The Start Of It All

When most people think of Ford performance, the name Shelby comes to mind. The late Carroll Shelby – Texas chicken farmer-turned race car driver then race team manager and car builder – has long been credited with helping Ford create the first high-performance Mustang. He began his involvement with Ford Motor Company in 1962 by installing Ford 260/289 V-8 engine in British sports car called the AC that Shelby renamed the Cobra. Shelby’s Ford-powered car went on to win the FIA Manufacturers Grand Touring World Championship in 1965 – the only American car company to ever do so.