Shelby Mustang: Racer for the Street (Hardcover)

by Randy Leffingwell (Author)
Key Phrases: traction bars, fiberglass hood, product planners, Shelby American, Carroll Shelby, Henry Ford (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hemmings Muscle Machines, May 2006 “[Leffingwell and Newhardt] have collaborated several times before, and this is a very strong effort from both of them, with loads of excellent details, interviews and detailed original photography. There’s also quite a lot of history to set the tone, with extensive coverage of the GT40 and AC Cobra – which aren’t exactly Mustangs, but are useful for context. It’s even got a useable index, thank God.”

SpeedTV.com, Dec. 14, 2005 “Randy Leffingwell’s 186-page work is a quick read due in large part to David Newhardt’s fabulous photographs of some of the rarest Shelby Mustangs in existence, some from Carroll Shelby’s personal collection. You’ll probably want to put a clear plastic sheet over the book as you read, so you don’t get drool spots on the pages.”  

The Shelby American, No. 75

“You can never get enough photos – especially rich, color shots spread across a full page (and sometimes a page and a half) in a large format book. Or close-up detail shots of things you miss when looking at the overall car … This is where the book shines. To sum it up, this book deserves a place on your book shelf. After you have read the text and thumbed through the photos, you’ll put this book away, and then you will find yourself bringing it out six months later to have another look. And you know what? You won’t be bored.”

 

 

Product Description
When Ford wanted to add some spice to its new Mustang pony car in the mid-1960s, it turned to talented, colorful, and opinionated Texan Carroll Shelby, who was then building high-performance racing sports cars (Cobras) using a British body and a Ford engine. The resulting Shelby Mustangs proved to be the definitive performance Mustangs of the muscle car era.

Ford has recently released a new Mustang, the first truly all-new Mustang since 1979, returning the model to the spotlight. The most-talked-about and anticipated version of the new Mustang is the Shelby Cobra GT500, which Ford will bring to market in 2006. Shelby himself was involved in the development of what will be the most powerful factory-produced Mustang ever. This rich new history from award-winning authors Randy Leffingwell and David Newhardt traces the Shelby Mustang story from the early Shelby America cars built in a converted airplane hangar in Southern California to the 2006 version of the new Mustang.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; 1st edition (November 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760321175
• ISBN-13: 978-0760321171
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #612,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shelby Mustangs - they would have deserved better, November 17, 2005

By	Ronald Stephano "Ron Stephano" (Luxembourg) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Eagerly awaited - terribly disappointed when received! this is my short summary on this book!
The only positive thing about the book is the Amazon-price!
The text deals with Shelby's history, and that is quite acceptable for this kind of publication - but the pictures are a waste!. However, a book like this one should be all about pictures, I would guess.
David Newhard could have done better than taking about every second picture from the frog's (or dog's) view, or late in the afternoon with harsh contrast and mile long shadows, everything bathed in a yellowish light (didn't know there was a "wimbledon yellow" option in 1965!)
Not a single good shot of a cockpit interior or engine bay - instead superfluous details spread like a puzzle over the pages.
that brings me to the page layout - seems they tried to imitate current magazine layouts where everything looks busy and confusing with overlapping pictures. Most pictures are so small that one can barely recognize details that would identify different models - I have downloaded better quality pictures from the internet! Some shots have such a terrible contrast, that I question the quality of film or camera used. Several shots made me question whethere this was a book about the American West, showing large empy spaces with infinite skies, featuring minuscule cars at great distances..
With the jewels the authors had at their disposal - it is a shame what resulted, or at least what made it into this book.
The preceding publication (same authors)- 40 Years of Mustang actually has better Shelby shots than this dedicated volume!
Being a publication on Shelby Mustangs, I will keep the book in my library, but I will only use it to show people a bad example of a motoring book.
Another question: why did the publisher not try and make this book the same size than the 40-Years book - at least the two would fit together on the bookshelf...
Carroll Shelby and his cars would have deserved better!
All in all terribly disappointing - too bad I cannot rate less than one star.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRULY ENJOYABLE BOOK, December 7, 2005

By	M. Smyth (Rio Rancho, NM) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's truly a book for Shelby loving folk. I have shown it to friends and family and they can't put it down. They seem mesmerized by the photographs.
I like that it follows Carroll Shelby and his car building from the beginning, up to the soon to be released 2007 GT500. The many quotes from those involved, coupled with the great story telling, has given me a good sense of how these cars came about.
The gorgeous photography does a great job of covering these cars in phenomenal detail. I enjoy seeing the one-of-a-kind cars and classics in loving detail with great settings, lighting and color. It's a feast for the eyes.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history, great photos!, November 29, 2005

By	SweePee (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This book really captures the spirit of Carroll Shelby, his business, and his cars. The photos of everything from the early British racers to the new Shelby Mustangs are really shot beautifully...from interesting angles and perspectives, great lighting, great color.
The text is superb. If you've read Leffingwell's Mustang: Forty Years and Corvette: Fifty Years gift books, you know he has a knack for pinning down quotes from the people involved in a car's development, and everything from corporate memos and meeting minutes shed light on each vehicle's development and the obstacles overcome.
Carroll Shelby is one of the real characters of postwar American engineering. And the Shelby Mustangs are simply classic.

Really, pick up this book if you're a Mustang lover. I guarantee there's something new to discover.