Shelby keeps its sense of humor on car photography
Fortunately, Shelby American has a sense of humor when it comes to car photography.
The legendary after-market performance automaker is poking a little fun at itself after USA Today recently detected some doctoring in images Shelby released to the press. The company later said the pictures were released by accident.
New images from Shelby, though, are no mistake. Whimsically manipulated photos show the Las Vegas-based company’s 950-horsepower Shelby 1000 rumbling down a roller coaster track, parked on the deck of an aircraft carrier and jumping a row of cars … while disguised as a monster truck.
Considering Shelby’s legacy of blindingly fast cars, the doctored photos seemed believable to many. The pictures appeared to show the front wheels of the Shelby 1000 pulling off the ground — presumably from the car’s powerful torque.
But a closer look confirmed some altering of the image.
Shelby spokesman Scott Black, who initially told USA Today that the only photo manipulation he knew of was to correct for shadows, had to call the paper back after further fact-checking at the Las Vegas-based company’s offices.
That is a fake shot,” Black told USA Today. “That shot is not real. I am beyond embarrassed.” He explained that a photographer had done the manipulation but that he didn’t know why.
It’s a good reminder of why car photography requires the highest levels of skill, ethics and professionalism. Contact us if you’re serious about your campaigns.
