How Carroll Shelby Turned a "Secretary's Car" Into the Legendary Shelby Mustang

Carroll Shelby tells the origin story of the legendary Shelby Mustang. This true legend and rebel of the automotive world, had already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver, and would later do so as a team manager with the Ford GT40 program. When Lee Iacocca asked Shelby to build a high-performance Mustang, Shelby was initially hesitant to do so. In his mind, the Mustang wasn’t sports car material.

However, he was under orders and when Ford's racing department was rejected by the Sport Car Club of America, he had to do something. He approached the club to find out exactly what could turn the Mustang into a legitimate sports car. With a budget of just $2,500, Shelby, engineers Chuck Cantwell and Ken Miles, transformed the Mustang in just 60 days. The result was a race-ready car that could "blow the Corvettes off."

In 1965, out of the first 500 Shelby Mustangs built, 20 were racers. At $3995 they sold as an hot alternative to the expensive Cobra. Demand for the car grew rapidly. Shelby’s legacy continues to inspire car enthusiasts and engineers worldwide. Watch the full interview with Carroll Shelby here:    • Carroll Shelby In His Own Words  

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