It is a sad moment when the news of an automotive legend passes away. This particular news is hard because it is Carroll Shelby and his name is synonymous with high performance sports and muscle cars, particularly with Ford.

1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

He is a true gear head and was the mastermind behind the Shelby Cobra and the Shelby GT500. Carroll Shelby passed away in a Texas hospital with an unknown cause of death. He has been hospitalised for more than a month for pneumonia but he has a known long history of heart problems, including a heart transplant in 1990.

Shelby is survived by his three children and his wife. Let us take a look at his illustrious career in the automotive industry.

It is rather impossible to describe the impact Shelby has had on the automotive world. Born in 1923, Shelby only started racing in 1952 at the age of 29 and it was a quarter mile drag race. Later that year he won his first road race in an MG TC.

By 1956, he had won many races and that earned him the title of Driver of the Year from Sports Illustrated and he won that title again in 1957. In 1959, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Aston Martin and he also competed in Formula One in 1958 and 1959.

By the late 1950s, Shelby