Carroll had long been saying that his ultimate plan was to produce his own brand of sports cars, and had likely already come to the conclusion that he would call it a career at the end of 1960. Yet at the finish of this race, tired and nearly delirious, he climbed out of his car and declared without question that he was done. It was an auspicious ending, as he finished the season as USAC sports car champion.
Ford San Jose Assembly Plant, San Jose/Milpitas, CA, 447 Great Mall Dr., Milpitas, CA
As you’ve likely guessed by now (just from the address), what used to be Ford’s mighty 1.4 million square-foot assembly plant from 1955 – 1983 is now an equally massive shopping mall. Its main connection to the Shelby story is that so many of the specially configured Mustang GTs that became GT350s and GT500s were built at San Jose.
Fortunately the mall retains a substantial amount of the factory footprint and structural girdering – there’s little question that it took considerable work and redevelopment to convert an automotive factory into a shopping mall. The good news is that the developers – which included Ford Land and Development – chose to preserve, and in fact recognize, the property’s considerable automotive and cultural history. Watch for a much more in-depth look at this important Ford plant coming soon to the Enthusiasts section of FordPeformance.com
Shelby American, Inc., 6405 Ensworth St., Las Vegas, NV
This is Shelby American’s current production facility, with offices, a design studio, Heritage Center Museum and a mega Shelby Store. No Shelby road trip would be complete without a stop, shop and tour of the Shelby American’s current epicenter. This massive industrial warehouse and factory property would pack several football fields inside, covering more than 125,000 square feet. All Shelby Mustang and truck assembly work takes place here, and the Shelby American executive and design team offices are here, too.