Carol Shelbys Life free essay sample

When someone thinks of Ford Motor Company, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Mustang. Carroll Shelby revolutionized the world of cars, especially with his work on the Ford Mustangs. Carroll was not only a racecar driver, but he also created racecars and street legal vehicles. He is a member of the Automotive Hall of Fame and the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, just to name a few, and in 1956 and ’57 was named Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated. Shelby died March 10, 2012 at the age of 89, and in this speech I hope that I can convince you that he is more than worthy of the prominent place he holds in the history of performance vehicles. While he admitted that his energy and passion for performance were at their peak during his time with Ford, he did some of his most noteworthy work while working independently. We will write a custom essay sample on Carol Shelbys Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1962 Shelby introduced his Shelby Cobra to the world. This car was like nothing the world had ever seen. It beat out the Corvette at home and the famed Ferrari of Europe. The styling cues came from a pre-existing English car called the AC Ace. Shelby thought ‘what would happen if I tossed an American V8 under the hood of that car? ’. In pursuit of this idea, he went to Ford and made a tempting proposition. He said that if they would give him $25,000 and some management personnel he would build a prototype that would â€Å"blow the corvette off in the weeds†. Don Frey was reluctant to do so but was quoted saying â€Å"maybe we should give him $25,000 before he bites someone† and gave Shelby the requested sum. Ford made a stronger chassis and gave Shelby a number of small block V8 engines. One year later, Shelby’s dream came true. lt;http://www. automobilemag. com/features/news/1205_carroll_shelby_cobra_creator_and_american_racing_legend_dead_at_89/viewall. htmlgt;. The name Cobra came to Shelby in a dream one night. He had been wondering about what he would name the car; his dream-come-true needed a name that said quality, performance, and excellence in manufacturing. One night, half awake, he wrote the single word â€Å"Cobra† on a piece of paper. When he woke up and saw the scrap of paper on his bedside table, he knew that he’d found the name for his new car. In 1963 Shelby made his Cobra to the GT Group III class standards. That month it won at Riverside in California, finishing ahead of the Corvette Stingray. Shelby had made good on his promise; his Cobra â€Å"blew the Corvette off in the weeds†. lt;http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=rqQ6LGpiGY4gt; In August 1964 Ford asked Shelby to build a street-legal, high-performance Mustang to compete against the Corvette in SCCA-B production road racing. By September, the first Mustang GT 350 was created. This car had a functional hood scoop with a 306 horsepower V8 with suspension upgrades, Koni shocks, rear traction bars, and a regular laundry list of race-ready features. In ’66, Hertz rent-a-car purchased 1,000 of these GT350s and started a ‘rent-a-racers’ campaign. In 1968 the name Cobra was resurrected and used on a Shelby Mustang, and GT500KRs were created. The â€Å"KR† stood for â€Å"King of the Road†. Unfortunately, Ford discontinued production of Shelby Mustangs in the year 1970. In 1963 the opportunity of a lifetime came knocking at Shelby’s door. Henry Ford tried to purchase Italy’s famed Ferrari from owner Enzo Ferrari, but was sent packing. Needless to say, Ford was more than a little put out. He presented a blank check to Shelby and two other engineers telling them to build him a car that would knock the tires off of Enzo’s baby. By 1964 Shelby had done just that. Enter the Ford GT40. Three of these GT40s raced in 1964 24 Hours of the Le Mans, but none finished. Ford demanded more, so Shelby made the decision to install a 7. 0 liter stock engine in the revised GT40s. Enter the Mark II GT40 performance era. In two seasons, the new GT40 became a strong contender on the track. In fact, this improved Mark II won the 24 Hours of the Le Mans 4 years straight, from 1965 to 1968. The ever-dissatisfied Ford was appeased; he had a gold, silver, and bronze medal to hang on his wall. This car has frequently been called the finest vehicle ever produced by Ford. lt;http://www. cobragt40. co. za/cobra. htmgt; Like all the greats, Shelby died doing what he loved. His last car was the 2013 Shelby Mustang which sports an impressive 662 horsepower and 631 foot-pounds of torque. It is the most powerful V8 vehicle currently on the public market. Shelby passed away at the age of 89 on May 10, 2012 in Dallas, Texas. He left his mark on the world of racing and high performance vehicles with his devotion to the best and only the best. The name Shelby still says quality. The name Shelby still says excellence. The name Shelby still says, â€Å"the best and only the best, no compromise†. Carroll Shelby was a true visionary, and as long as his cars are on the road his name lives on. lt;http://media. ford. com/article_display. cfmarticle_id=36500gt;.