Carroll Shelby honored with Keith Crain achievement award

Famed car designer Carroll Shelby received the 2011 Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday evening during the Washington auto show.

The award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the auto industry.

"I accept this award with all of the humility a person could have," Shelby said.

Shelby created the Shelby Cobra and has inspired designs for American sports cars for decades.

"If ever there was an icon in our industry, Carroll Shelby is it," said Keith Crain, AutoWeek and Automotive News editor-in-chief. "He has been the driving force behind putting power and performance in great American cars and thereby representing our industry throughout the world, both on the racetrack and the highway."

The two previous winners were auto-safety pioneer Ralph Nader and U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.

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