Carroll Hall Shelby was born on 11 January 1923, in Leesburg, Texas USA, to Eloise and Warren Hall Shelby. He was an automotive designer, racing driver and entrepreneur, best known as the developer of AC Cobra and Shelby Mustangs performance cars. He passed away in 2012.
A famous race car designer, how wealthy was Carroll Shelby? Sources state that Shelby had acquired a net worth of over $ 40 million, up-dated as of mid-2016, established through his involvement in the race car industry. His assets included homes in LA and Las Vegas, a ranch in Pittsburg, Texas, small vintage planes and a number of cars, including his original Cobra.
Carroll Shelby Net Worth $40 Million
During his childhood, Shelby suffered heart problems, which caused him to spend much time in bed. After matriculating from Dallas’ Woodrow Wilson High School in 1940, he was enlisted in the US Army Air Corps during the World War II, serving as a flight instructor and test pilot, eventually reaching with the rank of staff sergeant.
Shelby began his racing career in the early 50s by competing in SCCA road racing events with borrowed sports cars. His skillful racing led him to be offered a drive for the Aston Martin, Maserati and Formula One teams. He appeared at a number of World Championship and non-championship events, taking the Le Mans victory in 1959 and the USAC championship in 1960. However, later that year he retired from racing, due to his heart condition, but with a healthy net worth.
In 1961 Shelby opened the Shelby School of High Performance Driving, and then Shelby American Inc. the following year. The company focused on manufacturing performance cars and related products. In collaboration with AC Cars of England and the Ford Motor Company, he built the legendary AC Cobra, an Anglo-American Ford-powered sports car, going on to build the 427 Cobra Roadster and the Cobra Daytona Coupe. In collaboration with Ford, he launched the Shelby Mustang GT350, Shelby GT500, Shelby GLHS and was involved in the development of the legendary Ford GT-40 series cars. Shelby soon became a sought-after constructor, producing vehicles for several companies. His net worth was certainly boosted.
Aside from manufacturing and marketing the sports cars, Shelby American also participated in racing, winning numerous events, including the World Championship in 1965.
In 1982 Shelby began his collaboration with Chrysler, creating performance cars based on Dodge products, such as the 1984 Dodge Omni GLH and the famed Dodge Viper, which greatly intensified his wealth.
In 1998 he formed Carroll Shelby Licensing, a subsidiary company based in Nevada. In 2003 Shelby American company went public, changing its name to Carroll Shelby International. At the same time Shelby launched Shelby Automobiles, another subsidiary company manufacturing vehicles and parts.
Shelby resumed his collaboration with Ford again in 2004, developing models such as Ford Shelby Cobra Concept, Ford Shelby GR-1 and Shelby GT500, improving his net worth once again. He also partnered other companies to continue the development of the Shelby Mustang-based cars such as the GT350SR and “Eleanor”.
Aside from his involvement in the performance car industry, back in the ’60s Shelby marketed a men’s deodorant called Carroll Shelby’s Pit-Stop… a Real Man’s Deodorant and created his own chili mix, marketing it internationally as Carroll Shelby’s Original Texas Brand Chili Preparation. All added to his wealth. Shelby’s career brought him numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame and the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame.
In his personal life, Shelby was married several times. His first marriage was to Jeanne Fields, and lasted from 1943 to 1960; they had three children together. Shelby married actress Jan Harrison in 1962, but the marriage was annulled the same year. His last marriage was to English woman Cleo, who he married in 1997 and lived with until his death. After suffering from a heart ailment for a long time and undergoing a heart and kidney transplant, a race car legend died in 2012, being aged 89.
Shelby was involved in philanthropy too; he founded the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation, providing financial help to children with heart disease. The entrepreneur has also frequently been involved in controversies, such as his legal battles with Ford and several other companies over licensing disputes, including with Denice Halicki, widow of “Gone in 60 Seconds” creator H.B. Halicki, who sued Shelby for using the name “Eleanor”, the Mustang in the movie.
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