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Carroll Shelby The Authorized Biography

Discussion in 'Shelby Collectibles: Books, Model Cars, Posters & ' started by rshelby, Feb 7, 2012.

  1. rshelby

    rshelby ShelbyForums Admin Staff Member

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    I've been waiting for this one to be completed for some time. I have not seen a pre-press copy but will say that this should be a good read. Rinsey Mills has been working on this for a few years. He interviewed many individuals involved in Carroll's life; most, if not all, were personally asked by Carroll to contribute their time and memories, giving what should be a thorough perspective on the man and the times. Additionally, I can assure you that the book will contain original photos, including some from Carroll's family that have never been published previously. Pick up a copy and enjoy! :thumbsup:

    Link to Amazon
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2012
  2. mrmustang

    mrmustang Well-Known Member

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    Randall,

    Let's hope that Mr Mills truly did his homework and fact checking this time around as all of his other Shelby related books and articles have been plagued by incorrect information. I (as well as several dozen others) have all if his Shelby related works, have even sent out and pointed out his mistakes before in hopes he would fix them in later republications, sadly he has not.:noway:

    Guess we'll find out.


    Bill S.
     
  3. rshelby

    rshelby ShelbyForums Admin Staff Member

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    As you said, we will see when the book is released. If he did not make the noted corrections in his previous works, he probably did not this time around either. All I can say is that he did interview quite a few people. I cannot say whether he did any fact checking of their information or his own research. One way or the other, it should be an interesting read.
     
  4. bitzman

    bitzman Well-Known Member

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    The book is a tour de force

    It took me 15 hours to read it, and it is a major work of research, the most complete ever done on Shelby. I only found maybe 4 mistakes, (for instance Mills saying Shelby corrected the mistakes in the Pantera; that was Bill Stroppe--I know i was at Stroppes shop when there was a sea of Panteras to be fixed) and some of the other qibbles I am still checking out. It is obvious that Mills had complete unfettered access to the Shelby family, business associates, former employees, etc. so that he adds a lot of insight to the man and his racing history and business history. I am not sure whether the sparse picture sections (24 pages out of over 500 pages of text) is what the market wants--I think they like the Colin Comer approach of lots of pictures--including full page color--and less text. But it's a big story to tell and maybe you need 500 pages to cover it.

    Also the copy I got, I sent a note to the publisher to find if its' only in the pre-production copies-- has the last few pages printed upside down. Hopefully they caught that.

    Is it worth the money? In a nutshell, if you are a serious Shelby fan, it's worth it.
     
  5. rshelby

    rshelby ShelbyForums Admin Staff Member

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    My copy of the book arrived from Amazon two days ago. I plan to start reading it in a couple weeks when I have more time.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2012
  6. patty.dilabio

    patty.dilabio Well-Known Member

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    Hi,
    Have bought this from Amazon and am currently reading it.So far neat history lesson and amazing to learn who knew who way back then.Well worth the price.Better buy it soon-you need it for your library.Has a few pictures of family and friends that are great.
    Enjoy !
    P.D.
     
  7. bitzman

    bitzman Well-Known Member

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    Would like to hear from Mk. IV owners if it's true what Mills alleges in the book that Shelby
    wanted Brian Angliss of CP Autokraft to make 25 25th Anniversary Cobras? I never heard that before
    and wonder if it's been in an article? CAR magazine of England for a while was running first one side's complaints and then the other regarding Shelby vs. Autokraft.

    Also interested in how many Mk. IV cars Shelby bought for himself, one time I heard three for each of his kids and another time just two.

    Also what ever happened to Brian Angliss? I heard he went into restoration of warbirds. Does he have a new company now?

    I have driven a Mk. IV and I like the car except for the modern dashboard. If I had one I'd like to
    get it converted to a Cobra like dash but then I guess I'd have to hide the heater controls, etc.
     

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