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Bank hosts Shelby automobile event: Cars in attendance include rare 1962 Cobra, 50th Anniversary Shelby GT350
Photos courtesy of LegacyTexas: More than 100 Shelby Cobras and Shelby Mustangs will be on display Saturday at the LegacyTexas headquarters in Plano. The event is free and open to the public.
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com
Car enthusiasts from across the state will be on hand this Saturday at the LegacyTexas headquarters in Plano for an exposition of more than 100 automobiles designed by the late Carroll Shelby, including more than two dozen from the 1960s.
This is the third year the bank has hosted the Shelby event, but this year will be special as it marks the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra's debut, said Ginger Kimbrell, the bank's assistant vice president. Three generations of the Shelby family will be on hand for the free event, which will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Aaron Shelby, an executive vice president at the bank and Carroll Shelby's grandson, said the event is a great way to continue to share his grandfather's legacy.
"It is amazing the number of people he touched through autographs, cars and people who were just touched by his story," said Aaron, who noted his favorite Shelby car is the Cobra 289. "I grew up with him as my grandfather and not as a car designer, but I knew he was special. However, I never realized how big he really was until I started going to some of the memorial services held after he died."
Aaron said his grandfather in his final years was concerned with ensuring his legacy lived on and his fans and followers would continue to benefit from the work he had done. Many of those fans are members of the Shelby Cobra Association of Texas and will showcase their cars Saturday. The family will have three or four cars on display from their collection, but the vast majority will be privately owned by fans throughout the region, Aaron said.
"We are going to have people driving in from Austin, Houston, Amarillo and San Antonio," he said. "About one-third of the cars should be 1960s Cobras and Mustangs, with the remainder being more recent Mustangs."
The 50th anniversary event is one of only 13 nationwide, and the only one in Texas. Plano Mayor Phil Dyer, who also serves as the bank's president, said the event is something for all Plano residents to be proud of.
"We are delighted to help bring the Shelby American Tour to North Texas and to host this extraordinary celebration of auto innovation," Dyer said. "This is a unique opportunity for serious collectors, as well as those who simply appreciate the Shelby tradition of quality, to get a close up view of some extremely rare Shelby models."
A handful of cars on display will be on loan from Shelby American's factory in Las Vegas, Kimbrell said. These cars include the new 50th Anniversary Shelby GT350, of which only 100 will be produced. Kimbrell said there may also be a Shelby 1000 in attendance, a 1000-horsepower Mustang which can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph.
LegacyTexas' headquarters are located at 5000 Legacy Drive in Plano. The free event is open to all ages and serves as the official kick-off to the bank's own 50th year of operation.
This is the third year the bank has hosted the Shelby event, but this year will be special as it marks the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra's debut, said Ginger Kimbrell, the bank's assistant vice president. Three generations of the Shelby family will be on hand for the free event, which will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Aaron Shelby, an executive vice president at the bank and Carroll Shelby's grandson, said the event is a great way to continue to share his grandfather's legacy.
"It is amazing the number of people he touched through autographs, cars and people who were just touched by his story," said Aaron, who noted his favorite Shelby car is the Cobra 289. "I grew up with him as my grandfather and not as a car designer, but I knew he was special. However, I never realized how big he really was until I started going to some of the memorial services held after he died."
Aaron said his grandfather in his final years was concerned with ensuring his legacy lived on and his fans and followers would continue to benefit from the work he had done. Many of those fans are members of the Shelby Cobra Association of Texas and will showcase their cars Saturday. The family will have three or four cars on display from their collection, but the vast majority will be privately owned by fans throughout the region, Aaron said.
"We are going to have people driving in from Austin, Houston, Amarillo and San Antonio," he said. "About one-third of the cars should be 1960s Cobras and Mustangs, with the remainder being more recent Mustangs."
The 50th anniversary event is one of only 13 nationwide, and the only one in Texas. Plano Mayor Phil Dyer, who also serves as the bank's president, said the event is something for all Plano residents to be proud of.
"We are delighted to help bring the Shelby American Tour to North Texas and to host this extraordinary celebration of auto innovation," Dyer said. "This is a unique opportunity for serious collectors, as well as those who simply appreciate the Shelby tradition of quality, to get a close up view of some extremely rare Shelby models."
A handful of cars on display will be on loan from Shelby American's factory in Las Vegas, Kimbrell said. These cars include the new 50th Anniversary Shelby GT350, of which only 100 will be produced. Kimbrell said there may also be a Shelby 1000 in attendance, a 1000-horsepower Mustang which can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph.
LegacyTexas' headquarters are located at 5000 Legacy Drive in Plano. The free event is open to all ages and serves as the official kick-off to the bank's own 50th year of operation.
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