Carroll Shelby Cruise-in Celebrates 60 Years of Mustang, Shelby American

Held annually, the latest Carroll Shelby Cruise-In at the Petersen Automotive Museum was a special one for several reasons.

Carroll Shelby is a figure that’s quite literally larger than life, the rare person who comes along, changes the world – in this case, in more ways than one – and leaves an indelible mark on the world forever. We are talking about a guy who influenced everything from automotive racing history to the development of iconic vehicles like the Mustang, as well as having a hand in creating the GT40, which is still the only American-built vehicle to win Le Mans. Thus, each year, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles celebrates this automotive icon with the annual Carroll Shelby Cruise-In – but this year’s edition was a bit more special than most.

That’s because the 2024 edition of the Carroll Shelby Cruise-In was specifically designed to celebrate 60 years of both Shelby American and the Ford Mustang, which are obviously important milestones in the automotive realm in general. The Mustang Source was on hand for this special event, and while we were there, we were able to dive right into a sea of amazing rides – not to mention a variety of panel discussions from several famous folks.

As one might imagine, there were plenty of Mustangs from all vintages on display, ranging from first-gens to the all-new 2024 S650 model and pretty much everything in between. Many of those pony cars were of the Shelby GT350 and GT500 variety, with a sprinkling of Shelby American models throughout, fittingly enough. Then there are the GT40s, the Shelby Cobras, and, well, a few GM products even – this cruise-in was open to all makes and models, after all.

In addition to honoring Carroll Shelby’s legacy with this incredible gathering of legendary – and in some cases, quite pricey – machinery, the Petersen also hosted a Shelby Tour Day, which started out at the museum and weaved down some scenic roads to Orange County, touring exclusive Shelby-focused destinations along the way. Overall, it was certainly a fitting way to pay tribute to one of the most important names in not only Blue Oval lore, but also automotive history in general.

Photos for The Mustang Source by Derin Richardson

Join the Mustang Source Forums now!

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.