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Ford and Shelby: Together Again

Discussion in 'Shelby News Forum' started by rshelby, Sep 10, 2004.

  1. rshelby

    rshelby ShelbyForums Admin Staff Member

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    Carroll Shelby (OTC Bulletin Board: CSBI) and Ford Motor Company
    (NYSE: F) Join Together to Create Stunning New Performance Show and
    Production Cars

    PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carroll Shelby didn't enter his first automobile race -- a quarter-mile drag meet -- until he was nearly 30 years old. But the hot rod Shelby drove to the finish line that day in 1952 was powered by a Ford V-8.
    More than a half-century later, Shelby is one of the most recognized names in performance car and racing history and is back in the Ford family producing concept and production performance cars and trucks.
    Shelby's first Ford derivatives were the legendary Cobras and Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s. Today, he is one of the key collaborators on the "dream team" that built the 2005 Ford GT, which goes on sale this summer. Shelby was heavily involved in the design and engineering of the Ford Shelby Cobra concept car, which was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in 2004. He recently announced that his specialty car company will produce a limited edition Shelby Ford Expedition for sale through select Ford dealers next year.
    Ford is stoking the passions of enthusiasts again by unveiling an all-new, all-modern Ford Shelby GR-1 concept car at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, signaling more excitement in the future for Ford and Shelby.

    The Legend Begins
    Shelby may have started late, but he was a winner from the beginning. Just two years into his driving career, Aston Martin's racing manager, John Wyer, recruited him to co-drive a DB3 at Sebring. Within months, the chicken farmer from Texas was bumping elbows and trading paint with the likes of Juan-Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill and Paul Frere. He won Europe's prestigious 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans in 1959, driving an Aston Martin DBR1 with Roy Salvadori.
    Early in 1962 Shelby drove his second Ford-powered race car. It was the first mockup for the Cobra, Shelby's now-legendary marriage of a lightweight British roadster body with a small-block Ford V-8. By January 1963, he had homologated the car under the FIA's GT Group III class, and that month a Cobra won its first race, beating a field of Corvette Stingrays at Riverside, California.
    In January 1965, Ford hired Shelby to lend his expertise to the GT40 campaign. Three cars had run the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, but none of them finished. Shelby began work on installing the more reliable 7-liter stock car engine in what would be known later as the GT40 Mark II. It proved to be considerably faster than the Mark I, and, although 1965 was another unsuccessful year at Le Mans, GT40 had become, in just two seasons, a strong contender.
    Ford and Shelby tested the GT40 Mark II extensively -- both in the wind tunnel and on a special dynamometer that simulated a 48-hour run of the Le Mans circuit. At the start of the 1966 season, GT40 began a four-year domination of endurance racing. While Ford and Shelby took on Ferrari at Le Mans, they fought Corvette at home. The first effort was the legendary Shelby Cobra, a Ford-powered and Shelby-engineered derivative of the AC Ace. Production of the vehicle, which had a one-ton weight advantage over the Corvette, began in June 1962 and continued through March 1967.

    The Shelby Mustang
    In August 1964, Ford asked Carroll Shelby to develop a street-legal, high-performance Mustang to compete against the Corvette in SCCA B production road racing. Shelby-American, Carroll Shelby's Californian racing shop, completed its first Mustang GT350 by September.
    The 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 was a fastback production model with a functional scoop in its fiberglass hood and 306 horsepower from the 289 cubic- inch V-8 underneath -- an increase of 35 horsepower over the stock Ford engine. Suspension upgrades included a larger front stabilizer bar, Koni shocks and rear traction bars and race-ready features, such as competition safety belts, a large oil-pressure gauge, tachometer and a trunk-mounted battery. It sold for $4,000 and was instantly recognizable by its Wimbledon White paint and blue GT350 side stripes along the rocker panels.
    For 1966, the GT350 was offered in white, red, black, green and blue, and Hertz purchased nearly 1,000 special 1966 GT350H weekend "rent-a-racer" models. In the 1967 model year, the Shelby Mustangs sported unique fiberglass bodywork that extended the front end with an aggressive dual scoop and finished the trunk lid with an integrated spoiler.
    But most important in 1967 was the new GT500, a big-block version with 355 horsepower. More than 2,000 of those 428-cubic-inch Mustangs were delivered in the first model year.
    1968 was the first year the name "Cobra" was officially used on a Shelby Mustang. That year, a convertible body style became available. Although the Shelby Cobra GT350 was essentially unchanged, later GT500s were powered by the new "Cobra Jet" 428 engine and thus became the GT500KR, for King of the Road.
    For 1969, the penultimate year of the Shelby Mustang, the engine choices included the optional 351 Ram Air engine, and the bodywork incorporated a total of nine scoops -- five on the hood, one at the front of each fender and one on each quarter panel. In 1970, with sales slowing, the final Shelby Mustangs built for 1969 were updated to 1970 specifications and sold, ending the famed run.

    About Carroll Shelby International, Inc.
    Carroll Shelby International, Inc. is the parent company of Shelby Automobiles and Carroll Shelby Licensing.
    Shelby Automobiles Inc. is manufacturing high performance Shelby vehicles under the guidance of the legendary Carroll Shelby and will be involved in prototype manufacturing, design and engineering projects; and plans to increase production and availability of these Shelby products through an expanded dealer network and direct sales under a license agreement with Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. For more information, call 702/325-4851 or visit the company's web site at http://www.shelbyautos.com.
    Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc., founded in 1988, is the exclusive holder of automotive manufacturer and entrepreneur Carroll Shelby's trademarks and vehicle design rights, which include some of the world's most famous muscle cars and high-performance vehicles, including the car that brought home to the U.S. it's first and only FIA World Manufacturers Championship in 1965, the famous Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. It also holds trademark rights for Shelby-branded apparel, accessories and collectibles. For additional information about the company or licensing opportunities, call (310) 914-1843, or fax (310) 914-1853 or write to Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc., 11150 West Olympic Boulevard, Suite 1050, Los Angeles, CA 90064 or visit
    http://www.carrollshelby.com.

    Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

    Key Moments in the History of Ford and Carroll Shelby

    January 1952: Carroll Shelby enters first race at the wheel of a Ford-powered hot rod.

    February 1962: Shelby tests his first Ford-powered AC 260 Roadster -- the car that would become the Shelby Cobra.

    March 1962: Shelby-American begins operations in Venice, California.

    June 1962: Cobra production begins.

    August 1964: Ford asks Shelby to develop a high-performance Mustang derivative.

    September 1964: First Shelby prototypes are built.

    January 1965: The 1965 Shelby GT350 is introduced. Ford hires Shelby American to oversee the GT40 program.

    November 1965: Hertz begins buying GT350H versions for its "rent-a-racer" program.

    June 1966: Ford GT40 Mark II wins Le Mans.

    November 1966: First 1967 Shelby GT500s are delivered.

    June 1967: Ford and Shelby American again win Le Mans.

    November 1967: 1968 Shelby Mustang convertibles debut.

    November 1968: 1969 model-year production begins.

    September 1969: Shelby Mustang production ends.

    February 1970: Ford and Shelby end their long-term racing agreement.

    March 2001: Shelby is invited by Ford to consult on new GT40 concept for 2002 NAIAS.

    March 2002: Ford gives green-light to production of Ford GT based on the concept.

    April 2003: Ford invites Shelby to collaborate on a concept car that pays homage to the original Shelby Cobra.

    January 2004: Ford Shelby Cobra steals the show at 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

    January 2004: Ford asks Shelby to consult on a follow-up concept.

    June 2004: Shelby announces plans to build a limited edition Shelby Ford Expedition.

    August 2004: Ford unveils the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept at Pebble Beach.

    SOURCE Carroll Shelby International, Inc.
    Web Site: http://www.shelbyautos.com http://www.carrollshelby.com
     

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