Customer Reviews

Shelby Mustang: Racer for the Street

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

This book contains interesting and sometimes unique information regarding the early Cobra and Shelby Mustangs. The quality of the pictures is excellent but many are taken from a long distance away and reveal little detail of the drivetrain and/or interior of the various cars. That said, the book is still well worth the read for the true Shelby fan.

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.

I purchased the soft cover instead of the hard. As long as you don't abuse, it will last & you can save a great deal.
The contents are very good in tracing the history of Carroll Shelby's "creations." Illustrations are awesome and the book is a must for Shelby lovers. I myself have a tribute 2006 GT350 modified with the features and appearance of the late 1960's Shelbys

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.

This is a book for true Shelby Mustang fanatics.
It is extremely comprehensive in its' timeline from conception of the first Shelby, to the latest additions to the Mustang family.
Once again, Mr. Leffingwell has captured the essence of automotive history.

Wonderful quality of text and photography.

And it is about the Mustang!!! Could not be a bad thing...