[Illusion]

The Texan who created the famous Shelby Cobra and uncounted other high-performance machines that have enlivened -- and in some cases revolutionized -- the auto world for 50 years, died Thursday night in Dallas at age 89. He had been hospitalized for pneumonia and his death was announced today by his company, Shelby American.

While perhaps best known now for his Shelby Cobras and Shelby Mustangs, his auto foothold came as a notable race driver. And among his enduring, endearing accomplishments as a car builder, Shelby broke the class barrier that had made European brands the elite in road racing.

Representing the proletariat, his innovative, now-legendary Cobras with their "crude" Ford push-rod V-8s gave the high-revving, overhead-camshaft Porsches and Ferraris a sour taste by winning the Grand Touring World Championship in 1965.

It was a prelude to a bigger win: the famous 1-2-3 finish in 1966 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans by Ford GT40 Mark II's he engineered, breaking Ferrari's domination.

Shelby's death was taken hard by the many auto industry veterans and auto buffs who knew him personally, or only via his cars.

"He was a great friend. We did some good things together," Lee Iacocca said Friday, lamenting the passing of his pal, and neighbor in Los Angeles.

[Azimuth]

Sad about Mr. Shelby. :(

My dad had a '79 Mustang Cobra, however it was not a Shelby package and didn't have any added horsepower just your typical 5.0. It was pretty though. Looked like this:

[Illusion]

The new 1100 horsepower Shelby 1000 is so hot!

[Azimuth]

I would give my left arm for one of those. (I'd need both feet and my right arm to drive, you know.)

[Pyramid_Head]

This is so sad, he was such a legend in the car world. I will forever be a fan of his 1967 Shelby GT500!