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Shelby

Shelby
Vehicle Marque

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Wikipedia: Carroll Shelby International Page Sections History

An American importer and modifier of cars founded by Carroll Shelby. The corporate name for the Shelby marque was previously Shelby American, Inc. Started in 1962 and based in California, United States and later Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.

Vehicle names used by Shelby and throughout history include: Aero, Cobra, Daytona Coupe, G.T. 350, and G.T. 500.

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Automotive Industries page on 1 May 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Shelby American was founded by Carroll Shelby in 1962 to build and market high performance parts and modified cars for individuals. The company was based at Santa Fe Springs, California (1962), Venice, California (1962–1967).

Production was switch to the A. O. Smith Company located in Ionia, Michigan during the (1968) model year.

Whittier, California (1986–1998) and Las Vegas, Nevada (since 1998). Some of the automobiles produced by Shelby American were the Ford Mustang-based Shelby GT350, Shelby GT500 and Shelby GLHS. Shelby American also installed the engines of US-market examples of the AC Cobra which was an AC Ace with a Ford V8.

The company was also highly involved with racing, with Shelby cars winning many races and the first title for an American constructor at the World Sportscar Championship in 1965. From 1965 to 1967, Shelby American also provided support to Ford for their successful campaign to win the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans as historically the first American constructor ever with the mid-engined Ford GT40's. With Shelby Daytona, Shelby became one of only three American constructors (along with Ford and Chevrolet) to win a title on the international scene at the FIA World Championships.

Shelby American moved in 1998 to Nevada becoming the first automobile manufacturer in Nevada and began production.

In 1999 the company was sold to Venture Corporation, for production of the Series I model. Cobra production was not part of the transfer of ownership.

In 2003, a new holding company was formed called "Carroll Shelby International, Inc.", and it was taken public. Shelby Automobiles was also created as a subsidiary and manufacturing arm of the new company.

In 2004, Shelby Automobiles purchased Shelby American Inc. and the assets to the Series I model.

On December 15, 2009, Carroll Shelby International announced in a press release that Shelby Automobiles was being renamed to "Shelby American" in celebration of the 45th anniversary of 427 Cobra and GT350.