Carroll Shelby has lived the lives of many men. He was a pilot who trained many brave Americans for combat against the Germans and Japanese during World War II; he was a racecar driver, a legendary builder responsible for the Shelby Cobra, and even a race team owner. Shelby is even believed to be the only man to win Le Mans as a driver, a manufacturer, and a team owner. Throughout his lifetime, he dabbled in everything from chili powder to charity and left his imprint on each of the Detroit Three as well as the rest of the automotive world. Below are memories of the late Carroll Shelby from some of the auto industry's best and brightest.
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"Like many automotive enthusiasts, I only really knew Carroll Shelby through his vehicles. Bold, brash, inspired, controversial, always entertaining and full of personality -- just like the man himself. There will never be another like him. An era has truly passed."- Ed Loh, Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief
"We are all deeply saddened and feel a tremendous sense of loss for Carroll's family, ourselves, and the entire automotive industry. There has been no one like Carroll Shelby and never will be. However, we promised Carroll we would carry on, and he put the team, the products, and the vision in place to do just that."- Joe Conway, president of Carroll Shelby International
"Today, we have lost a legend in Ford Motor Company's history, and my family and I have lost a dear friend. Carroll Shelby is one of the most recognized names in performance car history, and he's been successful at everything he's done. Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him. He was a great innovator whose legend at Ford never will be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."- Edsel B. Ford II, Board of Directors at Ford
"Carroll was a personal friend to me, to my late mother and brother, as well as good friend of Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis. He was larger than life, responsible for some of the most legendary cars including the Cobra, the GT40, the Shelby Mustang and Viper. His cars command some of the highest-prices on our auction block, and for good reason, because when you buy a Shelby you know you're going to own a piece of automotive history. His passing is a true loss for all of us, both at Barrett-Jackson and within the industry as a whole. He was an icon I was proud to call a friend."- Craig Jackson, Chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson
"He was incredible innovator entrepreneur marketing guy and salesman who produced one fantastic product that will be cherished for generations to come."-Buddy Pepp, Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum
"Carroll Shelby was a dear friend of our family. Galpin Ford was one the first Shelby dealers in the country and it was through this initial business relationship that we forged a family friendship lasting nearly 50 years. He meant so much to me as mentor and friend - I really loved the man. There was no one else like him. It was an honor to know him. My father [Bert Boeckmann] was with me when we got the news and we are both very saddened. Dad calls him a free spirit who was wonderful to work with and a lot of fun. We will all miss him tremendously."- Beau Boeckmann, Vice President of Galpin Ford
"We lost one of the most iconic racer[s] and car designer[s] of all time. Carroll Shelby will be missed, go rest high on that mountain my friend."- Darrell Waltrip, viaTwitter
"Sad to hear legendary Carroll Shelby passed away. His automotive contributions made him a real icon."- Mario Andretti viaTwitter
"Just learned that Carroll Shelby passed away. You will be missed my friend. We are honored to have met you."- Jay Leno, viaTwitter
"Met Carroll at Pebble Beach years ago, we chatted like best friends. Incredible grace, he will be missed as we Thank him for paving the way."- Ralph Gilles, President of SRT viaTwitter
Check out our obituary on Carroll Shelby here, and see a timeline of his life right here. Click here for our most recent interview with the legend, and click here for a look at the car that started it all.
Source: Shelby American, Ford, Twitter
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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