Petersen Celebrates Carroll Shelby and Ford v Ferrari, Jan. 26
‘Bruce Meyer’s All-American Cruise-in’ will feature VIP panel discussion about the hit movie and the early days of Shelby.
On January 26, Los Angeles’ Petersen Automotive Museum will host “Bruce Meyer’s All-American Cruise-in” with special programming celebrating Carroll Shelby and Ford v Ferrari.
The Petersen hosts a themed cruise-in every last Sunday of the month. This month, cruise-in attendees will see a wide selection of classic and modern American performance and custom cars with a massive turnout of original Cobras, Shelby vehicles, continuation cars and more. All American performance cars are welcome, but special parking will be provided for Shelby vehicles.
After the cruise-in, spectators are invited to attend a panel discussion moderated by Petersen Founding Chairman Bruce Meyer. The panel will feature several Shelby American VIPs who will discuss the Ford v Ferrari film’s portrayal of the real-life events leading up to the team’s unprecedented victory at Le Mans. Featured panelists will include designer Peter Brock; Peter Miles, son of racing driver Ken Miles; crew chief Charlie Agapiou; Carroll Shelby‘s grandson Aaron Shelby; driver Allen Grant; film producer Lenny Shabes; and A.J. Baime, whose book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans inspired the film itself.
“Each month, our breakfast club cruise-ins gather enthusiasts from every corner of Los Angeles for a morning of conversation, laughter and some truly amazing cars,” says Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “Bruce Meyer’s American Car Cruise-in will deliver all that and more with the addition of a special panel discussion about Ford v Ferrari and the early days of Shelby American. We can’t wait to welcome our VIP guests and spectators for this one-of-a-kind event.”
‘Each month, our breakfast club cruise-ins gather enthusiasts from every corner of Los Angeles for a morning of conversation, laughter and some truly amazing cars.’
Bruce Meyer’s All-American Cruise-in will begin at 9 a.m. on the third floor of the Petersen Automotive Museum’s parking garage, with load-in beginning at 8 a.m. Awards and auction will take place at 9:50 a.m., and the panel discussion will begin at 10 a.m.
Spectator tickets to the cruise-in are free. Museum admission, vehicle submission and admission to the Daytona Viewing Party are an additional cost. For more details, click here.
Bruce Meyer’s All-American Cruise-in Featured Panelists
PETERSEN’S A-LIST (clockwise from top left): Best-selling Automotive Author, A.J. Baime; Petersen Founding Chairman, Bruce Meyer; Cobra Daytona Coupe designer, Peter Brock; racer Peter Miles; filmmaker Lenny Shabes; historian, Aaron Shelby; Cobra Team driver, Allen Grant; and Shelby Le Mans crew chief, Charlie Agapiou.
Bruce Meyer (Moderator)
Bruce Meyer is the Petersen Museum’s first chairman, founding board member and founder of the Checkered Flag 200. A world-class car collector and Bonneville record holder, Meyer’s passionate support and inspirational enthusiasm have helped elevate the Petersen to its premier status. He is the quintessential car guy whose motto exemplifies his worldview–never lift!
A.J. Baime
A.J. Baime is the New York Times bestselling author of “Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans.” While writing “Go Like Hell,” Baime interviewed numerous luminaries from the Golden Age of Racing including Carroll Shelby, Lee Iacocca, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Lloyd Ruby, Mario Andretti, Bob Bondurant, Peter Miles, Edsel Ford, Piero Ferrari and numerous members of Shelby American, from official team photographer Dave Friedman to engineering extraordinaires Phil Remington and Charlie Agapiou. Baime also writes the weekly “My Ride” car column in the Wall Street Journal.
Charles Agapiou
Charles Agapiou came to the United States from London in 1961. Agapiou was a chief mechanic and crew chief at Carroll Shelby Racing Team during the team’s pursuit of the World Championship in GT cars, first with the Shelby Cobra and later with the GT40 program for Shelby American in conjunction with Ford Motor Co, leading to the team’s overall Le Mans victory in 1966. Charles now runs one of the most successful Rolls-Royce and Bentley service facilities in Los Angeles.
Peter Miles
Peter Miles, son of Ken Miles, was 14 years old at the time of his father’s fatal crash. Shortly after his father’s death, Miles went to work for his father’s friend, Dick Troutman, at the Troutman and Barnes custom car shop in Culver City, CA. In 1986, Miles joined Precision Performance Inc. where he started out as a fabricator, then a mechanic, before finally advancing to the position of crew chief. Miles was the crew chief for Ivan Stewart when Stewart won the 1991 Nissan 400 in Nevada.
Aaron Shelby
Aaron Shelby is the grandson Carroll Shelby. In 2016, Shelby was named to the board for Carroll Shelby International, the umbrella organization under which the Shelby entities operate. In this role, he acts as a brand ambassador for Shelby and helps to maintain its relationship with Ford Motor Company. Currently, Aaron is the Executive Vice President of LegacyTexas and operates as the Subsidiary Manager overseeing LegacyTexas Title, LegacyTexas Mortgage and Commercial Lending Group.
Peter Brock
Peter Brock is an American automotive and trailer designer, author and photojournalist best known for his work on the Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe and Corvette Sting Ray. At age 19, Brock became the youngest designer ever hired by General Motors’ GM Styling design department. In November of 1957, Brock drew the sketch which GM VP of Design Bill Mitchell picked to become the design of the Corvette Sting Ray. Brock worked with Mitchell in 1958 in one of the design studios, creating the prototype of the Sting Ray racer. In 2010, the International Society for Vehicle Preservation presented Brock with its International Automotive Media Lifetime Achievement Award.
Allen Grant
Allen Grant was part of the Shelby American driver line-up in 1965. Shelby hired Grant as a welder on the street Cobra assembly line and then as a fabricator and mechanic in the race shop. When Shelby learned that Grant had a couple of years of college under his belt he promoted him to production control manager, sharing an office with Peter Brock. In 1965, Grant drove for Shelby at Daytona, Sebring, Monza, Goodwood and Le Mans.
Lenny Shabes
Lenny Shabes is a producer, editor and director known for “Battle of the Supercars” (2010), “Overhaulin’” and “Marc & Todd’s Crazy Clips” (2013). For decades Shabes has been covering motorsports and the automotive industry and was one of the founding contributors to the Speed Channel. During his career, Shabes developed a close relationship with Carroll Shelby both on- and off-camera. In 2007, Shabes co-founded Torque TV, a startup OTT (over-the-top) digital television network for motorheads. He was both a board member and the director of programming through the successful sale of the company to The Enthusiast Network (now called the Motor Trend Group).
Photos: Petersen Automotive Museum/Kahn Media; 20th Century Fox