Book It: Shelby American – 60 Years of High Performance

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

If you’re seeking a gift for a person who resides in the overlapping part of a Venn Diagram which includes gearheads and voracious readers, this book about the history of Shelby American might be a good selection. And, hey – if that person is yourself, there ain’t nothing wrong with buying it for your own bookshelf.


Set for publishing early next year, the officially-licensed 224-page hardcover book will include about 250 photos of the man himself and his cars. Authors Colin Comer and Rick Kopec bill themselves as “leading Shelby historians”, which gives the tome a bit of credence compared to the myriad of extremely unofficial books floating around about Shelby – some of which seem to have simply hit ‘right-click, save-as’ for much of their imagery. 


Not this one. The book kicks off by chronicling some of the brand’s early triumphs, then follows Shelby history from a small shop in Venice, California, to its eventual sprawling digs at LAX. In the mix are newly developed road cars, a race team, and turning wrenches on winning machines campaigned by privateer racers. Characters like Peter Brock and engineer Phil Remington are all part of the story, as are a roster of top drivers that included Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, and a passel more.


Carroll Shelby also lent his speed freak talents to Dodge, of course, a part of his career that is not often covered in these types of coffee table books. After all, hairy-chested Mustangs make for better eye candy to the casual observer than a bunch of boxy hatchbacks with Simca roots. Fortunately, this title follows the Shelby story through Carroll’s post-Ford relationship with Dodge, including his roles in the giant-killing Shelby Charger and Omni GLH (“Goes Like Hell”). They also touch on the GLH-S and a slew of other Shelby-ized machines including his role in the birth and development of the menacing Dodge Viper. 


As an aside, alert readers will recall the upcoming Dodge Hornet crossover is likely to offer a GLH performance package through its Direct Connection go-fast parts arm. While it’s technically a concept at the moment, you can bet that Dodge didn’t go through all the trouble of showcasing the car and trademarking the trim for nothing.


Six decades of anything successful is worth celebrating – especially when that something involves fast race cars and gearhead speed. Doing so with the publication of rare period imagery and modern color photography is a dandy way to mark 60 years. 


[Image: quarto.com]


Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 4 comments
  • Fahrvergnugen Fahrvergnugen on Nov 10, 2022

    Good excerpt in the current Linkages mag...but the whole story is simply captivating...for a bat guano salesman.

  • THX1136 THX1136 on Nov 10, 2022

    Having owned one of the Shelby Chargers and generally liking the cars Shelby was involved in - the Ford GT40 especially - this looks like a fun book. I'll be watching for it's publication. Thanks for the information, Matthew!


  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
Next