In 1957, Carroll Shelby opened a sports car dealership in Dallas, Texas, with Dick Hall, selling Maseratis. Shelby and Hall raced Maseratis in the 1957 SCCA National Sports Car Championship. In 1959, Shelby and Hall approached General Motors with the idea of creating a new sports car using the Chevrolet Corvette chassis and engine, but with a lighter aluminum body. Three cars were built with bodies designed by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, but GM refused to sell them more chassis, fearing competition with their own Corvette.
Shelby continued racing, competing in Formula 1 for Aston Martin in 1958 and 1959, and winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1960 USAC Road Racing Championship. Forced into retirement in 1960 due to angina, Shelby founded the Shelby School of High Performance Driving at Riverside International Raceway in 1961.
In 1961, Shelby contacted European automakers seeking a chassis to install an American V8 engine into, eventually reaching an agreement with AC Cars of Britain. AC Cars needed a new engine after the Bristol Aeroplane Company merged with other companies and ceased production of their six-cylinder engine. Shelby installed a Ford V8 engine into an AC body, creating the first “Cobra” in 1962.
Shelby American began racing the Cobra in the fall of 1962, entering a car in the three-hour endurance race at the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix. Cobras dominated the SCCA United States Road Racing Championship in 1963, but struggled in the FIA World Sportscar Championship due to aerodynamic limitations. For the 1964 season, Pete Brock designed a new aerodynamic body for the Cobra chassis, creating the “Daytona”, capable of speeds over 190 mph.
Driven by Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant, a Shelby Daytona finished first in the GT class and fourth overall at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1964, Ford handed control of the GT40 program to Shelby American. Under Shelby’s management, the GT40 driven by Lloyd Ruby and Ken Miles won the first race of the 1965 season at Daytona. The Shelby Daytona won the International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1965, becoming the first American constructor to win a title at the FIA World Championships.
The GT40 achieved great success in 1966, with wins at Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans, earning Ford the International Manufacturer's Championship. Shelby American cars finished first and second at Daytona, first at Sebring, and first and second at Le Mans. Ken Miles died in August 1966 while testing a new version of the GT40, the "J-car". The re-engineered J-car, becoming the GT40 Mk IV, won both races it entered in 1967: Sebring and Le Mans.
In 1964, Ford introduced the Mustang, and Lee Iacocca hired Shelby American to develop a performance version. The Shelby Mustang GT350 was created with upgraded components. Shelby American moved to an aircraft hangar at Los Angeles International Airport in 1965 due to expanding production. The GT350 was successful in the SCCA B-Production class, winning the class three consecutive years.
The offerings expanded in 1966 to include an automatic transmission and special editions for Hertz car rental. In 1967, Shelby installed the Ford 428 cu. in. engine in the Mustang, creating the GT500. Shelby ran a racing team, "Terlingua Racing", in the 1967 Trans-American Sedan Championship, with Jerry Titus winning the championship driving a GT350.
In 1968, Shelby moved production to Michigan to simplify logistics. Shelby American’s operations were split into three separate companies in November 1967. After 1968, Ford took control of Shelby Mustang design and production, and Shelby withdrew from competition in 1970.
Carroll Shelby remained in the automotive industry, assisting Chrysler with performance versions of their cars in 1982. He assisted with the creation of the 1983 Dodge Shelby Charger and the 1984 Omni GLH. Shelby Automobiles, Inc. was founded in 1983, producing performance versions of Chrysler cars, including the GLHS, Lancer, Shadow, and Dakota.
In the mid-1990s, Shelby attempted to create a new sports car, the Series 1, with Oldsmobile engines. The car faced production issues and financial difficulties, and Shelby American was sold to Venture Corporation in 1998. Production resumed in 2000, but the company faced further challenges.
Shelby American currently manufactures component automobiles, including replicas of the AC Cobra. Shelby American was previously working with Unique Performance to create new Mustang-based Shelby cars, but that relationship ended in 2007 due to VIN irregularities.
Shelby American has established partnerships with modification shops internationally, including in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and South Africa, to offer Shelby products locally.
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