Carroll Shelby Timeline 1962 to 1967
February 1962: What would become the first 260 Roadster is air freighted (minus engine and transmission) on February 2 to Shelby's SoCal shop. Shelby has a dream in which the name "Cobra" appears on the front of his car. "I woke up and jotted the name down on a pad which I kept by my bedside -- a sort of ideas pad -- and went back to sleep," he later said, "Next morning when I looked at the name 'Cobra,' I knew it was right." Once he receives the body, it takes Shelby and Co. less than eight hours to wedge in a 260 Hi-Po V-8 and Borg-Warner four-speed. After the build, Shelby and friend Dean Moon test drive the new Cobra, looking to bait Corvettes, but none are found.
March 1962: Shelby American begins operation at a shop in Venice, Calif. Shelby hires Ray Geddes, a Ford finance business school graduate to coordinate the program with Ford.
August 1962: Shelby American submits papers to homologate the Cobra as a GT3 car in the FIA. The FIA homologates the Cobra in the above 2-liter class for the FIA Manufacturers' Championship. In order to remain eligible, at least 100 cars had to be built within 12 months. When the car was approved only eight Cobras had been finished. Shelby contemplated switching the chassis and body to an alternative because of the continuing problems.
October 13, 1962: Shelby American enters the Cobra in the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix, its first race. With driver Bill Krause behind the wheel, the Cobra starts poorly, falls back, and then takes the lead at lap nine. The Cobra ends up breaking a rear hub and does not finish the race. The Cobra, however, is proven lighter and faster than the new Corvette Stingray.
January 1963: Shelby American signs Dave MacDonald and Ken Miles sign to drive Cobras and they place first and second at Riverside, beating the Corvette Stingrays. Miles is so confident, he pits for a drink of water and re-laps the Stingrays to finish behind MacDonald.
February 1963: Shelby's rivalry with Ferrari begins after a loss at Daytona.
June 1963: Shelby American completes its first 125 Cobras. Ford refuses to finance a Cobra Le Mans effort, so Shelby puts together a deal with AC Cars and Ed Hugus. The top Cobra finishes seventh.
September 1963: Shelby begins work on what would become the Daytona Coupe, because the roadster lacked the aerodynamics necessary to achieve 200 mph down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans. Pete Brock is tasked with designing it. Cobra production passes 170. Dan Gurney becomes the first American driver to win an FIA race in an American car, behind the wheel of a Cobra.
February 1964: Shelby American completes the first FIA roadster and the first Daytona Coupe. Both cars enter the Daytona Continental. Bob Johnson and Dan Gurney finish fourth in the roadster. Though the Cobra coupe sets the fastest lap time, it doesn't finish the race, thanks to a damaged differential, and a fire.
March 1964: Shelby American enters a 427-engined leaf-spring Cobra, chassis number CSX 2166, at Sebring, as a prototype. Driver Ken Miles spins off course in practice and hits the one tree in sight. The 427 test mule is repaired in time for the race the next day. For the first time, the Cobras beat the Ferrari GTOs. During the race weekend, Shelby meets with representatives from AC Cars and Ford to begin development of a big-block Cobra.
April 1964: Shelby American decides to go to Europe to race. The Cobras and Ford's new GT (later called the GT40) are tested at Le Mans.
June 1964: The Cobras and Shelby American win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Cobra is fourth overall and first in GT, beating Ferrari.
August 1964: Ford asks Shelby to develop a high-performance Mustang fastback to challenge the Corvette in SCCA road racing.
September 1964:
The first '65 Shelby Mustang GT350 race and street cars are built.October 1964: The prototype 427 Cobra is tested at Silverstone in England.
January 1965: The 427 Cobra is unveiled to the press. Shelby American moves its HQ to LAX. Ford turns its GT40 project over to Shelby American. The 1965 Ford Shelby GT350 debut.
February 1965: Under Shelby's tutelage the Ford's GT40 wins its first race, at Daytona. The Shelby Mustang GT350 also wins its first race in Texas. Shelby American begins production of the coupe version of the 427 Cobra Roadster.
June 1965: Shelby American and Ford take on Le Mans with two 427 GT40 Mark IIs, four 289 GT40 Mark Is, and five Cobra Daytona Coupes. The GT40s all drop out, while one Daytona coupe finishes.
October 1965: Shelby American proposes a special Hertz rent-a-racer, and builds a GT350H prototype.
November 1965: Hertz likes the GT350H and gives Shelby American a contract for 200 cars.
December 1965: Hertz ups its contract for GT350H models to 1000 units.
June 1966: The Ford GT40 Mark II finishes 1-2-3 at Le Mans.https://www.motortrend.com/news/carroll-shelby-life-1923-2012-timeline/
