I predict Mr. Leno will still be remembered in motoring circles, long after his career in entertainment is forgotten.

As Rinsey Mills says, Shelby took one of his Cobra books and crossed the "AC" out and wrote "Shelby" over the "AC". As I have said in a couple of other postings elsewhere, Ol' Shel was obsessed with taking ALL the credit for the Cobra. To begin with, the Ruddspeed AC Ace, with its smaller grille and no sculpting around it, was the basis for the Cobra, and NOT directly the AC Ace-Bristol. AC did the original engineering to adapt THEIR sports car to the 260 V-8. Later on, when Shelby started fitting more and more powerful engines into the car and things would thus be over-stressed and sometimes break, Shelby American would feed racing data to AC, for its engineers to keep adapting the design to handle the ever-increasing power and torque requirements, which also included AC continually widening the wheel well flaring. Ol' Shel never used to mention that AC too did its own independent racing with Cobras at Le Mans and elsewhere, which also yielded some of the gradual improvements that were required to make the car so successful.Let's make one thing clear: SHELBY NEVER PURCHASED THE DESIGN RIGHTS TO THE AC ACE. Ol' Shel also signed, in his February 5, 1962 letter of understanding/contract with AC, that the cars would be "AC-badged" and marketed as the "Shelby AC Cobra". At first Ol' Shel abided by his contract, as AC boss Charles Hurlock was letting him have Cobras on credit. However, within less than a year, Ol' Shel BROKE his contract with AC by removing the AC logo from the original badge and putting on a snake badge. He was counting on the fact that AC was thousand of miles away, and that as they had tooled up for Cobra production, they would not cancel their partnership... as it would result in job losses at AC. I have read over the years how "generous" Shelby was in sharing credit. This may have been true of his Shelby American team, but certainly NOT when it came to his English partner, AC Cars Ltd. of Thames-Ditton, Surrey, south of London. Throughout the years Shelby was quite determined to take ALL credit for the Cobra and make out that it was an entirely American car. When in 1965 he won the World Championship, even Newsweek Magazine--an American publication--pointed out that Ol' Shel was not giving AC any of its share of the credit it deserved.In the the late 1980s, Ol' Shel told Kit Car Magazine that AC had been but a mere "SUBCONTRACTOR", from whom he had "BOUGHT SOME PARTS". Talk about EGO and wanting to hog all credit for a car that had TWO PARENTS. So many people consider Ol' Shel as some sort of Greek mythological god. He did a lot to put American racing on the world stage and I also commend him for fundraising for heart research...but he was no perfect being. Also don't forget that in the early '90s Ol" Shel, as The Los Angeles Times had pointed out, had tried to counterfeit 427 Cobra chassis, by getting Cobra restorer Mike McCluskey to make a batch of chassis that copied AC's welding techniques of the mid '60s, and then leaving them outdoors to become weathered so as to seem original...except that AC's records showed it had never built such chassis... As Kit Car Magazine pointed out, Shelby had been caught with his hand in the Cobra cookie jar. Ol' Shel thus did have good qualities, but he was no saint and had quite an ego.

How much more horsepower can we get in it? Semi-true Jay. The most true statement Mr. Shelby ever made: "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races".

I've heard of this book but I'm much more interested now knowing Shelby himself authorized this book and supplied a lot of information I never knew. Huge Shelby fan.

Auto Books in Burbank is the single best car book and model shop i’ve ever frequented. my Burbank bud Charlie and i have spent a fortune there. There are a few people in the world who made a mark in the world making something of lasting value, doing what they love their own way. Carroll Shelby is that rare individual

I was introduced to Carroll, in 1971 thru peterson publications the FORD Book, complete history of Ford, and the Shelby section showed me Shelby Mustangs. Two weeks later I saw a 68 Shelby GT 500KR in a used car lot, a week later it was mine, had a Dealer installed Cobra Lemans 427 sideoiler installed. I regret selling that car every day since.

I went to Shelby America in Vegas and the Tour Guide also told me the Cobra was painted many colors the Blue one that sits in there building unrestored is the car that was painted. I never got to meet the guy but I'm a Ford guy and have had many Mustangs over the years, I wish I got to meet him, as for you Mr Jay Leno, I have meet you at Bob's Big Boy a few times.

Great interview! Thanks for getting this man in front of a camera and telling of Carroll Shelby and what's in his new book. I too will go down to the store and buy a copy.

I will by this book, Shelby was a great man that achived a lot

R.I.P. Carroll Shelby

This was an excellent interview.

R.I.P. Carroll Shelby.

Jay leno for president!

Thanks Jay!

carroll shelby made american car performance what it is today!! many of the most iconic american super cars have shelby's hand in their production like the cobra, daytona, gt40, mustang, viper, and ford gt... r.i.p. and thank you for keeping speed in american motoring!!

Love reading car books, thanks.

Shelby has an interview on youtube where he even said he painted that first car a few different colors for magazine shoots because he only ha done available.

Very Nice Video!

I have been trying to get that book 'go like hell'. It has been selling out for quite a while, and it seems to be a good book. The author spent some time with shelby and found out that his daily driver was a carbon fiber cobra. That guy was very smart, and he was a major part in the automotive community. Whether mcnamara likes it or not, his cars were good products, and he was the first to do stuff like yenko, saleen, and more. RIP.

hell yeah TEXAS!!! Shelby and Hennessey!

What's the old adage, "never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

If you pause at 0:01 and look at it out of context, the guy on the right looks hilariously nervous and paranoid, lol.

Someone was pissed off at ths end lol

looks like a good read!

Is that a 03/04 Saleen in the upper right background? I own a 2003 Saleen and wish Jay would do an episode on them or the terminator cobra!

After I heard about the different color thing being false I decided I want this book

The Shelby Series 1 was a great car! Only ground up Shelby ever made too..

Cobra awesome car!!! Cuda Man.

The web is really something....he's a very smart guy knows. The truth...

He didn't just make them faster he made them handle they way they should good or great....I drove a 633 BMW new test drive went right over to dodge 1987 100feet further up the highway drive Daytona turbo car(non Shelby one)it almost wrapped its self around a pole because Dodge forgot something,jump in the good looking Shelby turbo charger 2.2 and was better ride and better hp on tap and more fun easier to drive...and learned right there how much influence he had and how important he was,proof was in the putting...THANKS

i live a block away from that bookstore lol

Look at the poster in the backround of the red GT.. is that taken from GT5?

Actually, after a quick search I think it's a Delta Integrale.

Watching the edits...... This interveiw must have been 2 hours long.

Carroll Shelby has his name on the best damm Chili mix kit also. I use it with the gammyest deer meat in the world.northen Wisconsin forest. just south of Iron Mountain. That's where Detroit get's the steel from to build all them cars.

I believe it's the Fiesta-derived Ford Shogun

What is that behind the GT?

Since he doesn't have one of those and given the fact that the car in the picture is too short and have too steep of an angle on the hood, the fenders are too flared, it's missing a set of doors etc, I find that unlikely.

You forgot about Australian Jack Brabham

RIP carrol shelby

The buzzing light is really annoying.....

Mr. Leno, Please design a car or two, that the average guy can afford to buy and maintain. Plz & Tnks John Koh Kong, Cambodia

Sounds like he grew up next door to Alfred Hitchcock.

If people watched less TV and read more books, the world would be better educated. KZfaq can be as addictive!

All entrepreneurs are like that

Its sad, that people sees only good side of person.

2021 anyone? Im probably the last one lol

No, it isn't. It's the SHOgun.

160 or 170 not 200mph lol

No tv is a good thing.

As usual, here Jay attempts to pry those indelible humanistic traits out of another snob.....

GTFO dude do you know how much money it takes to run 200mph let me break it down for you a Complete System $8,495.00 ok add on a transmission and a custom block with all the Engine Internals your way over $10,000 and i never say a Hennessey powered/ mustang run 200mph i say the Hennessey powered FORD GT do that at the texas mile