SHELBY AMERICAN tells the story of automotive icon Carroll Shelby. He started out from humble beginnings as a chicken farmer in East Texas and went on to become one of the winningest drivers in the history of American motorsports. A tragic heart condition sidelined his racing career.

Shelby reinvented himself as a manufacturer, creating the Shelby Cobra — The Cobra dominated American sports car racing from its inception. But Shelby’s goal was always to win internationally and beat Enzo Ferrari, who he had a personal vendetta against.

With his revolutionary Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, Shelby went out and won on the international circuit in Europe. Henry Ford II noticed Shelby’s success and hired him to run Ford’s new GT40 prototype program which was desperately trying to beat Ferrari at the biggest race in the world — The 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Ford/Ferrari wars at Le Mans would become the most storied racing battles in automotive history.