RIP Carroll Shelby

Editor's note: We've just received the sad news that today - 11 May 2012 - Carroll Shelby has passed away at the age of 89 after being hospitalised for pneumonia. Here is our story from Top Gear magazine published only one month ago, dedicated to a true automotive legend. 

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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.

Words: Pat Devereux

This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of Top Gear magazine