Shelby American Collection Museum

Hiding in plain sight in an office park next to a heating and cooling company sits the Shelby American Collection, one of the most extensive collections of cars associated with the automotive icon Carroll Shelby. 

Many consider Shelby to be one of the automotive world’s most important figures. After a brief but successful racing career, Shelby was the second American to win at the 24 Hours of LeMans. After he claimed the checkered flag in 1959, Shelby was forced to retire. He would have continued racing but heart issues meant that staying behind the wheel was a health risk. Two years later after his LeMans victory, he moved on to manufacturing vehicles of his own.

The Ford Motor Company hired Shelby in the early 1960s to design a car to compete in the market with Chevrolet’s new Corvette. Shelby and his team created Shelby’s signature car, the Cobra, in 1962. Shelby also helped create some of Ford’s GT40 endurance racing cars and variants of the iconic Mustang. Shelby’s designs helped Ford’s models achieve success in several auto racing circuits.

The Shelby American Collection displays more than 40 Shelby cars, many on loan from private owners and some of which are still raced today.