SHELBY AMERICAN tells the story of automotive icon Carroll Shelby. Shelby started as a chicken farmer in East Texas and went on to become one of the winningest racing drivers in the history of American motorsports. When a tragic heart condition sidelined his racing career, Shelby reinvented himself as a manufacturer, creating the Shelby Cobra. The Cobra dominated American sports car racing from its inception, but Shelby’s goal was always to win internationally and beat Enzo Ferrari, who he had a personal vendetta against.

Henry Ford II noticed Shelby’s success and hired him to not only run Ford’s GT40 program, but also to beat Ferrari at the biggest race in the world — The 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Ford/Ferrari wars at Le Mans would become the most storied racing battles in automotive history, and Carroll Shelby was always center stage. To this day, Carroll Shelby is the only man in history to win in Le Mans as both a driver and a manufacturer.

Carroll Shelby came from humble beginnings working as a chicken farmer in rural Texas. He exploded into the auto-racing scene by beating all the top-tier drivers of the era and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959. All while still wearing his chicken-overalls. Carroll had a heart condition that nearly killed him, forcing him to retire from racing. He started Shelby American and assembled a ragtag team of hot-rodders to execute his vision of building groundbreaking sports cars like the Shelby Cobra. He also led Ford and the GT40 to multiple victories at Le Mans over Ferrari.

Shelby’s cars, driven by the greatest drivers in the history of racing, cemented his legacy. He is the only man in history to win Le Mans as both a driver and a manufacturer. And is still the only American auto-manufacturer to win the World Manufacturing Championship.

(1hr 59min) HD