2012 Monterey Motorsports Reunion to feature 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra

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There are always at least a few Shelby Cobras at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Monterey Motorsports Reunion, mixing it up with Shelby Mustangs and Corvettes, but for 2012 there will be quite a few more. Laguna Seca has announced that the Cobra has been selected as the featured vehicle for 2012 in honor of the car's 50th anniversary.

Like with the Ferrari 250 GTO that celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, it's likely that many of the other events during the Monterey Car Week will be honoring the Shelby Cobra as well. We wouldn't be surprised if the Cobra was also honored at the Quail Motorsports Gathering or given a separate class at Pebble Beach. Either way, if you're a Shelby or a Cobra fan, start making plans to be in Monterey next August.

You can read more about the announcement in the press release after the jump, or get a taste of what's coming next year with our gallery of Cobra photos above.
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MONTEREY, Calif., August 21, 2011 – Cobra, one of the most recognized and iconic names in the motorsports and automotive worlds, will be the featured marque at next year's Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on August 17-19, 2012. Today's announcement was made at the closing awards ceremony by Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca who was accompanied by the growl of a Cobra driving on stage.

Created by Carroll Shelby in 1962, the original Shelby Cobra quickly established itself as the dominant American competitor on the international sports car racing scene, narrowly missing the World Sports Car Championship in 1964 and winning the championship in 1965, a remarkable achievement "from scratch" against established European competitors. This success was prompted by a strong partnership between Carroll Shelby and Ford Motor Company. Shelby chose Ford engines to power his cars that consistently outperformed its competitors.

Next year will be the 39th year of historic racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Carroll Shelby was honored in 1997 at the formerly-named Monterey Historic Automobile Races®, and 2012 will be the first time the Shelby Cobra will be featured.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is an annual tradition that hosts approximately 550 authentic and historic race cars from nearly every decade of motorsports history. The cars are divided into individual groups according to age and engine size, and each one must be period-correct in their presentation.

Visit www.MazdaRaceway.com for additional information.

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