By Adam Rubenfire, Crain News Service
LAS VEGAS (June 27, 2013) — Shelby American Inc., the automaking arm of Carroll Shelby International Inc., will consolidate its manufacturing plant and Speed Shop tuning center in a new flagship headquarters and factory a block from the famed Las Vegas Strip.
The 135,000-sq.-ft. facility—which will feature a museum, gift shop and factory tours—will be near the popular boulevard adjacent to the city's international airport. It is scheduled to open Dec. 1.
Shelby American President John Luft said the move to a more visible location will better prepare the company to go global.
"The decision to move operations into our new headquarters is consistent with what Carroll did many times in the past," Mr. Luft said in a statement. "Our new facility allows us to be more nimble and accessible to our customers, while dramatically improving production and operational efficiency."
Mr. Luft said that Shelby American expects the project to cost approximately $800,000 to $1 million.
Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, the ninth-busiest airport in the country, handles about 114,000 passengers a day, according to a spokesman for the airport.
Shelby American's 185,000-sq.-ft. campus near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is made up of five buildings that house various operations. The new facility will bring production, the Speed Shop and other attractions together.
"Consolidating our manufacturing and Speed Shop facilities under one roof will accelerate production while providing the flexibility to ramp up new vehicle models," said Gary Davis, Shelby American's vice president of production and R&D. "We carefully planned this move for minimal interruption of customer deliveries by setting up duplicate production lines in both locations during the transition."
Shelby builds three high-performance Shelby Cobra models in addition to modified versions of the Ford Shelby GT500, Mustang, Raptor and Focus.
This report appeared in Automotive News, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.