‘The Cobra Ferrari Wars’ broadcast in 2002 by the BBC, vividly documents the legendary rivalry between Texas chicken farmer turned American sporting hero Carroll Shelby, and the Italian automotive aristocrat Enzo Ferrari. Richard Symons's documentary recounts the origins and rise to racing history of the AC Cobra, the car conceived by Carroll Shelby. The film details the history of the Cobra and Carroll Shelby's racing career, from humble beginnings to the 1959 victory at the Le Mans 24 hours, with Roy Salvadori, at the wheel of an Aston Martin DBR1. The story goes on to explain Shelby's motivation to take on the might of Ferrari, with the help of Ford, and AC of England (who were then manufacturing invalid carriages), and why Carroll Shelby had to retire from racing. Carroll Shelby was closely involved in the making of the documentary, "I spent a whole lot of time with Richard on this and he’s really nailed it. Got all the right people, from Dan Gurney to Lee Iacocca. It’s a wonderful story and I’ve never seen anybody tell it better. I’m very proud to have been part of it."
