RE: Pic of the Week: Shelby beyond the Cobra

RE: Pic of the Week: Shelby beyond the Cobra

Friday 18th May 2012

Pic of the Week: Shelby beyond the Cobra

Why Carroll Shelby was more than just a race car constructor



With the sad news of motoring legend Carroll Shelby's death last week, the chat and tributes to the great man have - probably rightly - focussed on his work with Cobras and Mustangs.

But Shelby wasn't just a car constructor, he was also a racer. As this picture - taken during the 1958 British Grand Prix - proves, he had a fair bit of natural car control, too.

Shelby wasn't a hugely successful F1 driver - he only made eight GP starts, and this picture captures him on the way to ninth place in the non-works Scuderia Centro Sud Maserati 250F (his best GP result was a fourth in Italy). But the very fact he was there, mixing it with the likes of Moss, von Trips et al, makes him even more of a legend to our minds.

Traditional (4:3)
Computer widescreen (16:10)
TV widescreen (16:9)
Portrait (smartphone etc)

Author
Discussion

vintageracer01

Original Poster:

873 posts

174 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
Hero stuff !!!
Fantastic!

bigblock

772 posts

197 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
Blue with white stripes, I wonder if that's where he got the idea from.

zebedee

4,589 posts

277 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
nice pic, article doesn't mention he did win Le Mans for Aston Martin, which backs his credentials up somewhat. RIP Mr Shelby and thank you for your contribution to the petrolhead world. Shame he couldn't have enjoyed the 50th anniversary of the Cobra.

Mark-C

5,010 posts

204 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
The man was the very definition of the phrase "Piston Head" ..... backdrop set thumbup

Dangermouse78

120 posts

172 months

Friday 18th May 2012
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He also drove the Aston Martin F1 car, as well as outright winning LeMans in 1959... a true legend

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Friday 18th May 2012
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Terrific shot! thumbup

danieru

19 posts

143 months

Friday 18th May 2012
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Nice to know this as I ignored he actually raced in the glory days. Absolutely fantastic picture too

Flat_Steve

1,533 posts

246 months

Sunday 20th May 2012
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There are no words. He was a legend.

As Clarkson said, Heaven now has stripes.

Edited by Flat_Steve on Sunday 20th May 00:06

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Sunday 20th May 2012
quotequote all
bigblock said:
Blue with white stripes, I wonder if that's where he got the idea from.
Theyre original, pre-sponsorship, national racing colours (white with blue or blue with white Cunningham stripes). That said, I wonder if he will have a blue with white stripe coffin? Shelby was a true motoring legend, like Ferrari and anyone who raced in Grand Prix in the nineteen fifties deserves recognition as a brave man!

RETF66

1 posts

142 months

Monday 28th May 2012
quotequote all
A sad loss to the motoring and racing world - A great Guy !
I was at Silverstone in 1958 to watch Mr Shelby drift that 250F as shown in the photo - at Beckets or Stowe Corner by the look of it - I met him briefly in the Paddock and did the usual 'Autograph ' thing. The Race Colours are basically as stated by other contributors - back then, there was no real sponsorship, so Grand Prix cars raced in the National Colours of the drivers or Car Owners - Blue with 2 White stripes ( or reversed White with 2 Blue Stripes ) were, and still are the official Motor racing Colours for the USA - Red was Italy ( as still used by Ferrari ) Green for England, Silver for Germany, Solid Blue for France etc etc. Now we have all the glaring sponsor colours - I am a bit old fashioned I'm afraid !! Hope this helps. R