Carroll Shelby’s quest for power and style was realized in 1962 with his first Cobra. Back then his main goal was victory on the racetrack, and he planned to sell a production version of his Cobra to finance his racing operation. Shelby wanted to beat the Corvette and win international racing titles that had previously been dominated by European sports cars.

His concept was simple — a small-block Ford V8 in an English chassis. The powerful, lightweight Cobra brought Shelby some much-deserved recognition. In 1964 Ford’s Lee Iacocca called upon Shelby to give the Mustang a performance image boost. The rest, as they say, is history.

The celebrated Mustangs designed by Shelby and produced by Ford are the subject of a new book Mustang Masterpieces from Krause Publications. Author Jerry Heasely has used photos of both original and restored Shelby Mustangs to tell the story of the fabled Ford-Shelby partnership that began in the early ‘60s and continues today. Fans of pony cars will enjoy tracing the history of Shelby’s designs and enjoy the hundreds of large, detailed pictures of the interior, exterior and engines of restored Shelby cars, from the 1965 GT350 through the 2008 models.

To check out the book online, or order a copy, visit http://www.krausebooks.com/product/1016/2, or call toll-free (800) 258-0929.