Carroll Shelby International announced on May 11, 2012, that Carroll Hall Shelby, a man whose vision for performance transformed the automobile industry, has died at age 89. Mr. Shelby passed away at Baylor Hospital in Dallas and the cause of death was not disclosed.

The legendary auto racer and car designer who built the fabled Shelby Cobra sports car and injected testosterone into Ford's Mustang and Chrysler's Viper, will not only leave behind family and friends, but a multitude of grateful enthusiasts who lives he touched, and will continue to touch for many generations to come.

One Shelby fan in particular sent us this note shortly after Carroll's passing and we would like to share it as he pretty much sums up what most us are feeling. He writes: What Carroll Shelby Meant to Me - by Rick Yates

Photo - Michele Hamer

More Carroll Shelby Tributes:
Carroll Shelby Remembered
The Iconic Man: Carroll Hall Shelby, 1923-2012
Automotive Legend Carroll Shelby Dies at the Age of 89
Carroll Shelby (1923-2012)

At a car show last week we noticed two optional factory accessories on a car that you don't see that often, if fact we needed to do some extensive internet research to make sure they were factory options for that make/model.

So now we're going to put you to the test to see if you know what these are.  Here's accessory number one located on the dash:

Here's Accessory number two located on the grill:

Need a hint?  You'll find the answers hidden here.

The excitement and buzz continues to build as Dana Mecum's 25^th Original Spring Classic Auction is fast approaching.  More than 2,000 vehicles and over 1,200 pieces of Road Art will take over the Indiana State Fairgrounds May 15-20, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Come Friday, some of the featured cars will hit the block that include the first 1969 Camaro ZL1 built, and the record setting 1968 "Speed Spectacular" AMC Javelin.  Saturday will see more racecars, especially significant drag vehicles offered.  Don "The Snake" Prudhomme himself will offer, from his private collection, the historic 1982 Pepsi Challenger Funny Car that he drove to a record breaking 250 mph. Then the famous rail that "TV" Tommy Ivo rode to flaming glory will be fired up and the bidding will start.  Fans and spectators will have a chance to meet both Don Prudhomme and Tommy Ivo, as they will be onsite signing autographs.

A handful of significant Yenko's will be auctioned, including a 1967 Yenko Camaro, and a 1969 Yenko Nova. Two L88 Corvettes will fall under the hammer, including a 1968 Convertible and the last L88 ever built, a 1969 Coupe.

Dana Mecum's 25th Original Spring Classic Auction is open to the general public with tickets available at the gate for only $15.  For more information go to www.MECUM.com.

Photo - Mecum Auctions

Profiles in History just announced that the Porsche from Risky Business will be up for sale at their mega Hollywood auction in July.  Didn't it just sell for $49K in February by the Volo Auto Museum?

This is the screen-used 1979 Porsche 928 used by Tom Cruise as "Joel Goodsen" in Risky Business. The Porsche features a 5-speed manual transmission, 16-inch offset 5-hole aluminum alloy wheels, a three-spoke steering wheel and a cork on cork leather interior. The car's exterior was originally painted green when it arrived to the set and was then painted gold by the production and pressed into use.

There were three driving cars used in the making of the film:

1. A 1981 automatic transmission car fitted with 15-inch "flat-face" 5-hole wheels, cork and brown interior and 4-spoke steering wheel.
2. A 1978 5-speed, with cork, brown and crème interior, rented only for one interior shot when the car was knocked out of gear by Rebecca DeMornay's character
3. The 1979 5-speed car going up for sale, again, which was shot primarily in driving scenes with wide shots where the whole car was in view.

Risky Business went on to become one of the biggest cult classics of the 1980s and helped launch the career of superstar Tom Cruise. In addition, the film exposed the Porsche brand to a whole new generation of future buyers. The car's odometer reads 102,755 miles, is reported to be in operating condition and estimated to fetch $40,000 - 60,000....again.