A prime player in the 1966 and later wins by the Ford GT40 was the motoring legend Carroll Shelby. in the movie Ford v Ferrari, he is played by Matt Damon. Shelby had the gig to built the Le Mans winner mainly because of his reputation in building the AC Cobra, an outstanding Californian production racer. Every US teenager at the time dreamed of having one.
One day, one such dreamer turned up at his workshop and said she wanted to buy a Cobra. It was a diminutive 17-year-old singer, Carol Connors who had just had a hit with "To know, know know him" and had a wad of money to burn. As Shelby told it in an interview, she took the car away telling Shelby that she would write a song about it. According to Connors, Shelby had promised not to charge and would be his guest at the Le Mans. Six months later the racing car anthem "Hey, little Cobra" hit the airwaves and reached number one on the charts before being swept away by the tidal wave of the Beatles. Shelby came good on his promise and Connors saw the historic win in 1966.
One day, one such dreamer turned up at his workshop and said she wanted to buy a Cobra. It was a diminutive 17-year-old singer, Carol Connors who had just had a hit with "To know, know know him" and had a wad of money to burn. As Shelby told it in an interview, she took the car away telling Shelby that she would write a song about it. According to Connors, Shelby had promised not to charge and would be his guest at the Le Mans. Six months later the racing car anthem "Hey, little Cobra" hit the airwaves and reached number one on the charts before being swept away by the tidal wave of the Beatles. Shelby came good on his promise and Connors saw the historic win in 1966.
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| As the music industry tarted her up |
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| With her Cobra and "Hey Little Cobra" sheet music |
Enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc6FmZCT0Zc&list=PLJrZSd1VE406KtRAIAORyruhK9U9IJDYf&index=5
Bio details at http://www.spectropop.com/CarolConnors/
Update: The Hollywood epic of Shelby's attack on Le Mans, Ford v Ferrari is running hot in cinemas https://g.co/kgs/wHqGyy It gives the Reader's Digest version of the next chapter of Shelby's career challenging the Steve McQueen classic Le Mans for visceral racing excitement. Try to see it on the big screen because the photography is pretty special. Liberties have been taken with the storyline but in the good cause of trying to capture the spirit of a fast disappearing era of American dominance.
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