytona Coupe, 427 Cobra, Mustang GT350, and more from 1962 to 1965.




Carroll Shelby


Book Description

The definitive record of the twentieth century's preeminent car builder and racer is now available in an updated paperback edition. It was motoring author Rinsey Mills' passion for AC cars and motorsports history that led to his first meeting with Carroll Shelby. His suggestion that they should collaborate in order to create an accurate record of Shelby's life and achievements at first was rebuffed but later taken up with enthusiasm. This authorized biography is the result. Carroll Shelby: The Authorized Biography was a long time in the making, as Mills left no stone unturned in his quest to produce the complete study of Shelby's remarkable life. He carried out extensive research and conducted numerous interviews, fully capturing the narrative of Carroll Shelby within and outside of the automotive racing world: his childhood in Texas, wartime tenure with the Army Air Force, and postwar entrepreneurship; his earliest race wins in 1952 and his legendary 1959 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; his monumental release of the first Cobra and the formation of Shelby American in 1962; his historical partnership with Ford that would last for decades; all the way through to Shelby's personal hobbies, travels, and present-day legacy. Fascinating photographs from Shelby's personal collection complete a book whose original hardcover edition was published mere weeks before his passing, making Carroll Shelby: The Authorized Biography a magnificent and lasting tribute to one of the greatest automotive figures of the twentieth century.




Shelby Cars in Detail


Book Description

Here, studio photography emphasizes each car's distinctive shape, unique characteristics and mechanical attributes. The photography is supported by lively and authoritative chassis histories for every featured car.










Shelby Mustang


Book Description

Shelby Mustang details the entire story of these fantastic cars, from the early prototypes built in Shelby's Los Angeles shop to today's Ford-engineered high-tech performers. Written by one of the world's foremost authorities on Shelby automobiles, critically acclaimed author Colin Comer, and with a foreword by Lee Iacocca, the American automobile executive credited with the successful development of the Mustang, this is the definitive account of the Shelby. When Ford wanted to toughen up its super-successful new Mustang, they approached Carroll Shelby to give it the performance image it so sorely lacked. Beginning with a 1965 "K-Code" 289-cubic-inch-powered Mustang fastback, Shelby applied the same formula that had made his Cobra sports cars such devastating performers both on and off the track: more horsepower, less weight, balanced handling. The GT350 quickly established itself as a bonafide force in SCCA B-Production racing, twisting back roads, and boulevards alike—setting the course for future Shelby Mustangs, like the big-block GT500. Though those original Shelby Mustangs were done by 1970, Ford dusted off its Shelby relationship in 2006 and has been producing high-performance Ford Mustang Shelbys ever since. This is a must-have read for any fan of American performance cars, whether you're a muscle-era original or a 21st-century stormer.




Shelby Mustang


Book Description

Design, production, and service histories of our most popular subjects combined with top-notch color photograph.




Shelby American Racing History


Book Description

As official photographer for Carroll Shelby's racing teams in the '60s, Dave Friedman chronicled the wide variety of racing efforts of Shelby American. Friedman's glorious photographic account of Shelby-built cars racing in Can-Am, Trans-Am, sports car classics, and other forms of racing is presented here. Enjoying complete access to the Shelby shop, race pits, and behind the scenes, Friedman recorded the complete scope of this popular racing team's efforts.