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Born | Carroll Hall Shelby January 11, 1923 Leesburg, Texas, U.S. |
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Died | May 10, 2012 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | (aged 89)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Active years | 1958–1959 |
Teams | Aston Martin, non-works Maserati |
Entries | 8 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1958 French Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1959 Italian Grand Prix |
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
Years | 1958–1959 |
Teams | David Brown Racing Dept |
Best finish | 1st (1959) |
Class wins | 1 |
Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur.
Best known as a designer for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, he also developed the Ford GT40 with racing legend Ken Miles, the car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969. As of 2024, it remains the only American-built car to win at Le Mans. His and Miles's efforts were dramatized in the 2019 Oscar-winning film Ford v Ferrari.
As a driver, he was a co-driver in winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans driving an Aston Martin DBR1 with Roy Salvadori. He also won the 1960 Sports Car Club of America United States Auto Club Road Racing Sports Car Championship in 1960 by winning the round 1 race at Riverside International Raceway driving a Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage", and winning round 2 at Continental Divide Raceways driving a Chevrolet Scarab Mark II.[1][2]
As an entrepreneur he established Shelby American in 1962 to manufacture and market performance vehicles. His autobiography, The Carroll Shelby Story, was published in 1967.[3]