With this month’s cover Profile of the King Cobra, it seemed only natural to access this site where one can find out almost anything about the man who created it, Carroll Shelby. In that context, when reaching the home page, click on the period 1961-1964 on the blue bar across the middle of the page to get to “The Cobra Years,” but the rest of Carroll’s life is also dissected in similar segments stretching from his birth in 1923 to his death in 2012. Interestingly, however, no mention is made of transforming Cooper Monacos into the King Cobras.
Each section provides a timeline of relevant activity, as well as selected photographs chronicling the various aspects of Shelby’s life, from chicken farmer to racing champion to car constructor to race team owner to cultural icon. Given that stature in this industry, we may all think we know everything there is to know, but perhaps a visit here can still prove illuminating.
In addition to the text-and-photos history, a selection of videos is also available, providing glimpses of period footage for the creation of the Cobra and the Cobra Daytona Coupe, as well as his relationship—as it were—with Enzo Ferrari, the man who provided so much inspiration. Take a look and see if you might be able to learn something.
