1968 SHELBY GT 500 COBRA MUSTANG RULED THE ROAD.

Sharrie and Georgia
with the Shelby 1978

I had owned my Shelby GT 500 for 11 wonderful years after my dad gave it to me for my 24th Birthday, but when someone in Laguna Beach offered to buy it, my husband Gene and cousin Chuck convinced me to sell it for $4,000.   

I called my dad and told him about the offer and he said, "Honey, since the car is rusting out at the beach, it's not worth putting any money into it so go ahead and try to get something out of it." 

Years later,  he said, he regretted his decision at the time, because it was now worth $50,000, even in the shape I sold it. I still kick myself for listening to Gene, Chuck and my Dad because it was best car I ever drove. 

Gene's mother gave me her 1969, competition orange and white Camaro for my Birthday, but it was a sad compensation for my Shelby GT500..... with the extra-big  engine, chrome wire wheels, whitewall tires, rag top and the Cobra emblem. The Shelby was a real muscle car and would remain top in it's class forever. 

Every time I saw my Shelby cruising around Laguna Beach, I felt someone kicked me in the stomach, but it was even more painful when it was shipped off to Hawaii and I never saw it again. The Shelby represented an era for me that was over. I was now in a new phase of my life and driving a hot rod wasn't practical anymore. Or so I convinced myself evermore.

Carroll Shelby at Barrett Jackson in Las Vegas, 09.

CARROLL SHELBY - A FAMILY ICON.

AUTO LEGEND, Carroll Shelby Dead at 89

Shelby helped tune a variety of Ford products, including the original GT40 race car, but soon lent his name to the most powerful Mustang models, such as the Shelby GT500 and 427 Shelby Cobra, some of the fastest muscle cars of their era. Read the whole story at..... http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/05/carroll-shelby-dead-at-89/

I first heard the news that Shelby died while reading my tweets Friday around one in the morning.  Besides feeling a personal loss, I knew my sister Donna, my brother Preston and my cousin Chuck Williams aka BB1, would be impacted by the loss of this automotive legend.  Here are the emails between the four of us on Mother's Day weekend.

Preston Williams

He had a good run though.....  Carroll Shelby made it to 89 years of age and was responsible for an exceptional big block Hot rod!!  That will live on forever.....well as long as we are here.  Shelby will be missed by family, friends and an industry that he truly influenced.  His memory will live well beyond his life as he has inspired generations of car designers.

We all should be so fortunate..... to be able to do what we love, inspire others to follow their dreams and realize our God given talent has made a mark!

That is a life of purpose and dimension and I hope that is who Carroll  was.  If so He really did it right !! 

I can just see him cursing in his Cream white Convertible Shelby 500, with those twin blue racing stripes, pulling up to those pearly Gates,..... he gives his Shelby-500 a couple of Rev's, just to let Saint Peter know he is home and to open up the gates..... as he passes on by, Saint Pete slaps him a high five and says "nice ride bro!! Welcome Home."

As Carroll pulls up to his Mansion, he's welcomed by all those who love him.  He steps out of his 500 and is embraced by God, who says..... Well done good and faithful servant, enter unto your rest.

But first let's take a ride.....  can I drive?

Carroll  Shelby RIP.

Donna Williams

Good one Preston!  Daddy will enjoy seeing him and showing him his Shelby Cobra..... which he probably has with him.

Chuck Williams aka BB1.

He was 89 and caught a cold that turned into pneumonia, his lungs were failing, they were filling up with fluid, he had a heart and lung transplant a while ago.....

He was the only American Manufacturer to beat the pants off of Enzo Ferrari 1964,1965, 1966, with his little Cobra with an American V8 "Ford."  The rest is history  that won't repeat itself in our lifetime anyway. 

Hey Cuz, Hearing about Shelby was a real bad day for the REEEEEL car guy------ME!.....  The Rip Chords circa: 1964 had one special song about  "The King Of All Cars."..... The Cobra, like the Beach Boys are sittin on top of the world  for ALL TIME!!!!!   FUN,FUN,FUN,   BB1     Love You Cuz.

Bill Williams Shelby GT 500
 after it crashed.

My dad gave me his 1968, GT 500 Shelby Mustang in 1971 for my 24th Birthday. I too have very special memories of Carroll Shelby and the best car I ever had.  Rest in Peace Shelby, you will be missed.  Check out the crashed Shelby story under archives on the side of this page.

Me with my dad's cousin, Bill Stroh's, 1965 racing Cobra while I was in Chicago in 1966.  Read the whole story under Bill Stroh in my archives.  

MAYBELLINE'S RACE CAR DRIVER - PHOTOGRAPHER - CARLYLE BLACKWELL..

Tribute to Hollywood Photographer, Carlyle Blackwell Jr and his collection of spectacular racing photos. 

The whole photograph (below,) first appeared on the
cover of Sports Car Illustrated in February 1957 with a
masthead that reads "Carlyle Blackwell shot this
Ektachrome of a pair of competition Jaguars booming 
through the night." Read the whole story at..... ArtTidesco blogs on all things motoring.

This photograph appears to have been taken in the 
studio by Carlyle Blackwell around 1956/57, when he 
was the owner of the red #18 C-Type XKC 007 which he 
raced between 1955 and 1957. The #54 D-type is thought 
to be XKD 531 owned and raced by J Douglas......Art 
Tidesco Blogs all things motoring.

Photo taken by Hollywood photographer and racing driver Carlyle Blackwell known to take pictures of both track action and unusual 'studio action. http://psychoontyres.blogspot.com/20...-531-c_11.html

Bill Devin and his 1953 Farina bodied 3-liter Ferrari Coupe....."This Ferari was Road & Track's cover car for July 1955. Although an attractive girl appeared with the car on the cover, I had asked Carlyle Blackwell (the photographer) if he wouldn't mind taking one with me standing next to it. This same car was driven by Phil Hill and myself at I believe the Maderia Race Meet in 1953. I held my own in the event I had raced, but Phil took a first in the Main Event."  Read the whole story at Bill Devin's Early Ferraris

Top sale of the event went to the 1956 Jaguar D-Type
Sports Racer at $3,740,000. Recently restored by Cavallo
Motorsports, chassis XKD-528 was driven by Ken Miles
and Carlyle Blackwell to victory at the 1958 Ponoma Six-
Hour Enduro and it retains its original, matching
numbers engine. The sale of the D-Type marks the third
consecutive year that Gooding & Company sold the
top-selling car of Scottsdale Auction Week.
Read all about it at Sports Car Digest.

Bill Polack seen in this photograph by Carlyle
Blackwell, confirmed as having to be at Pebble Beach by 
Bill himselfis known to have driven the car at least 
twice in 1956 during which time chassis acquired the 
nome de course ‘Stovebolt Special’. 
Read it all at http://www.psychoontyres.co.uk/about/

West Coast Spyder – Porsche 550
Posted on January 23, 2011 by psychoontyr5

My thanks go out again to Ed Arnaudin & Son for today’s photograph, Ed purchased this photo by Carlyle Blackwell of Jack McAfee in his John Edgar owned 550 most likely being driven to victory at Pebble Beach, a track I know very little about, on 22nd April 1956. Check out psychoontyres for whole story.

Piccoli Ferrari – Siata 208S

Posted on February 5, 2011 by psychoontyres (check out the whole story!

11Today’s photograph by Carlyle Blackwell comes from Ed Arnaudin’s collection and I’d like to thank his son Steve for sending it to me. Probably the most famous owner of a 208S was Steve McQueen who apparently replaced the badges on his car with Ferrari badges and called it Little Ferrari

It looks like Carlyle Blackwell Jr. loved fast cars, gorgeous women...and was himself quite a Renaissance man in the 1950s.  All I know is, he photographed some beautiful Maybelline ad's in 1949 and his style will forever be remembered in the Maybelline archives.

I feel a special bond with Carlyle Blackwell Jr, because my father Bill Williams, my cousin Chuck Williams aka BB1, my cousin Jerry Westhouse and my great uncle Tom Lyle Williams all owned, collected or raced some of the most outstanding automobiles in the world. Check out my past posts on these amazing men and their cars. 

                                                               
                                                                BEACH BOYS 409

MARILYN MONROE - CARLYLE BLACKWELL JR - BRUNO BERNARD.

Maybelline photographer Carlyle Blackwell Jr., Hollywood actor, race car driver and innovator of natural color photography in the 1950's.

Carlyle Blackwell posing Marilyn Monroe in 1952.

Black and White photos by Carlyle Blackwell, 1952.

Below are several pictures of Marilyn Monroe by Carlyle Blackwell Jr., using natural color, natural lighting and

                  Maybelline..... of course!!!! 

Carlyle Blackwell Jr. collection of Marilyn Monroe using natural light and color in 1953.

Below, Marilyn Monroe's pictures are  discovered by Hugh Hefner.

When 27-year-old Hugh Hefner launched his debut Playboy Magazine, with “Sweetheart of the Month” Marilyn Monroe gracing the cover in December of 1953, he had no idea that it would become a world wide success.  

The famous women of the 1950’s that appeared in Playboy Magazine include Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Tina Louise, Joan Arnold, Kim Novak, and Brigitte Bardot.

Playboy Magazines first centerfold in the 1954 Issue.click.

Photographers and artists like Carlyle Blackwell, Bruno Bernard and Zoe Moezert paid $50/hr for nude models to pose..... Many of their models became Hollywood Stars. 

t

Today Bruno Bernard is remembered as the man who immortalized and mastered the art of pin-up photography.  He has been called "King of Glamour" and Rembrandt of Photography.

His daughter Susan Bernard is in charge of his photographs.  His website can be viewed at Bernard of Hollywood.  Susan Bernard's book Marilyn Intimate Exposure is available on amazon.com.

Zoe Moezert 

In the late 1930's Mozert also became famous as a movie poster artist. She painted the poster for Carole Lombard's "True Confession", and the Howard Hughes film "The Outlaw" with Jane Russell.

My Dream Girl: A Collector's Guide to Zoe Mozert, by Norm Platnick and Rick Huisking. Twelve years in the making, this new volume attempts to bring together everything known about Zoe Mozert's printed works, 

Dolores Del Monte, March 1954 Playmate and The Maybelline Story.

Playboy centerfold Dolores Del Monte didn't even know that she was a Playmate until 1979. She used to pose for Bruno Bernard and Zoe Moezert and was glad she was  receiving $50/hour.

Dolores Del Monte, Miss March 1954 Centerfold.

Bruno sold some of her pictures to The Baumgarth Calendar Company, which in turn sold the pictures to a young man named Hugh Hefner

.

t was Dolores's son, Steve who found out when he was browsing the contents of the 25th Anniversary 

issue of Playboy. He called his mother from College and informed her that she was one of Playboy's first centerfolds.  For 25 years she had no idea what had happened to the picture she had posed for so long ago. Today she is a regular at Playboy Mansion parties. 

I met Dolores Del Monte last year at a book signing in Laguna Beach at the 484 North Gallery and found her story absolutely fascinating.  Imagine not knowing you were Miss March, 1954 until 1979.  She turns 80 this year and still is a great beauty with the longest eyelashes I've ever seen.

   

Delores Del Monte's story made me curious to see if any Maybelline ads were shot by these famous Hollywood Photographers..... Paul Hesse and Carlyle Blackwell are two I can document, however I'm sure Tom Lyle used a variety of the best, to capture the perfection he demanded. 

Check in tomorrow to see the final day of Hollywood's Glamour Photographers and.....Photographer and Race Car Driver Carlyle Blackwell Jr's pictures on the track.

PLAYMATE PHOTOGRAPHER, CARLYLE BLACKWELL JR.

Photographer Carlyle Blackwell Jr, used the Paul Hesse Studio in Hollywood to perfect his natural color photography.  By the 1950's brilliant color photography was replaced with natural color.

Actress/Singer, Frances Langford in the film So This is the Army, 1943. Photo shot by Carlyle Blackwell Jr.

Maybelline ad shot in 1947 by Carlyle Blackwell Jr.

Norma Christopher, Queen of the 1947 Tournament of Roses. Maybelline ad shot with natural color, by Carlyle Blackwell Jr. Hollywood.

Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc, 1948.  Shot in natural color, by Carlyle BlackWell Jr.

Doris Day, early 1950's, shot by Carlyle Blackwell Jr in natural color.

Jackie Rainbow, Miss September, 1954 Playboy magazine. Photo shot by Carlyle Blackwell Jr. in natural color.

Carlyle Blackwell is best remembered for his natural color pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Italian racing cars, in the 1950's.  Stay tuned the rest of this week to see Blackwell in action!!!!