Jerry - I was hoping you were "reading the mail". Thought of you when reading about Shelby and assumed you had dealt with him from what you said of your business.

 

Carroll Shelby was, and always will be "King of the Road".

 

Gary..Yes..I dealt with him and his guys a lot. My old friend from London..who owned BROOKLANDS ..had all the contacts with the original AC parts suppliers. When we bought the company..all the customers came in the deal..as well as the suppliers. It was easier for him to buy from us that to have to wait for a small run for him..although I'm sure any of the suppliers would have considered it an honor to sell to Mr Shelby. I think this was when he was using prisoners from the Utah Prison System.

 

Thoughts and prayers to all that new him, RIP Carrol and now hes going to show the good lord how to go fast.

 

LOL! I've often wondered how I'm going to get traction on those "streets of gold", but I'd bet Carroll Shelby will have that worked out by the time I get there.

 

Carroll Shelby fostered and promoted Chili Cookoffs into the big hit (and fundraiser) they are today. I don't know all the details but in the '60's he and some friends (competitors) competed in making chili. There were organizations formed and grown into the "official" cook-offs we enjoy today. Here is some Wiki info

 

I had one of his cars, a 1966 GT350. Archion had a car with a Shelby designed engine, the 110hp 2.2L NA engine developed for the Omni GLH, I had a LeBaron convertible in which i installed another of his developments, the TurboII intercooled engine.

Years ago at a Shelby owners meet, I bought some of his Chili mix and a can of Carroll Shelby's "Pit Stop" deodorant. He was a great merchandiser, and could probably have sold air conditioners to Eskimos in January. He also really knew who to contact to get what he needed.

There is a story, don't know if it's true, about a stunt he pulled on the Ferrari team. Allegedly he ordered a load of pizzas delivered to the Ferrari pits a little before the LeMans race so the Ferrari mechanics would stuff themselves and find it difficult to bend into the engines to work on them.

He will be sorely missed by all. RIP Carroll.

 

Carroll Shelby was a great man, and the fact that he (somehow) managed to survive nearly 90 years is almost a miracle. The heart condition that ended his days behind the wheel of a racecar led to some of the greatest cars of all time being developed, both for the track, and the road.
He will be missed, but his legacy will live on for years to come.