Out of breath, moving slowly and deliberately, automotive legend Carroll Shelby, wearing his trademark black Stetson hat, raises his right hand towards the spotlights high up in the rafters and acknowledges the crowd’s applause. It’s amazing he’s here at the 2013 Shelby GT500 Mustang reveal, as he’s been laid up in a hospital bed, fighting his long-running health problems, until about an hour ago. But then, Shelby, even at 89, is amazing.

He’s been fighting the competition and the odds for the past 50 years, so yanking out his life support system to be present at a car launch isn’t unusual for him. It’s just business as usual  for the guy who has put his name, reputation and life on the line for cars all his adult life.