1955 Shelby and his co-driver, Phil Hill, drove Alan Guiberson s new 3-liter 750 Monza Ferrari (left) at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 13, 1955. For most of the 12 hours, Phil and I diced with Mike Hawthorn and Phil Walters in their factory D-Type Jaguar. 52
Eventually, the Hawthorn/Walters D-Type pulled ahead of the Shelby/ Hill Ferrari. But then, mechanical problems forced the Jaguar into the pits. This allowed the Shelby/ Hill car into the lead; they took the flag and were announced the winners. However, a protest was lodged and the Jaguar was declared the winner. Ferrari protested, but, after a week, the decision was upheld. Shelby and Hill were scored 2nd. In 1955, Shelby drove in four SCCA main events for Alan Guiberson in Alan s 4.5 Ferrari 375 MM. The first was at Fort Pierce, Florida, where he managed an overall 2nd. 1955 53
54 1955
Shelby drove his last race for Alan Guiberson at an SCCA National at Torrey Pines on July 10, 1955. This was my first in California. I pulled ahead after the third lap and was never challenged. A duel between Shelby and Phil Hill pleased the crowd, even though Phil was a lap down. More than 20,000 spectators saw Shelby win the main event, the San Diego Trophy, at Torrey Pines on July 10, 1955. 1955 55
After his win at Torrey Pines, Shelby met Tony Parravano (left) and his mechanic, Joe Landaker. Parravano was a contractor building houses and making millions, much of which he spent on Ferraris. Tony said to Shelby, I would like you to drive a Ferrari for me. Any of them, take your pick. We ll start with one race. After that, we ll talk. Okay? 56 1955
That one event was the Seattle Seafair held at Bremerton, Washington on July 31, 1955. The car Tony entered for me was a 4.9 Ferrari 375+. It had a long wheelbase and loads of power. The lineup included Tom Carstens in his Cadillac-Allard (left), Phil Hill in George Tilp s 3-liter Monza Ferrari (center), and Shelby (right). Also present were Ken Miles in Alan Guiberson s 375 Mexico Ferrari and John Von Neumann in his 550 Porsche Spyder. 1955 57
Two races were held that day in Bremerton. The first was a Seafair Preliminary that Shelby won. Then came the main event, the Seafair Trophy Race. When the race started, Phil Hill took the lead with me close behind. On the third lap, I passed Phil, but he stayed right on my tail for the rest of the race. When Shelby took the flag, Hill was 7 seconds behind. Ken Miles was 3rd and John Von Neumann 4th. 58 1955
Pleased with the Seafair results, Parravano asked Shelby to accompany him to Italy where Tony intended to buy more cars. While there, Shelby tested Ferraris and Maseratis for Tony at the Modena Aeroautodromo. 1955 59
While Shelby was in Europe, Hushke von Hanstein asked him to drive a Porsche in the Tourist Trophy that took place on September 17, 1955. The course, called the Dunrod Circuit, consisted of open roads in Northern Ireland. In this picture, I am in front in car #28. 60 1955
I was teamed with Masten Gregory for the 1955 Tourist Trophy. We finished 9th overall and 1st in class. On October 16, 1955, Carroll Shelby and Gino Munaron co-drove Tony Parravano s 3-liter Monza Ferrari in the Targa Florio. The Targa was the hardest circuit of all to learn as well as the most difficult to go fast on. In practice, Shelby drove the course seven times, covering a total of about 4,000 miles. When the race started, Shelby led and was running 5th overall when he stopped for a driver change. When Munaron took over, he crashed and they were out of the race. 1955 61
62 1955
Before leaving Italy, Shelby accepted a factory ride in a 250F Maserati for the October 23, 1955, Syracuse Grand Prix. It was his first time in a Formula 1 car. He placed 6th overall, which was a good showing. This photo is of the Maserati team pits. Masten Gregory (left), Tony Parravano (center), and Carroll Shelby (right) at the December 3, 1955, race at Palm Springs. On the first lap of the main event Shelby crashed the 4.9 Ferrari, but Gregory went on to win in Tony s 3-liter Maserati. For years, Masten was my closest friend in racing. He had all the guts in the world. I deeply appreciated his way of showing friendship. He was soft-spoken and very gentlemanly. I thought no end of him. 1955 63