Today (January 11) is racing legend Carroll Shelby’s 85th birthday. Although mostly known for his hopped up Mustangs, AC Cobras and cowboy hat, his racing contract with Ford ended in 1967. For the 1968 season, he helped prepare three Toyota 2000GTs for competition in SCCA C-production class.
Unfortunately, Toyota discontinued the program after just one year. In that year, however, the cars Toyotas racked up a slew of podium finishes and ended the season second in points only to long-established Porsche.
We will be featuring the #23 car in the Spring 2008 premiere issue of Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine. Click here for more images from our Monterey Historics gallery. Happy birthday, Mr. Shelby!