DALLAS, TX (AP/KLTV) - Carroll Shelby, famous for designing the Shelby Cobra and the Shelby Mustang, passed away Thursday. He was from Leesburg, Texas, which is west of Pittsburg. His racing career quickly gave way to building cars like the RC Cobra.
The one-time chicken farmer had more than a half-dozen successful careers during his long life including car manufacturer and African safari tour operator.
Shelby first gained fame in the automotive world by winning France's grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race with a teammate in 1959.
He then combined a Ford V-8 engine with a British sport car chassis to make the Cobra, which debuted in 1962.
Shelby also later worked on Chrysler's high-powered Viper sports car.
Many East Texas Mustang enthusiasts have met Carroll Shelby, like Craig Chesley of Tyler. He met Shelby several times, and even had Shelby autograph his Shelby GT350.
Back in 1998 our very own Joan Hallmark was lucky enough to interview Shelby when he visited Leesburg. He never forgot the people he grew up with, and even donated a building for a museum. He lived for the V8.
"I loved fast cars from my very first recollection of life on this planet. I've always loved cars and airplanes," Shelby said.
"He was an extremely intelligent when it came to selling and marketing automotive products. His first car he built was a 1962 Cobra, and rather than having a fleet of them he had one car because that's all that he could afford at the time. So every time he went to a major auto show he'd paint it a different color to create the illusion that he had several cars," Craig Chesley recalled.
Shelby died at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. He was 89 years old.
The Associated Press is reporting that Shelby underwent a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press/KLTV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
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