If you’ve watched Ford v Ferrari or are a fan of American muscle cars, it’s very likely you’ll know that Carroll Shelby was an important part of Ford’s performance car history.
Not only did he help refine the GT40 which went on to win Le Mans, but Shelby Mustangs such as the GT350 and GT500 were always seen as the pinnacle of the high-horsepower pony car fleet.
While Shelby passed away in 2012, his brand Shelby American continued on and remained associated with Ford until recent years, having only recently been phased out of the model lineup.
That dissolution between the two brands has now continued, after Ford announced it’s renaming multiple roads within its global headquarters, the Henry Ford II World Center, which are currently named after Shelby, but soon no longer will be.
In announcing it will undertake a three-year renovation of the former Product Development Center (to be renamed World Headquarters South, new home of Ford Racing), Ford said it is renaming several roads within the campus to reflect its iconic products.
Though some of the existing roads aren’t named after anything – with Village Road becoming Mustang Alley, and South Pond Road becoming Bronco Bend – two stretches of tarmac named after Carroll Shelby are also on the chopping block.
The existing Carroll Shelby Way West, which acts as the ring road around the north of the campus, is to be renamed Raptor Way, while Carroll Shelby Way East will become Navigator Avenue.
Despite this apparent breakdown between Ford and the memory of Carroll Shelby, Shelby American continues to tune up hot Mustangs, utilising its long-standing GT350, GT500 and Super Snake nameplates.
Since Ford stopped using the Shelby name, it has created its own run of performance Mustangs, such as the Dark Horse, the Dark Horse SC, and the GTD.
Discussion about this post