Meeting people is one of the things I enjoy the most about Shelby events. I guess that comes naturally as my grandfather Carroll was a genuine ‘people person.’

I witnessed his charm at various events and family gatherings, and while hanging out at the country club with him. He really liked to hear people’s stories, and he was interested in what they had to say. It didn’t matter what their background was, what their job was, how they knew him or didn’t know him, he was just a people person. He could relate to anybody.

Carroll Shelby is renowned for his racing victories and the performance vehicles that bear his name. But he left another legacy behind, a family one. That family line includes grandchildren keenly interested in preserving and expanding Carroll’s impact on the world.

Three of Carroll’s grandsons, Aaron (53), Randall (51) and Shawn (45), are active in various Shelby enterprises and the community. Their father, Patrick, was one of three children from Carroll’s marriage to his first wife Jeanne. The three brothers had an upbringing that immersed them in Carroll’s legacy, from the cars and the people to the larger-than-life stories.

I’m very proud to serve as the Team Shelby Northeast Regional Director, which includes 13 states and the District of Columbia. I became the Regional Director in 2016, when the torch was passed over a beer and a bowl of chili. It seemed appropriate given Carroll’s love of Shiner Boch and a good chili. Prior to that, I was the Pennsylvania State Director for a few years, and previously the official photographer for Team Shelby Northeast.

I attended RocktoberFest, which is considered the first formal TSNE event in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, during 2011. Since then, my wife Karen and I have attended numerous Team Shelby events, including a few of the Las Vegas Bashes, every East Coast Grand National and All Ford Nationals at Carlisle, Shelby related events at the Simeone Museum, many track days, regional breakfasts, and most recently an international trip to England to experience the Goodwood Revival.

THOUGH TEAM SHELBY passed an important milestone in 2023 as the club reached 15 years in existence, it took a backseat to a much more important occasion.

“It was the 100th anniversary of Carroll Shelby's birth, and we felt that the year should be spent celebrating him,” said Tracey Smith, Executive Vice President with Carroll Shelby International and also International Director of Team Shelby. “It was important to members that we honor Carroll in unique Team Shelby fashion instead.”

The list of events worldwide including Team Shelby is usually impressive and 2023 was even busier. The club officially kicked the year off with a Tribute Car Show at the California headquarters, the Petersen Shelby Day and at the Barrett-Jackson Auction. The next month, Team Shelby helped teach young people to drive manual transmission cars at The Cobra Experience. From there, it was a whirlwind of car shows, track events, banquets and celebrities honoring the man and his accomplishments throughout 2023.

Editor’s note:Vice president of Operations Vince LaViolette is cut from the same cloth as Shelby icons such as Ken Miles and Phil Remington. Since joining Shelby in 1999, the native Californian has been involved in every aspect of vehicle development and production at the automaker. His duties include production line management, R&D, new product initiatives and integration with Team Shelby activities. When Vince is not inside the production facility, he is the lead test driver for the company.

As an employe of Shelby American for 22+ years, I have experienced some of the most awesome cars and trucks in the world. I am privileged to test and develop current models, while also design vehicles that we will manufacture far into the future. It is so fun to take my talent of seeing a design in my mind and then manufacture it for those that love the brand, as well as newcomers who have never experienced Shelby.

Carroll Shelby enjoyed a long history with performance trucks and SUV’s. He experimented and built many, many models over the years while working with various automakers.

Shelbyhot roded and played with the Ford Bronco on his West Texas ranch during the 1960s, pioneered the mid-size performance pickups in the 190s and created the muscle trucks in the early 2000s. His company built a small line of high-performance full-size SUVs in the late 1990s and even unveiled a concept Shelby Expedition in 2004.

It's November 4, 2019. I'm standing behind the historic El Capitan Theater in downtown Hollywood and I'm about to hand Randall Shelby's Cobra keys to Christian Bale. But this is no back-alley deal: I just gave my friend Aaron Shelby's Cobra keys to Matt Damon, and Peter Miles is already behind the wheel of my personal Cobra, making the engine rumble.

It's not a set of circumstances I ever could have dreamed I'd be in, but here I am.

In March 2018, Fox Studios was moving closer to greenlighting a movie named “Le Mans 66” (later to be renamed “FORD v FERRARI” in the US market). The production team is lining up the innumerable moving pieces necessary for a successful shoot. The picture car coordinator (Sean) has come to meet with Superformance owner Lance Stander in our Irvine, California showroom and see our cars.

I first found my need for speed at a very young age, in a Power Wheels, and then on dirt bikes and quads. That was the start of me becoming a 4th generation car enthusiast, racer and certified welder.

I discovered my passion for racing cars when I was just 17 years old while on a trip to the racetrack with my dad. By the age of 21, I had appeared on “All Girls Garage” and had a Top 10 SEMA build to my credit. You can put me in a dragster, a Shelby Cobra or even a Honda because I can drive!

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