Massive Mustang Gathering Pays Tribute to Carroll Shelby
Who’s who of Cobra and Mustang examples gather at L.A.’s Petersen Automotive Museum to celebrate what would have been Shelby’s 95th birthday.
Among the many iconic figures in the automotive world, few names carry the weight of one Carroll Shelby. Fans around the world owe Shelby a great deal of gratitude for what he did not only for Ford’s racing efforts, but for the Mustang itself. So, it’s no surprise that when the Petersen Automotive Museum held a special cruise-in last month to celebrate the late Shelby’s 95th birthday, attendees filled the museum’s rooftop lot to capacity.
Of course, there were hundreds of Shelby (and a few non-Shelby) Mustangs and Cobras to drool over. This wasn’t a surprise, really, given the fact that Shelby American, the Shelby American Automobile Club of Los Angeles (SAAC-LA), and a few Shelby dealers helped put on the shindig. But the ties between the Petersen and Shelby run deep as well. Magazine magnate and Petersen founder Robert E. Petersen was a close friend of Carroll for over 50 years.
So, it should surprise no one that the turnout for Shelby’s birthday party was chock-full of amazing rides. Several of them belonging to famous names like Lynn “Mr. Cobra” Park. Original, tribute, and continuation Cobras joined a Shelby Series I and even a Sunbeam Tiger in attendance. Along with pretty much every model and year of Shelby Mustang ever built, from the originals to modern iterations.
As rabidly successful as Shelby’s 95th birthday turned out to be, we can only imagine what 100 will look like. You have to bet that the Petersen Automotive Museum will cook up something extra special for that important landmark. So, you might want to go ahead and make sure your calendar is clear for the month of January 2023!
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