ROAD SAVVYThe 1967Mustang GT500EleanorCMIn fact, Shelby wasthe only individual toinfluence the designsof all three majorAmerican car makerssince he helpedChrysler develop thesupercharged 400-hp,V10 Dodge Viper inthe 1980sunveiled at the April 1962 New York Auto Show. Itwas the fastest production car ever made and a yearlater, Cobras were winning over Corvettes at racetracks with fellow motorsport legends Dan Gurney andPhil Hill behind the wheel.In 1964, Ford president Lee Iacocca assignedShelby to design a model of the Mustang that wouldtransform it from “a secretary’s car” into a highperformancemuscle car attractive to young malebuyers. In 1965, the Shelby Mustang GT 350 waslaunched for both racing and the street, ushering inShelby American’s golden age on the track and inshowrooms.During this period, the 427Shelby Cobra Roadster and theCobra Daytona Coupe wereproduced. The Cobra DaytonaCoupe took first over-all at the1965 12-hour Sebring race.The Cobras won the Sports CarClub of America manufacturingchampionships from 1963 through1965. In 1965, the Cobra DaytonaCoupe beat Ferrari, on its own turf,the first time that an American carwon the Grand <strong>To</strong>uring WorldChampionship. Shelby also helpeddevelop some of the most soughtaftertrack and street Mustangsin history, notably the Shelby GT500.Shelby and his team wereinstrumental in developing the legendary Ford GT-40series that finished 1-2-3 at the 1966 Le Mans 24Hours, humbling the mighty Ferrari juggernaut whileHenry Ford II proudly looked on. Television personalityand car collector Jay Leno says that Shelby was thefirst American to beat Ferrari in Europe and he wasa lot like Enzo Ferrari since neither were trainedengineers, but they hired the right people and had thevision to create legendary sports cars. “Shelby wasresponsible for or involved with three of the coolestcars of the ‘60s: the GT40, the Cobra and the GT350,”Leno said after hearing of Shelby’s demise.In fact, Shelby was the only individual to influencethe designs of all three major American car makerssince he helped Chrysler develop the supercharged400-hp, V10 Dodge Viper in the 1980s,In 1992, Shelby was inducted into the AutomotiveHall of Fame. In his 80s, he continued developingcars, the last being the 650-hp 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang V8. The model he test-drove was soldfor $350,000 at a charity auction last January. Also inthe works are an 800-hp Shelby GT 500 Super Snake,a street-legal 950-hp modified Mustang and a racetrack version, the Shelby 1000 with more than 1,100hp. As Ford Motor Co. director Edsel B. Ford said, theautomotive world has lost a legend, “one of the mostrecognized names in performance car history… whoseenthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over sixdecades has truly inspired everyone who worked forhim.”(Sources: The New York Times, L.A. Times, MotorTrend, USA <strong>To</strong>day)YCMMYCYCMYK6 AQ MAGAZINE
CLUB NEWS81st ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETA bird’s eye view of members attending the 81st annual meeting.AAP Vice President Johnny Angeleswelcomes all the members andguests.AAP Director Nona Esquivel.AAPTHE <strong>Automobile</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Philippines</strong> (AAP) held its 81st anniversarycelebration and general membership meeting on April 26, 2012 at the AngBahay ng Alumni, University of the <strong>Philippines</strong> Diliman, Quezon City with thetheme “Driving forward in the Decade of Action for Road Safety.”holds 81st annualmembership meetAAP President Gus Lagman delivers his annual report.The AAP board of directors present with (left to right) emcee Ron de los Reyes and Corporate Secretary Nestor Mejiawere: Treasurer Jogy Mantaring (3rd from left), Vice President Johnny Angeles, President Gus Lagman, Directors JoeFerreria, David Arcenas and Aida Sevilla Mendoza. Not in photo are Directors Mina Gabor, Mandy Eduque and NonaEsquivel. The latter stayed with the audience on the ground floor.8 AQ MAGAZINE