''The Carroll Shelby Story'' is a memoir by

Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified duri ...

published in 1967 by

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing in ...

. The book is a revised and enlarged version of ''The Cobra Story'', covering the Cobra's successes in 1965 and 1966, as well as including technical specifications for the 289 and 427 Cobras.

Background

In the autobiography, Shelby discusses his life changing win at Le Mans in 1966 with driver

Ken Miles Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles (1 November 1918 – 17 August 1966) was a British-American sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his motorsport career in the US and with American teams on the international scene. He is an inducte ...

against rival car manufacturer,

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

. He also describes his days as a race car driver, the challenges, the victories, and the crashes — the worst of which he describes as an “explosion.” He talks about his philosophies on racing such as, “If you’re going to go around worrying about getting killed, you might as well give up racing.” He writes two chapters about how he won the race at Le Mans in 1959, saying, “It knocks the hell out of a driver and it knocks the hell out of a car.” The memoir also discusses the genesis for the revolutionary car he created, the

Shelby Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United ...

Reception

The contemporary review of ''The Cobra Story'' by ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' stated, "The lanky Texan's autobiography is short on grammar but long on building motors, racing frames and surviving hairbreadth escapes (one wreck with a Maserati cost him 72 stitches). He was early bit by the racing bug and even turned to airplanes for a while. He tells of the uncomfortable effect of racing on his marriage; his Air Corps service during WWII; and of the final big event when his Cobra beat the Ferrari, which had won for three years running. Shelby has none of the insight into racing which distinguishes Stirling Moss's books. And though he discusses motors far more intimately than the average reader will care about, his races often work up a real head of steam."

Film

In 2020, the book was rereleased by Graymalkin Media for the opening of ''

Ford v Ferrari ''Ford v Ferrari'' (titled ''Le Mans '66'' in some European countries) is a 2019 American sports drama film directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller. It stars Matt Damon and Christian B ...

'' (titled ''Le Mans '66'' in the UK and other territories), a 2019 American sports drama film starring

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

and

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...

. For his performance, Bale was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Drama and the

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. Winners and nominees 1990s 2000s 2 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll Shelby Story American memoirs 1967 non-fiction books