The name Shelby is very popular among sports car enthusiasts, especially those drawn to the “muscle cars” of the sixties. Even though this name became increasingly common with the appearance of the Cobras and Shelby Mustangs, it took several years before it was associated with Ford.

After a successful stint at Ford (he was even credited with helping Ford GTs win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as depicted in the dramatized film about his life Ford v. Ferrari), Carroll Shelby was let go and followed his mentor from Ford, Lee Iacocca, to Chrysler (where I met him). After a few years, he had to leave the Chrysler adventure and start his own company, through which he created the Shelby Series One sports car. Once again, it was short-lived.

Back at Ford, Shelby allowed the company to use his name to identify Mustangs that were more powerful than regular production models. This time, the venture was more successful, and the Shelby Mustangs enjoyed their time in the spotlight. But, as the adage goes, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Ford recently decided to create its own high-performance car division, and… Shelby American found itself back to square one as a private and independent company. Except this time, Carroll Shelby is no longer around, he passed away in 2012. But his company lived on and is now headed by its president, Gary Patterson.

We spoke with Nicolas Lespérance, sales director for Shelby at Olivier Ford. Indeed, it's only at this South Shore Montreal dealership that true Shelby products are available in Quebec. You see, there are two sides to the Shelby name: the one used by Ford for its high-performance Mustangs, and the one representing the manufacturer that produces unique cars based on Ford products. And Olivier Ford is the only true Shelby dealer in Eastern Canada… in fact, Shelby Canada!

While Ford has only produced tweaked Mustangs for the mass market (many Ford SVT dealers have sold them), the Shelby group also markets modified F-150s and F-250s in its workshops. [Translation] “Cobra roadsters are made at Shelby’s workshops in Las Vegas or by Superformance in South Africa, as well as Cobra Daytonas and Ford GT replicas (along with replicas of vintage Shelby Mustangs!). The Canadian units, for their part, are completed by Shelby Canada just outside Windsor, Ontario.” according to Lespérance.

That’s why Olivier Ford has had, for the past three years, a large, impressive booth under the name Shelby Canada at the Montreal Auto Show. According to Nicolas Lespérance, there are more special car enthusiasts in Quebec than one might think. And even though the agency he represents continues to sell several Ford performance products (especially Mustang GTs and Ford Raptors), it also sells several specific Shelby products. In fact, he told us that at the Auto Show itself, Shelby Canada sold around eight vehicles, including a stunning Super Snake Speedster convertible. [Translation] “Easy, when the customer comes to us, they already know what they want! No need to explain anything,” he said.

Incidentally, all Shelby vehicles are sold with regular Ford warranties, and if Shelby’s modifications aren’t covered, then Shelby Canada guarantees them itself! If you’re interested in one of these Shelby vehicles, you should place your order now. Demand is high (Shelby Canada at Olivier sold around 25 pickup trucks and 12 Shelby-branded cars in Longueuil last year) and wait times can reach up to two years!