Inside Shelby American: Wrenching and Racing with Carroll Shelby in the 1960s Author: Visit Amazon's John Morton Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0760343942 | Format: EPUB
Inside Shelby American: Wrenching and Racing with Carroll Shelby in the 1960s Description
Review
“It’s almost as if you’re sitting down with Morton over a beer as he tells his tales without getting bogged down in detail or nostalgia. Funny, exciting and very entertaining. This book is a great gift for any Shelby or racing fan.” - The Virginian Pilot
From the Inside Flap
In the late 1950s, a young John Morton was transfixed with sports car racing. His dreams of competition eventually led him to enroll, in 1962, in the Shelby School of High Performance Driving. In a bold moment after the last class, Morton asked Shelby if he might come to work for the newly formed Shelby American. The answer was “Yes; here's a broom.” Thus ended Morton’s college career and began his long racing career.
Over the next three years, Morton would be a firsthand witness to the evolution of one of the most iconic sports car builders and racing teams of the 1960s. Shelby’s company overflowed with talent, from designer Pete Brock to fabricator extraordinare Phil Remington to drivers like Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Dave MacDonald, Bob Bondurant, and Phil Hill. The cars were equally captivating: Shelby Cobra, Mustang GT 350, Ford GT, Daytona Coupe. Morton’s story is intertwined with the memories of other Shelby staffers of the period to reveal the rousing, sometimes tragic, story of this famed group.
Morton eventually traded his broom for a steering wheel, racing Cobras as well as his own cars until he left Shelby in 1965. Although he and Shelby parted ways, their relationship endured as John went on to compete in a number of racing series. He remains an active historic racer today.
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- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Motorbooks (November 18, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0760343942
- ISBN-13: 978-0760343944
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Straight away, ratings are purely subjective according to reader's return for the purchase and time invested in the reading. Others' could well differ from my 5-star rating. That said, who can resist the piercing of Shelby's sanctum? Better yet, the culprit here is John Morton, that broom pusher turned Cobra 427 co-driver with Ken Miles. Fairy tales do come true. My pre-ordered copy arrived 3 days ago and I read it with the anticipation of a homeless' awaited Thanksgiving meal. After the initial pages I had to readjust my expectation because of its direction. Before I can get to the "dirt" on Shelby, I had to live through John's Growing Years and his American Graffiti moments. Once I realigned my filters and continued on, I realized this book is more about John's racing paths and less of Shelby. Perhaps the appropriate title would be The Journey of a Journeyman Driver, but then, would that sell? However there are enough printable snippets of Shelby's closet here, short of character assassination of an American idol. John painted a real time picture of sports car racing that fuels today's vintage events. He has masterfully chronicled Shelby's projects and introduced me to many unsung worker bees' contributions to Shelby successes. You want to know the scoop on how John got his FIA license at Sebring? It's here. Dave MacDonald's concerns at Indy? They are here. How John loss his virginity? Too much information perhaps, but nevertheless, it's here as well.
I've got darn near a complete library of every memoir written by drivers, mechanics, or owners printed over the last 60 years and most of them are quite good and sometimes, on rare occasions, brilliant. That said, they don't get any better than this book. I knew it would be a good read, but it surpasses all of my hopes. I've always known that John has a sense of humor, but almost every single page of this memoir will have you laughing- what a gifted story teller. I can't recall a more entertaining book concerning motor sports. John pretty much knew all of the famous guys associated with Shelby and he's brutally honest about the experience and the good and bad everyone goes through in life. His stories about dating, cruising, and generally having fun in the car culture of the 1950s sure does remind everyone of the good ol'days, something I'm a bit too young to have had. It's great seeing John, even to this day, still actively involved in vintage racing. You can sense author Sylvia Wilkinson's contributions throughout the book; they make a great pair and I'm glad they've been able to enjoy each others company all these years. Another huge plus is that the book is loaded with great and relevant photos, most from John's personal collection. If he tells a good story, he generally gives you a small picture of what he's talking about. Small is a key word, because small pictures allow for more clarity. I hate books that have the same old dry, overused photos in the center of the book, but you read a hundred pages before actually finding any photo that sort of fits the chapter, much less page. Not so with John's book. As of right now, I honestly don't recall a smarter job by the publisher and author when it comes to the quantity, quality and placement of photos.
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