Peter Brock’s Blog

Peter Brock

Peter Brock has become a blogger!  Sometimes referred to as the Energizer Bunny, Brock continues to delight us with his designs, insights and stories.

Now you don’t have to go to an event to ask Brock a question. He will answer your questions online on his blog, which will also make the answers available for all to see.  You may want to ask questions about a project or vehicle Brock has worked on, a person he may have worked with, a design, his photography career or a question on current automotive happenings on which you would like his opinion.

Brock may not be able to get to all questions but he’ll try. Brock’s answers may be in various formats such as a text response or as video. Often Brock will have something in his archives or in the shop he will share.

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May 24, 2019

Why did you feel it was valuable, and take it upon yourself, to develop a brand for Shelby like the creation of the Shelby logo, letterhead, business cards, apparel, etc?

7 Comments
As successful as the Shelby American operation was, Carroll didn’t really understand the potential of a viable brand using his name with his attendant racing success. Any attempt on my part to upgrade our initial “Shelby” or “Goodyear” merchandise was met with resistance because of cost. Shelby saw the advantage of promoting his name with “T” shirts but would only allow the cheapest materials to minimize cost. He didn’t understand that superior materials would last
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type 65 with peter brock

May 15, 2019

Why didn’t your Type 65 design have a ring spoiler? There’s none shown on your clay model.

8 Comments
The Type 65 “Super Coupe” was designed to replace the Daytona Cobra Coupe in 1965.  It had a 427 engine, modern suspension and a shape that would theoretically have allowed speeds well over 200 mph.  What it didn’t have was a moveable driver-controlled wing at the rear called a “Ring Airfoil” that was initially planned for the Daytona Cobra Coupe. Had the wing been used on the Daytona it would have been faster, safer and
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May 9, 2019

The graphics on the BRE Datsuns are legendary, and often copied as Nissan has with their new 50th anniversary 370Z that uses the BRE stripes and contrasting top and side colors. How did you come up with the design?

4 Comments
First, I knew I wanted to make the cars patriotic to America.  In the ‘60s it had only been 20 years since WWII ended and there was still some sensitivity to the Japanese, especially on the West coast. I wanted to make sure the cars came across as loyal to America so went with the red, white and blue paint scheme. Next, I wanted to make the graphics bold.  Keep in mind a race car
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May 2, 2019

Back in the day of Can-Am, the McLarens ran full length aerodynamic fences nose to tail. After that time, it didn’t seem that designers used full length fences. I have always wondered why. It seems like a good way to keep the airflow on the top of the car and not spilling off. Was it a rules thing why designers stopped using them or was there an aerodynamic or stability issue?

9 Comments
McLaren M8F with driver Denny Hulme The Can-Am era was a transitional point in race car design. The term “aerodynamics” as applied to racing car design can be divided into two periods: 1) low drag and 2) downforce.  Prior to the adoption of big American V8s for racing in the early Can-Am era, increases in speed were accomplished by the reduction of aerodynamic drag. The Daytona Cobra Coupe was a perfect example as the increase
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April 24, 2019

My thoughts on Nissan’s 50th Anniversary 370Z

1 Comment
Q: At the NY Auto Show this week Nissan unveiled a 50th Anniversary 370Z that paid tribute to your BRE Datsun race cars. What do you think of that?   A: I was over the moon when Nissan contacted us last year saying they wanted to pay tribute to the legacy of the BRE Datsun 240Z’s racing successes with a special limited edition 50th Anniversary Z.  We have wanted Nissan to leverage our racing history
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7 thoughts on “Why did you feel it was valuable, and take it upon yourself, to develop a brand for Shelby like the creation of the Shelby logo, letterhead, business cards, apparel, etc?”

  1. Pete, You gave Shelby American a brand image in spite of the lack of a marketing budget. Enthusiasts searched through publications for your merchandise ads and although we could not afford a Cobra, we could buy a t-shirt and proudly wear it until it fell off
    our backs. Then we would buy a new one!
    Your Cobra and GT350 logo design set a standard for the brand that stands for performance world wide today. When in 1967 they changed the Cobra logo we were upset as it cannot in any way match your design! Thank you for everything you did for Shelby American! We are indebted to you!

    Reply

  3. Hi Pete, More interesting insight into how it all came about. Info Re: Open House ???

    Regards, Elmo

    Reply

    1. Hi Elmo,

      The Open House is scheduled for October 12-13, 2019. We have a few new things planned that we’ve never done before, so we’re finalizing them now before we post the schedule on the website. Stay tuned!

      Reply

  4. Always interesting to hear the back-story from the folks who were there. At the time, Shelby’s view was only focused on winning, luckily other team members saw the bigger picture and worked hard to bring their ideas to life.

    Reply

  6. Carroll Hall Shelby was undoubtedly one of the luckiest men to have lived. I could be referring to the ideal timing of the Bristol engine ceasing production, Lance Reventlow closing down the Scarab program when he easily had the resources not to and the introduction of the lightweight Windsor V-8 all within a short period of time, but I am not. I am referring to the collection of amazing talent he had around him such as Peter Brock, Phil Remington, Ken Miles and so many others that accomplished so much in an equally short period of time. What a great piece of American history that the rest of us can be proud of.

    Reply

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