Savoy Automobile Museum, Cartersville (Georgia), USA
Until March 1, 2026
The exhibition “Shelby built” at the Savoy Automobile Museum (Georgia, USA) pays tribute to Carroll Shelby, one of the most famous figures in American motorsports. Shelby began his racing career in the USA in the early 1950s on the racetracks and in hill climbs. He also raced in F1 in a Maserati 250 F (1958) and an Aston Martin (1959). Although his results in F1 were modest, he won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Aston Martin DBR1. Heart problems put an end to his racing career, and he then turned his attention to building race cars, with the aim of competing with Ferrari with an American car that would be cheaper than the sports cars from Maranello.
This project gave rise to the AC Cobra or Shelby Cobra, a combination of an English chassis from AC Bristol, which was significantly modified and reinforced to accommodate a powerful Ford V8 engine. Weighing just over a ton and with up to 485 horsepower, the Cobra was very powerful and won numerous races in the 1960s, including the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GT category. It is certainly one of the wildest sports cars ever produced. The Cobra, which existed in a racing version and a barely civilized road version, remains an icon of sports cars today, and the original competition/customer versions are worth several million euros. The Shelby Cobra was built between 1962 and 1966, with around a thousand units produced.
Automobile-Museums archive photos, no reproduction rights without express permission
Subsequently, a multitude of small companies built copies and replicas, varying in accuracy and quality. Shelby himself produced “Continuation” Cobras until the mid-1990s. In 1963, Ford began developing the GT 40 with the aim of beating Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first Lola-based version in 1964 encountered numerous problems, and Ford called on Carroll Shelby to improve and develop the car. The Ford GT 40, revised by Shelby and managed by his racing team, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 and 1967. Today, there are more replicas of the Cobra and GT 40 than original cars in the paddocks of historic races and in shows and museums.
Carroll Shelby also collaborated with Ford to develop (very) powerful versions of the Ford Mustang, the Mustang GT 350 and later the GT 500. Over the years, the Ford and Mustang logos disappeared from the cars, replaced by the Shelby logo, as befits a Cobra ready to strike! Shelby was also responsible for preparing the Mustang Fastback driven by Steve McQueen in the movie Bullitt, as well as the Dodge Charger driven by the “bandits”.
The Savoy Automobile Museum is presenting this exhibition in cooperation with The American Muscle Car Museum, which has loaned several Dodge and Mustang Shelby cars. A 1966 Shelby AC Cobra MKIII 427 Roadster, a 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 Fastback, and a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 represent Shelby’s debut as a manufacturer.
In the 1980s, when Ford taken charge of production of the “Shelby” Mustangs, Lee Iacocca, who had known Shelby well during his years of cooperation with Ford, joined Chrysler and approached Shelby to develop high-performance versions of Dodge vehicles. This cooperation is less well known, but it led to the production of several Dodge Shelby models in the 1980s: the Dodge Shelby Charger, Dodge Shelby Omni GLHS, and even a Shelby version of the Dodge Dakota pickup truck.
1983 Dodge Shelby Charger, On loan from The American Muscle Car Museum and 1986 Dodge Shelby Omni GLHS, On loan from Larry and Rachelle Weymouth
In the late 1990s, Shelby American introduced the Shelby Roadster Series 1, which was intended to be a modern interpretation of the Cobra, this time with a 4-liter Oldsmobile V8 engine developing over 320 horsepower. The success was mixed, with less than 250 units produced, particularly following unexpected price revisions. The Ford Mustang went through several generations with a heavier style that had lost its sporty spirit. It wasn’t until the 5th generation in 2005 that a more attractive design, strongly inspired by the first generation, was introduced. Shelby and Ford teamed up again to develop muscle-bound versions of the Mustang, both mechanically and stylistically.
1999 Shelby Series 1 Roadster, On loan from The American Muscle Car Museum
The GT350 and GT500 are back, with the highlight being the Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 Super Snake, which develops up to 700 horsepower and is sold directly by Shelby. The most recent car in this exhibition, the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 “Heritage Edition,” builds on the legacy of this collaboration between Ford and Shelby to offer a high-performance version equipped with a 700-horsepower V8 Turbo engine. Visitors to the Savoy Automobile Museum can relive the story of a driver who became a manufacturer and gained worldwide recognition through a dozen cars.
Automobile-Museums archive photos, no reproduction rights without express permission
Unless otherwise specified, the photos on this page belong to the Savoy Automobile Museum, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the museum.