Carroll Shelby’s relationship with Ford Motor Company spanned from the early 1960s until his death in 2012, and it, like the American auto industry, experienced its share of ups and downs.
As the 1960s unfolded, racer-turned-designer Carroll Shelby went from being a Ford contractor to being a competitor and back to being a contractor. Keep reading to learn how much money Carroll Shelby is worth today.
Carroll Shelby Net Worth
American auto designer, race car driver, and businessman Carroll Shelby was worth $40 million when he passed away. The Ford Motor Company AC Cobra and Mustang are both largely credited to Carroll Shelby.
He formed the performance car company Shelby American in 1962, where he designed and built those and other iconic vehicles. Before retiring from racing, Shelby and his co-driver Roy Salvadori won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Carroll Hall Shelby was born in 1923 in Leesburg, Texas, although he spent seven years of his childhood bedridden due to heart valve problems. He was an automobile enthusiast who served in the United States Army during World War II when he helped maintain aircraft.
Shelby began his career as a race car driver after World War II ended, and he was twice named Driver of the Year by “Sports Illustrated” in the 1950s. Shelby opted to become a driving instructor after his health prevented him from continuing his racing career.
In order to collaborate with Ford, he founded Shelby-American. Before going on to Oldsmobile and Dodge, he helped develop the Shelby GT350, GT500, GT40, and Daytona Coupe. In 2003, he went back to work for Ford, this time on the GT models. In 2008, he was recognized as the industry’s top executive. He left this world in Dallas, Texas on May 10, 2012, at the age of 89.
The Cost Of Carroll Shelby’s Entire Car Collection
Because of the variety of vehicles up for grabs, some of them sold for ridiculously high prices while others brought in significantly less money. Twenty-three vehicles were sold for a total of $2,258,440. A quick calculation shows that the average selling price of each vehicle was $102,656. That may seem like an outrageously high price to you, but it’s actually on the low end for a rare automobile.
The majority of Shelby’s collection sold for affordable prices, while only 8 of the 22 automobiles sold fetched $100,000 or more. It sounds like this auction was a reasonable method to get a vintage vehicle, and it would be nice to possess any of these automobiles.
A 1931 Ford Model A Sport Coupe went for $30,240, a 1997 Shelby Aurora V8 Can-Am went for $100,800, and a 1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible went for $52,640, just to name a few of the most eye-catching vehicles.
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1999 Shelby Series 1 Sells for $313,000 at Auction
The highest-priced vehicle at this year’s auction was a 1999 Shelby Series 1 that went for $313,000. When you take into account just what a Shelby Series 1 is, the astronomical price tag makes sense. With its 320 horsepower and light weight of just 2,650 pounds, the Series 1 was a terror on the racetrack.
This vehicle was unique because it was one of the few that Carol Shelby built herself. Throughout his career, Shelby would take the structure of an existing car and attach it to the body of an existing car to build a racing machine.
Shelby had a lot of success in the industry, but he never had the opportunity to design a car from the ground up until Series 1. Unfortunately, only 249 of the projected 500 were produced due to safety requirements.
Other high-priced vehicles included a 1965 Shelby 427 Continuation Series Cobra that went for $259,840 and a 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Continuation Series Convertible that went for $201,600. Both vehicles were instrumental in building Carol Shelby’s fame.
Other vehicles that were not as closely associated with Shelby’s fame also fetched hefty prices. The price of a 1983 De Tomaso Pantera GTS was $182,560, while the price of a rare 1987 De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S that had been utilized as a project car was $226,240.
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