Shelby American Collection’s 11th Annual Holiday Gala

The 11th annual holiday gala for the Shelby American Collection will be held on 1st December 2007 at its museum in Boulder and promises to be a very special occasion. This annual event serves to honor Carroll Shelby’s memorable race history, as well as his legendary Shelby American Team of the 1960s and the automobiles they built. Among the racing heroes to headline the event will be Carroll Shelby, Phil Remington, Lew Spencer and Bob Bondurant.

The 11th annual holiday gala for the Shelby American Collection will be held on 1st December 2007 at its museum in Boulder and promises to be a very special occasion. This annual event serves to honor Carroll Shelby’s memorable race history, as well as his legendary Shelby American Team of the 1960s and the automobiles they built. Among the racing heroes to headline the event will be Carroll Shelby, Phil Remington, Lew Spencer and Bob Bondurant.

This year’s celebration takes on an additional dimension as it marks the 40th anniversary of the Shelby American Team’s victory in 1967 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The auto racing event is expected to draw a crowd of 400 attendees. One of the highlights of the evening will be the unveiling of an original painting by the automotive fine artist, Bill Neale. The painting will be sold during the celebration, with the proceeds of the sale going to the auto museum’s endowment fund.

Carroll Shelby enjoyed overwhelming success during the mid 1950s, earning him the reputation of being one of America’s greatest race car drivers. Sports Illustrated as “Driver of the Year” named him twice. Due to a heart condition, Shelby had to retire from racing in 1960. His retirement did not mean the end of his fascination with fast cars though. Shelby went ahead to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with Ford Motor Company. Sourcing talented individuals from within the aerospace community and making use of Ford’s resources, Carroll Shelby established Shelby American and created the legendary Cobra sports car. Some memorable wins for Team Shelby include the Grand Touring Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – both in 1965. The team won the 24 Hours of Le Mans again in 1967 after taking second place in the 1966 Le Mans.

The Shelby American Collection was founded in 1966 and is dedicated to preserving the Shelby automobiles and representing the history of the 1960s Shelby American racing team. This non-profit museum situated in Boulder, Colorado, is home to one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Shelby American racing cars. The exhibitions at the auto museum also include a number of rare, developmental and prototypical parts, historical records, race trophies, driver uniforms, crew uniforms, vintage models and artwork.

You may not have been invited to attend the Shelby American Collection’s 11th annual celebration, but you can visit and explore this unique museum which is open to the public.