The Love of Cars: Carroll Shelby and the impact of “Ford v Ferrari”
The boys are back. After a first season that was so successful that even they were surprised, co-hosts Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall return for Season 2 of The Love of Cars, presented by Hagerty.
“It definitely exceeded all expectations for a number of reasons—primarily, we had none,” Kendall jokes at the start of the first episode since the end of Season 1 in early June. “It came together so fast (during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic) … We were literally on the air in weeks.
“The stars aligned. We were clearly onto something, because we got great guests, great material, and covered a lot of ground.”
It’s time to cover more. This time around, Bell and Kendall focus on last year’s Ford v Ferrari blockbuster film and discuss how a movie reaches the mainstream and impacts a market. Their first guest is Aaron Shelby, grandson of legendary car builder Carroll Shelby, who talks about spending time with his famous grandad.
“He didn’t talk cars when we were younger unless we asked,” Aaron Shelby says, and he asked a lot. “I loved it, as did my brothers … I’ve always been passionate about it.”
Aaron says his grandfather talked about pushing boundaries in order to succeed, and he joked that he learned a more important lesson when he managed some of Carroll’s properties and finances in the late 1990s. “I loved him a whole lot more as a grandfather than I loved him as a boss,” Aaron says with a laugh. “After a year, that was plenty … Some of these rules we’ve got to follow.
“He came in with grand ideas. He wasn’t so concerned on how to get there, he just wanted to get to the end result.”
Asked if Carroll Shelby could turn his cantankerous personality on and off, Aaron Shelby answered, “I saw a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff … When I was in the office or at his home, and he was yelling and screaming at someone on the phone, he’d give me a wink out of the corner of his eye. It was all an act. He knew what he was doing. He just liked to stir the pot.”
Regarding Ford v Ferrari, “I think he would have been entertained with the story, but like some of the more diehard guys he would have picked it apart. ‘Well, it really didn’t happen this way … They should’ve done it this way.’”
Bell and Kendall also interview Gary Patterson, president of Shelby International, who likely spent as much time with Carroll Shelby as anyone. Patterson was followed by Rob Nagel, stunt coordinator for Ford v Ferrari, who shared some of the planning that went on behind the scenes.
You’ll have to watch Season 2/Episode 1 to hear what they had to say. More episodes of The Love of Cars are on their way, so stay tuned.
