In this 1965 film produced by the Ford Motor Company, Carroll Shelby himself tells the story of the Cobra and Shelby American. In Shelby’s manner of speaking, he’d call that straight from the horse’s mouth.

On May 10, 2012, we lost Carroll Hall Shelby at the age of 89. And a great loss it was for the automotive world, not the least because future generations will never get to experience first-hand Shelby’s mesmerizing way of expressing himself. Nobody in the car biz ever sold himself better than he did, and it was a key element in his success as an automotive entrepreneur.

As we often say here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, one of the great pleasures of the vintage films we present here is the opportunity to see and hear our heroes in action. As we witness them walking and talking, they come alive and reveal themselves in ways the printed page can never quite duplicate.

This 1965 short, entitled Shelby Goes Racing, tells the Shelby American history to that point and then launches into a report on the team’s ’65 racing season. We are treated to a fine personal glimpse of Shelby, and also of his key associates in the Shelby American effort that year, including Pete Brock, Ken Miles, and Dan Gurney. This is a big, hearty helping of American motorsports lore, and we know you’ll enjoy it.