Carroll Shelby's company built fast machines beginning in the 1960s. With the Cobra two-seater and later souped-up Mustangs, Shelby became a bit of a legend to car enthusiasts.
The race car driver and car designer passed away last year after a long and colorful life but the company that bears his name lives on and is still putting his name on high-performance cars.
Back in the day, Shelby's GT350 Mustang offered exotic performance for the working class. Brand new Mustangs arrived at Shelby's facility near LAX and were transformed into Shelby Mustangs.
Today, Shelby American continues their beloved designer's legacy at its factory in Las Vegas. Customers who ordered a new Mustang GT were allowed to order them in the color of their choice as Shelby's technicians got to work.
The result was a Mustang with more visual panache along with amped-up performance, body pieces, suspension, brakes, wheels, tires and exhaust to name a few. A Shelby serial number was also added like back in the day.
The additions were just for starters. A customer's wallet can dictate further performance for even more money.
And with a new Shelby that's near or over $60,000, you still get essentially the same plastic lined interior as even the most basic Mustang at the Ford dealer. But that was always the case going back to the early days when a Shelby was also way more expensive than a conventional Mustang.
If your budget is more modest, the new Shelby GTS is based on the V-6 Mustang, so you can drive a Shelby around in the mid-30s, though with much less power. The amount is still a lot of money compared to the regular Mustang.
Company officials point out that Shelbys retain their value better than regular Mustangs and are much more capable cars.
Lots of enthusiasts must agree since the Shelby factory cranks out seven to eight cars each week and ships them all over the world.
While Shelby the man has left us, his cars are proof that his legacy is carrying on and not slowing down any time soon.
