The legendary icon of all that is known today in Mustang and Ford performance has past away at the age of 89. He past last night in a hospital near his home in Texas of complications from pneumonia.

There has been so much written in the past decades about Carroll Shelby and his 50 years of building go-fast Fords, and likely will be in the coming days.

We here at www.TheMustangNews.com can only share our own thoughts on the man and what he has meant to us. In the seven years we have been publishing and writing Mustang news, Carroll Shelby came back onto the scene in a way we never dreamed of.

When the new Shelby GT-500 came in 2006 as a 2007 model, as well as the Shelby GT-H cars it was a new chapter in the Mustang and Ford realm. Enthusiasts welcomed Carroll and his product brand back with open arms. His fiery and wily character brought life back to the enthusiasts that had been lacking for some time.

His influence on us and what we do is incalculable. Just look at the topic tags box to the right to see what a large part of our years of content here the name Shelby is part of.

We will leave the historical record to others. But we will say that Carroll Shelby’s influence upon our hobby, our cars and how we see them will always be in our hearts and minds as the snake shall no doubt live on.

His company Shelby American has long been groomed to take the torch as he had planned on passing on long ago many who know him will tell you. To his family and friends who know the man beyond his cars and legend, our thoughts are with you.