One of America’s great racing icons has died at the age of 89. Best known for his famed Cobra and high performance Mustangs, Carroll Shelby also had a short but relatively succesful career in Formula One, driving privateer Maseratis and Aston Martins. The Texan took part in eight GPs in 1958 and 1959, retiring from three and finishing in the top ten in the other five, including a shared 4th place at Monza with The Kansas City Flash, Masten Gregory. Teamed with Roy Salvadori, Shelby also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959, driving for Aston Martin.
After develpoing heart issues, Shelby retired from racing shortly thereafter and opened a driving school, as well as starting his Shelby-Americna High Performance company. This led to his involvement with Ford’s asault on Le Mans with the GT40s, eventually culminating in the manufacturer’s goal of beating Ferrari at their own game. Shelby was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the American Motorsport Hall of Fame the following year.
