Shelby American, a division of Carroll Shelby International, Inc. (CSBI.PK), is the premier independent performance car company in the United States. The company has been at the forefront of automotive innovation since it was established in 1962, maintaining its commitment to delivering cars and products that provide an unparalleled driving experience.
The company was founded by Carroll Shelby, one of America’s greatest race car drivers. He dominated sports car racing in the mid-1950s, twice being named Sports Illustrated’s “Driver of the Year.” His crowning achievement as a driver came in 1959, when he won the 24 Hours of LeMans.
With changes in government regulations looming and skyrocketing petrol costs, Shelby American ceased building production cars in the late 1960s. The company evolved into a performance hot spot that consulted special projects for automakers. This included the development of several key vehicles for Chrysler that helped restore the struggling carmaker’s image. Among those legendary vehicles was the Dodge Viper, which sparked a new super car competition among auto manufacturers in the United States. Carroll Shelby even drove the new Viper as the pace car during the 1996 Indianapolis 500.
In 1996, Shelby American, which was named Shelby Automobiles for a few years, opened a manufacturing facility at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From this new state of the art facility, the company began to build continuation Cobra 427 S/C, Cobra 289 FIA and street Cobra component vehicles. While still true to their heritage, these genuine Cobras included subtle updates to make them even more enjoyable to own than those built in the 1960s.
Ford Motor Company asked Carroll Shelby and his team to consult on the Ford GT in 2004. Two years later, Shelby and Ford had formed a new relationship to once again build high performance vehicles. This program accelerated in 2005 when Carroll helped reenergize the company with a new series of high performance vehicles. Working with the Ford Racing, Ford SVT and the Ford new car branding team the relationship resulted in a string of cars that returned Shelby vehicles to the top of enthusiast’s wish lists worldwide.
Forty years after their pioneering effort in 1966, Shelby, Ford Motor Company and The Hertz Corporation joined forces to build the ultimate weekend getaway vehicle, the Shelby GT-H (H for “Hertz”). Based on the Ford Mustang, the Shelby GT-H was instantly recognizable with its deep black exterior set off with gold Le Mans racing stripes. This steed was fitted with a custom Shelby Performance hood with pins and a brushed aluminum grill, which was showing off the running horse emblem. Including the addition of Ford Racing and a 325HP 4.6-liter 3V V-8 engine, this machine was pure American muscle.
A total of 500 coupes were built for rental through select Hertz locations in the United States during 2006 and 2007. The next year, due to it’s success, an agreement was announced to build 500 convertible Shelby GT-H rental cars.
The strong demand of the GT-H from over 3000 dealers and thousands of enthusiasts nationwide, led to the anticipated birth of the Shelby GT. Powered by Shelby and Ford Racing Performance Parts, the Ford Shelby GT boasted out of this world handling, stick to the ground cornering and dust the competition acceleration. The pony car was equally at home on the track, a daily commute or out on the town. Unlike the GT-H, both manual and automatic transmissions were available in the Shelby GT.
In the 1960s, Shelby offered a myriad of parts to step up the game of their Mustang. Four decades later, Shelby and Ford Racing teamed up again to give Shelby GT500 and Mustang GT owners the opportunity to customize their muscle cars.
For those with vehicles far from Las Vegas, Shelby has established a series of mod shops just for you, including Shelby South Africa. Staffed with Shelby trained technicians using specially engineered and Shelby approved parts, these locations give enthusiasts the ultimate factory makeover with unrivaled parts and performance options from Shelby-authorized professionals.
These locations give customers the opportunity to have a Shelby package installed on their car and purchase genuine Shelby Performance Parts locally.