Drivers Becoming Constructors: Carroll Shelby

After a racing career that peaked in 1959 with Aston Martin's victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Carroll Shelby was forced to retire due to heart problems. The American driver decided to stay in racing as a constructor by founding Shelby-American in 1961, which led to the birth of the Cobra. The starting point was the Ace, a car designed by John Tojeiro, powered by Bristol and produced by the British AC, which had impressed in 1959 at Le Mans by finishing seventh overall and first in the 2.0 class. Left without an engine supplier for the following year, AC was the perfect opportunity for Shelby, who proposed to Ford to combine the modified and stiffened English tubular chassis with the American V8 to create an explosive mix of agility and power. Only a racing champion could have envisioned this idea. Its name would be Cobra.

The very first Shelby Cobra prototype was made in 1962. It was sold by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey in 2016 for $13,750,000.

In 1962, the Cobra was ready but had to face the debut of the Corvette Sting Ray. During qualifications, the Shelby car driven by Bill Krause left the nearest competitor four seconds behind, proving the project’s worth. During the race an axle broke. However, success was not far off: In 1963, the Shelby American Team achieved its first triumph in the FIA World Sportscar Championship with an American driver in an American car in an international competition. This marked the beginning of the Cobra battle that even Ferrari could not intimidate.

The Shelby Cobra proved immediately to be competitive, achieving its first successes in the 1963 FIA World Sportscar Championship.

The following year 1964, marked a significant evolution of the Cobra project. After the 1963 Le Mans experience, Carroll Shelby and Peter Brock created a closed version of the Cobra 289 to improve aerodynamic resistance. The new car was called the Shelby Cobra Coupé, later named Daytona, after the circuit where it debuted. The big event for Shelby's new creation was Le Mans in June, where it finished first in its class and eighth overall.

* The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé adopted the closed cockpit solution and achieved notable results, including victories in the GT class at Le Mans in 1964 and 1965.*

But it was only a matter of time: The 1965 World Sportscar Championship was the crowning achievement with the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé defeating Ferrari and winning the GT class championship for cars over 2000cc. Impressed by the result and still reeling from the failed negotiations to buy Enzo Ferrari’s company, Ford decided to hire Shelby to develop a car that would revolutionize the 24 Hours of Le Mans: The GT40. The Shelby/Ford vs. Ferrari challenge had just begun, and the former driver and American constructor would play a crucial role.

Carroll Shelby was hired by Ford to develop the GT40, a car that challenged Ferrari for the conquest of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.