Inside Shelby American

Book excerpt: “More than just a well-written telling of Morton’s early racing career . . . an incredible, no-holds-barred look into the goings-on at Shelby American.” —Classic Motorsports In the late 1950s, a young John Morton was transfixed with sports car racing. His dreams of competition eventually led him to enroll, in 1962, in the Shelby School of High Performance Driving. In a bold moment after the last class, Morton asked Carroll Shelby if he might come to work for the newly formed Shelby American. The answer was “Yes, here’s a broom.” Thus ended Morton’s college career and began his long racing career. Over the next three years, Morton would be a firsthand witness to the evolution of one of the most iconic sports car builders and racing teams of the 1960s. Inside Shelby American is his personal account of a company overflowing with talent, from designer Pete Brock to fabricator extraordinare Phil Remington to drivers like Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Bob Bondurant, and Phil Hill. The cars were equally captivating: AC Cobra, Mustang GT350, Ford GT, Daytona Coupe. In this book, Morton’s story is intertwined with the memories of other Shelby staffers of the period, revealing through historic photography and an untold perspective the rousing story of America’s most legendary racer and car builder. “It’s almost as if you’re sitting down with Morton over a beer as he tells his tales without getting bogged down in detail or nostalgia. Funny, exciting and very entertaining. This book is a great gift for any Shelby or racing fan.” —The Virginian Pilot