Carroll Shelby’s 100th Birthday Celebrated with Cars, Coffee and Crumpets

Carroll Shelby would have been 100 years old last week, and a few celebrations took place to commemorate it.

The regular Petersen Automotive Museum’s Cruise-In out in Los Angeles was themed the Shelby Cruise-In to honor the man’s 100^th birthday. About a hundred cars showed up, mostly Mustangs, but there were about a dozen Cobras, one GT40 from Hillbank Motors, and a single Shelby Series 1 with over 40,000 miles on it. There was a panel discussion held with Aaron Shelby, grandson of Carroll; Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American; Jim Marietta, who worked at Shelby when he was a mere teen and now helps produce the OVC Shelbys; and Shelby car salesman extraordinaire Lance Stander. The rain held off until long after the show was done, and everyone had roared off in their cars, perhaps at the behest of Carroll himself, you never know.

Shelby American introduced a limited-edition Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Mustang at Carroll Shelby International in Gardena, the same place Carroll Shelby held court, sold Goodyear tires, and built some cars, including the prototypes of the Shelby Series 1. The Centennial Edition Mustang is based on the 450-hp 2023 Ford Mustang GT. Shelby then adds a supercharger to bump power to “750+,” puts a widebody kit on it, 20-inch black satin wheels wrapped in Shelby spec 305/30/20 tires, new hood, radiator, exhaust, springs, sway bars, adjustable camber plates, Ford performance Brembo brakes, and a genuine Shelby style Stetson black cowboy hat just like the one Ol’ Shel’ hisself used to wear.

The package stickers for $49,995—you supply the Mustang. Or it did sticker for that. As of exactly one day after the car’s debut at Shelby International, all 100 are sold out. So you’ll have to choose another ‘Stang from the extensive catalog of Shelby American. There are 20-something cars, trucks, and SUVs available. You’ll find something.

Next September, across the pond, the Goodwood Revival Sept. 8-10 will honor Shelby’s 100th with a gathering of his famous race cars.

“It’s such a privilege to be celebrating Carroll Shelby at the Goodwood Revival this year,” said the host of the event, the Duke of Richmond, whom you may recall was previously called Lord March. “He was a good friend and I remember when Carroll first came to the Revival back in 2000—having raced and famously won at Goodwood in the 1959 TT—bringing with him his infectious personality and competitive spirit. It will be wonderful to see those glorious cars that Carroll raced and designed in action at Goodwood once again over the weekend.”

On top of all that, every year there are a host of Shelby events held around the country. One could assume many of them this year will make a nod to the great man’s centennial. Have a gander at the following partial list and pick an event near you:

• Team Shelby Barrett-Jackson Experience—Scottsdale, AZ (Jan. 27-29) Team Shelby VIP Experience

• “For the Love of Shelby” Show—Brooksville, FL (Feb. 12-13)

• Carroll Shelby Technology Tribute—Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 26)

• Cobra Experience “Continuing the Legacy” Shelby Reunion—Martinez, CA (March 26)

• Fabulous Fords—Irwindale, CA (April 24)
  

• Cobra Day—Cobra Experience in Martinez, CA (June 4)

• Team Shelby North Texas Weekend—Plano, TX (June 9-11)

• Mid-America Ford and Shelby Nationals—Tulsa, OK (June 15-19)

• Shelby Mountain Run—Robbinsville, NC (July 14-16)

• Team Shelby Mountain Region Nationals—Boulder, CO – Sept. 2-4

• Kansas City Air Show featuring the Snake Charmer Super Snake (Sep. 2-4)

• American Speed Festival—M1 Concourse in Pontiac, MI, featuring Shelby (Sept. 29-Oct. 2)

• Cobra Experience Shelby Spin—Nor Cal (Oct. 8-9)

• Team Shelby Florida Track Day—Daytona, FL (Dec. TBD)

There’s still plenty of time to order up a Mustang—or any other Shelby logo’ed vehicle—from Shelby American and go cruising. If you can’t afford a Mustang, a genuine Stetson hat of the type that once sat on the big man’s noggin is $150. Be sure and tip it to his memory.

Do you have plans to attend any of the upcoming Carroll Shelby tribute events? Please comment below.