Check out this vintage Ford video of Caroll Shelby, the man behind those gorgeous high-powered sports cars that most of us gearheads lusted over since they were first produced.
https://www.motorious.com/articles/news ... ing-video/

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John Kish
1971 240Z - original owner

Great video! How cool must it have been hanging with those guys at Willow Springs back then? Geez, what a special moment in time that had to be. I think the same about Sharp and Newman at Lime Rock, another magic time period of history.

And man, I know those cars are small anyway but Carroll must have been pretty tall. He looks giant getting into the cobra!

Speaking of which, look what I found for sale
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... tid=dXMIcH

Jay

The original 289 V-8 Ford Cobra (after they had tried using 221 and 260 V-8 engines) became America's very first PRODUCTION street car with 10:1 weight-to-power ratio. It was the first production car capable of running 0-60 in 6 seconds. Competition racers had boasted better performance, but they were not off-the-assembly line production street cars.

This beast is the 427 V-8 car, which was capable of running from 0-to-100mph-back-to-0 in 12 seconds.
Picture that: Standing stop to 100, back to a standing stop.
Twelve seconds.
No fillings left in your back molars.

*[STILL, these were the very same A-Production race cars which Bob Sharp defeated in his 300hp, C-Production 1970 240Z. Mustang, Camaro and Corvette also ran 427 V-8s in those days, and Bob's little Tin Datsun could still beat them to the chequered flag].

Frank T

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1970 240Z

I had the pleasure of meeting Shelby at Watkins Glen back in 1967. My former high school shop teacher and mentor had purchased special passes to the Grand Prix race back then which also included a meet and greet with the drivers, and Carol was there. He was a tall Texan at 6'3" wearing his black cowboy hat and big friendly grin. I was in awe to say the least.

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John Kish
1971 240Z - original owner

It must have been fun watching Bob outrun those cars in a Z. That's a testament to his driving prowess as much as it is to the machinery. And yeah, those 427 cobras have got to be scary. I can't imagine how quickly a big block moves that little car.

John, that's so cool that you actually met Carroll. That's awesome!

Jay

At one of our first monthly Club meetings in Darien, Bob Sharp brought several of his personal 8mm silent reel-to-reel films about his earliest Z races (when his #33 car was still green). They showed him blasting off the line at Lime Rock Park behind the many 427 cars, but overtaking them all in the first Big Bend turn; when they braked, he went outside and passed them all at high speed. They chased him throughout the rest of the race, many of them spinning off the course, and one even bounced end-over-end off the track and into the woods. Being 30mph faster they always caught up to him on the straight, but could never pass him.

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1970 240Z

SHELBY inspiration….
In College in the mid sixties I was faced with a looming deadline.
The assignment was to submit a finished illustration in the style of
one the great painting masters.
I submitted that I would choose a modern day theme, done in the style
of the great Impressionists. The assignment was posted with ample
time to complete, but being a beer swilling art college student it
somehow had gotten away from me and not knowing what the hell I wuz
going to do, exacerbated the whole deal.
Most of my fellow classmates had submitted their projects…Sooo with
about 12 hours to go with a few spurts and stops and still no idea of
the subject. It dawned on me, already a gearhead at that point....
Sebring, Shelby, Cobra, Pit stop, Final hours!…. No handy Internet to
try and find an image… The scenario I made up in my minds eye, so
accuracy?
An all nighter and just no time left, the damn thing was done. Cobra
number 11, driver change, Carroll giving last minute instructions, in
the rain. Medium, Pastel pencils, 12 x 18 on board.
Many years later, I finally met Carroll at Lime Rock, Rick Kopec, Co-Founder of the Shelby
American Automobile Club (SAAC) was a friend of my business partner
and we were able to meet the Man and chat. He was a real down to earth
gentleman…Not to mention, his inspiration saved my ass from a failing
grade!
Some photos and a copy of the "Last minute pit stop".
Carroll did some laps in the Essex Wire Mustang, Rick drove Carroll around the
Concours on Sunday.
Carroll relaxing and chatting.
Colin
the older one

Great painting and story to go with it!!

Great photos too.

Jay