About Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby was involved with the AC Cobra and Mustang for the Ford Motor Company. With driver Ken Miles, he developed the Ford GT40, the car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969. As of 2026, it remains the only American-built car to win at Le Mans. Their efforts were dramatized in the 2019 Oscar-winning film Ford v Ferrari (titled Le Mans '66 in some European countries). Shelby and co-driver Roy Salvadori won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans driving an Aston Martin DBR1. He won the 1960 Sports Car Club of America United States Auto Club Road Racing Sports Car Championship by winning the round-one race at Riverside International Raceway in a Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage" and winning round two at Continental Divide Raceways in a Chevrolet Scarab Mark II. In 1962, Shelby established Shelby American to manufacture and market performance vehicles. His autobiography, The Carroll Shelby Story, was published in 1967. At the end of 1952, Shelby won four races, taking home only trophies, accepting no prize money. Eyston, Mortimer Morris Goodall, and Roy Jackson-Moore set about 70 records, with Shelby setting 17 on his own.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.