21 Cars That Made Carroll Shelby An Automotive Legend

Vukasin Herbez January 28, 2020

7. Shelby GT350R

Shelby died in 2012, just two years before Ford officially released the newest car under his name: the 2015 Shelby GT350. This model marked the return to Ford’s uncompromised sports car roots in a glorious manner. Although they based the Shelby on the Mustang GT, much of the car’s suspension, design, aero package, and engine were new.

But the biggest single difference is the fantastic Voodoo engine. It provides a 5.2-liter displacement, 526 HP and 429 lb-ft of torque. This high-revving powerplant relies on the flat-plane crank technology that allows this big V8 to scream to almost 9,000 rpm. In fact, it is the same technology exotic manufacturers like Ferrari use.

This was the first time a muscle car had such an advanced engine. Ford’s investment into the Shelby GT350R paid off since the performance is mind-boggling, taking just 3.9 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. But the numbers don’t do justice to this car. The Shelby GT350R is a pure sports car that delivers fantastic driving dynamics and great handling experience for drivers.

However, it is closer to the Porsche GT3 in precision driving and cornering speeds than it is to the humble Mustangs of yesteryear. This car is not only one of the fastest Mustangs ever, but it is also one of the best sports cars in recent years. Carroll Shelby would be proud of how good of a job Ford did with this new GT350.

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6. Shelby EXP 500 “Green Hornet”

Shelby explored the possibilities and limits of the Mustang platform and engineering, producing several interesting prototypes. But one of the most popular and famous is the legendary “Green Hornet” from 1968. The Green Hornet featured the most innovative features like a 390 V8 they equipped with fuel injection.

The Green Hornet came with disc brakes on all four wheels and an independent rear suspension. With this layout, the Green Hornet handled and stopped better than any other sports car on the market. Unfortunately, the cost of producing those features was too much, so Ford and Shelby decided to go with more conventional technology.

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5. 1967 GT500 Super Snake

The 1967 Shelby GT500 was a landmark muscle car in design, but also in power and performance. However, Shelby wanted more, so he conceived the special high-speed record-breaking GT500 Super Snake.

What made the Super Snake so special was the 500 HP 427 V8 straight from the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 race car. This powerful engine pushed this Mustang to an over 170 mph top speed. The idea was to produce a limited run of these cars, but unfortunately, the cost was just too high.

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4. 1966 Shelby GT350 Convertible

At the end of the 1966 model year, Shelby decided to produce a limited, secret run of six GT350 convertibles to give to his family and friends. This commemorative edition would celebrate the success of the GT350, as well as serve as a prototype for the potential production of future convertibles.

Each car received options like air conditioning and a roll bar. Then they painted each car in a different color, adding its signature white racing stripes. For years, most mainstream muscle car enthusiasts were unaware of the ’66 GT350 convertible. The reason for that is because GT350 convertible owners kept them in private collections, rarely showing them in public.

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3. Shelby Dakota

The Dakota was a compact pickup truck Dodge sold between 1987 and 1996. It was dependable, tough-looking and came with a wide arrange of engines and trim levels. But Dodge wanted more. In the late ’80s, the company envisioned a performance version.

They enlisted Shelby, who was working with Chrysler Corporation at the moment, to create it. Shelby took a regular production Dakota and installed a 5.2-liter V8 engine with 175 HP in it. Even though the power output was relatively small, the Dakota was light.

Since it had lots of torque, this compact truck delivered a convincing performance.

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2. Shelby F-150

Although Shelby never got a chance to see this truck, he would approve of the insane 750 HP Shelby F-150. After all, his company and his legacy inspired the company to build it.

Under the hood is a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 pumping 750 HP and delivering a Raptor-beating performance. With its insane price tag and eye-catching livery and appearance, the Shelby F-150 is the definitive continuation of the iconic Shelby legend.

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1. Toyota 2000GT SCCA by Shelby American

Not many people know that Shelby was one of the people behind Toyota’s racing success in the SCCA championship in the late ’60s. Toyota presented this car in 1967, turning the eyes of the car world to a small company from war-torn Japan. All the big car magazines of the period praised the ride and driving dynamics of the Toyota 2000GT. Despite getting only 150 HP from the high-revving 2.0-liter six-cylinder, the 2000 GT offered decent performance and almost racecar-like handling.

Despite the performance and construction, it was obvious that the 2000 GT wasn’t a race car and that it would take a magician to make it work. Shelby was that magician, and with his team of experts, he made the 2000GT one of the most accomplished cars in the series.

These are the 21 cars that made Carroll Shelby an automotive legend. Shelby had the golden touch in the automotive world. Everything he touched became a hit with performance fans, Mustang fans, driving fans, and even racing teams. His life and his infamous designs forever changed car history.

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