Originally named the Shelby Heart Fund, the Children's Foundation has become a center piece of Shelby's life. Golf tournaments, autograph signings, cruises, donations and a percentage of the profits of the continuation 427 Cobras have been the primary fund raisers. Carroll's vision of building one more ultimate performance car was heard at Chrysler and the Viper was developed with Shelby serving as the inspiration. He drove it as the pace car at the Indianapolis 500, the second time he was chosen by Chrysler for that honor. If there were 33 like cars back of him, he would have probably not pulled into the pit lane.
Timing is important in life and in automobiles.
AC Cars of England had lost their supplier of engines and Ford Motor Company had a brand-new engine with only a Falcon to put it in. Shelby massaged both sides into sending him samples of their product and he married them together. Born was the Cobra. So fast that they won the FIA Manufacturers Grand Touring World Championship in 1965, the only American car company to ever do so. Henry Ford II had determined that he wanted to win the Le Mans 24-hour race for the Ford Motor Company.