A Guide to the Best of Southern California : CARS : Out for a Spin

Carroll Shelby--winner of Le Mans in the ‘50s, builder of the lusty Cobra sports cars of the ‘60s, promoter of chili powder in the ‘70s--returns to racing this month in the Palm Springs Road Races.

It will be Shelby’s first race in 30 years. And he will be the only driver in the history of the sport to race with a second heart. “They gave me the heart of a 34-year-old man,” says Shelby, 68, of his 1990 transplant. “So why shouldn’t I be able to do everything a 34-year-old man can do?”

Shelby, still building race cars and president of Shelby Technology of Gardena, will drive his personal Cobra 427 at the Nov. 22-24 event. His appearance will be shared with many cars and companions from his past, including 1961 world driving champion Phil Hill, former Formula One driver Dan Gurney and 90-year-old doyen Rene Dreyfuss, who began racing in 1922.

The Palm Springs Road Races, one of the nation’s brightest spectacles for fans of vintage racing, includes a banquet honoring the 30th anniversary of Hill’s title, an auction of collector cars and a concours d’elegance.

Shelby sees nothing odd in the comeback campaign of a car and driver combining almost 100 years of experience. “One of reasons I’m doing this is because these cars were built to race,” he says. “So was I.”

Race information: (818) 506-4661.