Carroll Shelby got here from humble beginnings working as a rooster farmer in rural Texas. He exploded into the auto-racing scene by beating all of the top-tier drivers of the period and successful the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959. All whereas nonetheless sporting his chicken-overalls. Carroll had a coronary heart situation that just about killed him, forcing him to retire from racing. He began Shelby American and assembled a rag-tag crew of hot-rodders to execute his imaginative and prescient of constructing groundbreaking sports activities automobiles just like the Shelby Cobra. He additionally led Ford and the GT40 to a number of victories at Le Mans over Ferrari. Shelby’s automobiles, pushed by the best drivers within the historical past of racing, cemented his legacy. He's the one man in historical past to win Le Mans as each a driver and a producer. And remains to be the one American auto-manufacturer to win the World Manufacturing Championship.
