Caroll Shelby Book Inspiring Retro Le Mans TV Series

Caroll Shelby needs no presentation, with the legend’s cars and motorsport history speaking for themselves. However, there are many details that may go unnoticed and this is where the American’s legend biography comes into play. Wallace Wyss, a Califronia-based auto historian, announced that his latest biography of Caroll Shelby is set to become a TV Series.

The book, “SHELBY The Man The Cars The Legend”, debuted in 2007. Last month Tony and Ridley Scot, the Hollywood film producers of films like “Top Gun" and "Gladiator" announced that they will produce a new TV series based on racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, targeting the fifties and the sixties period and using info from Wyss’ book.

"Retro is now a big trend in TV," says Wyss, "and some have speculated that this series could be like 'Mad Men on wheels.' I think, once the Scotts get into researching the subject at length they'll find there's some great stories to tell. I know from my own personal standpoint, I have evolved in my interest to where I am now a helluva lot more interested in the stories of the people--the engineers, the designers, and the drivers-- than I am in the specifications of the cars themselves."

Wyss isn’t sure if the TV series’ emphasis will be on the ‘50s or the ‘60s. “The most interesting era to me is the mid-'60s when Ford, a giant automaker, challenged Ferrari, a tiny automaker with more racing experience at LeMans," says Wyss, "but I don't know which era will be the main focus."