The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2025 - Issue 38

bitewatch Jada Brookes examines Shelby American’s car racing history and Bulova’s 150th anniversary tribute to the limited-edition Shelby Racing Chronograph. S helby Racing founder Carroll Shelby’s interest in cars began at a young age, desiring to learn to drive and own a car. By age 15, he was driv- ing and caring for his dad’s two-door Ford se- dan. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and flew various aircraft. During his tour of duty, he was assigned to fly several bombers, including B-18s, B-25 Mitchells, B-26 Ma- rauders, B-17 Flying Fortresses and finally the Super Fortress B-29s. After World War II ended, Shelby fuelled his passion for speed through road racing. In his first race, driv- ing an MG-TC, he won the MG and Production Car Classes in Texas. Aston Martin, impressed by his win of 12 races in two years, invited him to join their factory team in 1954. The pinnacle of Shelby’s driving career came in 1959 when he won the crown jewel of interna- tional sports car racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in an Aston Martin. In 1960, he retired from racing due to a heart condition. Throughout his international racing career, Shelby drove the fastest and most expensive sports cars of the day. He was impressed by their speed, but not the un- reliable engines that required constant maintenance and repair. A sports car offering European handling and balance with an American V8 engine that could be easily serviced had not yet been built in the United States, so he planned to make such a sports car and sell it for half the price of those from European marques. He came up with the name ‘Cobra'. When he learned that AC Cars in Great Britain had lost their engine supplier for the Bristol sports cars, he contacted them and proposed his idea. They were enthusiastic and told him to reach back out when he had an engine manufacturer lined up. He also proposed his sports car to Ford Motor Company, which liked the idea of offering a sports car that would go head-to-head with the Chevrolet Corvette. Shelby explained his am- bition to race Cobras against Corvettes in the USA and against Ferraris in Europe. In 1962, Shelby founded Shelby American to build his car in California. Equipped with the Ford 260 and later the 289 cubic-inch engines, the Cobra was a success for Ford dealers and on racetracks worldwide. The Cobras dominated Corvettes in North America, winning races coast to coast. In 1965, in roadster and coupe form, it won the World Manufacturers’ GT Championship, de- feating Ferrari. Shelby American is the only US vehicle manufacturer to win the prestigious championship, be- fore or since. Although the Ford Mustang was a huge sales success when it was introduced in 1964, Lee Iacocca, Ford Di- vision General Manager, was concerned that it lacked a performance image and did not fit into his depart- ment’s Total Performance marketing programme. He contacted Shelby to ask him if he could make the Mus- tang into a sports car with a winning performance im- age. The 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 was born, earn- ing its reputation as a sports car and performance icon on American road race circuits. BULOVA