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Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Celebrities, Racing
It’s darn near impossible to overemphasize the impact that Carroll Shelby has had on the automotive world as we know it today. Born in 1923, Shelby took part in his very first race, a quarter-mile drag, in 1952. Later that year, he’d go on to win his first road race in an MG-TC. By 1956, Shelby had garnered enough race wins to earn the title “Driver of the Year” from Sports Illustrated. He would win that award again in 1957.
Carroll Shelby was nothing if not a keen businessman. In early 1957, Shelby opened his first car dealership in Dallas, Texas. Bolstered by his success behind the wheel – Carroll won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959, driving an Aston Martin – Shelby went on to build the iconic Cobra using a chassis built by AC Cars in England and powered by a Ford V8 engine. Officially homologated in 1962, the Cobra Roadster won its first race in January of 1963.
Driven by legendary drivers like Phil Hill, A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, the Shelby Cobra and its aerodynamic Daytona Coupe sibling won the Sports Car Club of America’s A-production title and the United States Road Racing Championship in ‘63. The following year brought with it the big-block 427 Cobra, and the machine went on to deal serious blows to Ferrari, the dominant sports car manufacturer of the time.
Shelby began his long-running relationship with the Ford factory in 1965, as the Shelby GT350 hit both the street and the race track. That year, Shelby secured the FIA World Championship of GT cars. In 1966, a Shelby-backed Ford team finished in first, second and third place at Le Mans; this was the first time an American team claimed victory in the historic race, but it would not be the last – Shelby’s team would go on to win Le Mans again in 1967. The Ford GT40 ended up in first place four straight years from 1966-1969.
The Shelby GT350 claimed the Trans Am racing title in 1967, and in that year, the very last 427 Shelby Cobra was built. In 1970, Ford ended its partnership with Shelby, and the man would remain mostly quiet in the automotive industry until the 1980s, when Lee Iacocca approached Carroll about building high-performance versions of Dodge products. The Omni and Charger would Go Like Hell for several years, embarrassing V8-powered Mustangs and Camaros along the way.
Carroll Shelby received a heart transplant in 1990 and would go on to reintroduce Cobra 427 S/C continuation cars and 4000-series cars throughout the 1990s. Shelby was also involved heavily with both the Dodge Viper and Ford GT programs. No wonder why Carroll Shelby was inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
Today, the name Shelby may be most often tied to the latest and greatest GT500 models from Ford, but it’s clear that the man has impacted the performance world for decades. While he may no longer be alive, there can be little doubt that Carroll Shelby’s influence will be felt by enthusiasts for as long as cars move us from one place to another.
We’ve collected a couple of videos that we thought were a fitting tribute to Shelby’s unending legacy. Join us in watching them by scrolling down below.
Continue reading Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012
Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ford’s EcoBoost is a toad-killing powerhouse
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford, Australia, Humor
Apparently, the world’s population of talking frogs have turned their allegiance from Budweiser and are now shilling for Ford of Australia. At least, those that haven’t been smashed into great green globs of greasy, grimy cane toad guts.
Let’s set the scene: A pair of Australian cane toads – the species, native to Central and South America, was imported into Australia in an unsuccessful attempt to control Beetle populations – are having a nighttime chat on a random road somewhere in Oz. The subject matter ranges from the tastiness and arousing properties of the toads’ own back secretions to the velocity with which a four-cylinder car can travel. In this case, the car is powered by one of Ford’s turbocharged EcoBoost engines.
And then… disaster strikes. It’s certainly an odd advertisement, but at least it’s unique. Oh, and if you’re a member of PETA, you might want to look away. See for yourself by scrolling down below.
Continue reading Ford’s EcoBoost is a toad-killing powerhouse
Ford’s EcoBoost is a toad-killing powerhouse originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
2013 Ford Shelby GT500 certified at 662 hp and 631 pound-feet [UPDATE]
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Ford
In the high-stakes world of performance cars, horsepower is king. It’s the first stat bragged about by owners trying to explain why their Camaro, Challenger or Mustang is better than their foes’, and it’s the headline figure promoted by the automakers themselves year after year.
When Ford announced that the 2013 Shelby GT500 would be punishing the pavement with 650 horses, the world stood up and took notice. Remember, though, these were just estimated figures, as the car had not yet been SAE certified. If reports from the Team Shelby message board prove accurate, the 2013 GT500 has finally gotten its official figures.
How’s about 662 horsepower and 630 631 pound-feet of torque?
Yep, that’ll do. It’s notable that these figures represent increases of 12 horsepower and 30 21 lb-ft over the earlier estimates, and they also put even more distance between Ford’s top-performing Mustang and Chevy’s 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1. It also means the Shelby lays down considerably more ponies that the Corvette ZR1 and its 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft.
Now, will we see a corresponding horsepower-addled response from Chrysler or General Motors? Only time will tell.
*UPDATE: We’ve received an official press release from Ford quoting power figures of 662 horsepower and 631 pound-feet of torque, making the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500’s engine the most powerful production V8 in the world. Ford is also keen to point out that the 2013 GT500 is one mpg more fuel efficient, both city and highway, than the 2012 model and five mpg better than the Camaro ZL1. Scroll down for the complete press release.
Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 certified at 662 hp and 631 pound-feet [UPDATE]
2013 Ford Shelby GT500 certified at 662 hp and 631 pound-feet [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chevrolet training video extols the virtues of the 1981 Blazer
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Classics, SUV, Videos, Chevrolet, Ford
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That age-old adage is once again proven by the video you’ll see below. In a classic battle of Chevy versus Ford, the 1981 Blazer SUV is pitted against the Ford Bronco in a dealer training video designed to give sales staff all the information they needed to sway customers toward the Bowtie and away from the Blue Oval.
The checklist sounds familiar. Horsepower and torque, fuel economy, standard features versus optional equipment, payload and cargo space – each of these categories are compared. Seems the issues that matter most to car-buying consumers haven’t changed much in 30 years. Scroll down and watch the video to take a stroll down memory lane.
Continue reading Chevrolet training video extols the virtues of the 1981 Blazer
Chevrolet training video extols the virtues of the 1981 Blazer originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.