Each year, the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance honors a true leader in the
automotive industry for their commitment and contribution to the automobile
world and automotive business endeavors.

At the 6th Annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance, we are honored to present the Automotive Lifetime Achievement Award to Carroll Shelby, an automotive icon.

Having been a race driver, team owner, designer, engineer, manufacturer and consultant over the course of the past 50 years, there are few individuals who have experienced the auto industry as Shelby has. One of America's greatest race car drivers, he is perhaps best known for founding Shelby American, the premier performance car company in the United States. Celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2012, the company has been at the forefront of automotive innovation since it was established by Shelby in 1962.

Born January 11, 1923 in Leesburg, Texas, Shelby attended high school in Dallas and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving in World War II as a flight instructor and test pilot. In the mid-1950s, he was a chicken farmer until his birds died from disease. It was at that point that a friend encouraged him to try car racing. His victories at the amateur level led him to become a professional driver.

Shelby's inspiration and vision have made him the force behind many of the industry's most beloved automobiles, including the Cobra, Series 1, Ford GT40, Viper, Ford Shelby Mustangs and the Ford GT. He captured three national sports car championships and earned a spot on the Aston-Martin racing team. In his driving career, he has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and set land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats. He is the only man to ever win Le Mans as a driver, team owner and manufacturer.

In addition to being named Sports Illustrated's Driver of the Year in1956 and 1957, his countless achievements in the motor sports world led to his induction into the Automobile Hall of Fame and the International MotorSports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Motor Trend named him one of the 50 most important people in the auto industry in its first annual "Power List." In 2008, he was awarded the Automotive Executive of the Year Award.

Edsel B. Ford II is a member of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company.  He was elected to the Board in 1988.  As a consultant to Ford, Mr. Ford is active in company affairs and corporate dealer relations.

Mr. Ford began his career at Ford Motor Company in January 1974.  He was named president and chief operating officer of Ford Motor Credit Company in May 1991 and elected a company vice president on December 9, 1993. 

On October 31, 2001, Mr. Ford purchased DaimlerChrysler Aviation and reinstated the company's previous name, Pentastar Aviation.  Mr. Ford is the sole owner of the aviation services provider, which is headquartered at the Oakland County International Airport in suburban Detroit.

In addition to Pentastar, Mr. Ford is the majority owner of Marketing Associates, a Detroit based marketing services organization and the majority owner of The Ryder Group, a golf tournament services company based in Farmington, Michigan.  Mr. Ford is a Board member of the International Speedway Corporation and is also the former Chairman of the Detroit Branch of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank.

Mr. Ford is very active in several charitable organizations.  He is the former Chairman of the National Advisory Board of The Salvation Army, Chairman of the Detroit 300 Conservancy and a board member of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and the Skillman Foundation.

Mr. Ford was born on December 27, 1948, in Detroit.  He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Babson College in 1973 and completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School in 1981.

Mr. Ford is the great-grandson of Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.  His grandfather is Edsel B. Ford, company president from 1919 to 1943.  His late father, Henry Ford II, was president of the company from 1945 to 1960 and chairman from 1960 to 1980.

Mr. Ford is married to the former Cynthia Layne Neskow, and they have four sons.  The family lives in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

Born in 1948 in Brooklyn, native New Yorker, John Staluppi started his life from humble beginnings. His father, Francis, was a hard working electrician who worked two jobs to make ends meet and his mother Millie was a homemaker.

It was the 1950's - the golden years of the American automobile. There would never be another era like it and John Staluppi was fortunate enough to have witnessed the innovation, imagination, and vision in the automotive industry.

Even though his father encouraged him to become an electrician, John was already bitten by the car bug. His father did, however, teach John the value of quality, hard work, family and friends. John went for the American dream and had the courage to do what he really loved – to be a part of the automotive industry in America.

He was rebellious and had a run in with the law in his youth, but was able to move forward in a constructive manner. First, he started out as a 16 year old mechanic. John was motivated and talented and soon became an expert in cars. It was at this time that his dad recognized John's exceptional drive and decided to help. His father took out a loan so his son could run a Sunoco station. John Staluppi is incredibly grateful to his father for his support and guidance during that time.

Through creative marketing, John was able to make this and other gas stations a success during an unprecedented expansion of service stations in the United States. With these successes and practical experiences, he was able to take a risk on a venture called Honda - an unknown name at the time. John Staluppi was, however, able to see its potential. Within a decade of hard work, he owned close to 20 dealerships and the Honda name took off in the United States.

His commitment to Honda during this time made him an integral part of shaping the automotive industry. Next was Hyundai, another solid success. The Hyundai investment showcased his business philosophy - to stay with quality franchises, focus on a particular market and try to get the best people.

Through all successes, John Staluppi always made sure he put people first. In fact, John is proud that there is a sign in all his dealerships that reads "Every visitor to our dealership is an honored guest in our home, every day, every time, without fail, no exceptions". This statement represents his commitment to his customers over the years.

In 2010, John Staluppi Automotive sold over 85,000 cars for over 2 billon dollars in sales and was the 8th largest automotive group in the country.

John Staluppi also expanded his interest into the yachting industry, since he had always enjoyed boating and sport fishing in the 70's and 80's on Long Island. John Staluppi had the motivation and character to succeed at anything he put his mind to. So he created magnificent Millennium Super Yachts, a line of custom yachts that is unsurpassed in creativity, beauty and speed.

However, John Staluppi’s successes were never just for him. He vowed that if ever really made it - he would help those less fortunate. He grew up with an intimate knowledge of people who have a tough life - and now he feels an obligation to help needy people have an easier life in some way. The list of charities and fundraisers that John is involved with is long. From Hospice, National Kidney Registry, to Make a Wish Foundation, John Staluppi says that each charity event keeps him down to earth. When a child hugs him for granting his wish (Make a Wish Foundation) or when he can provide state of the art wheelchairs for spinal cord injury victims (Darrell Gwynn Foundation) - John Staluppi says “I hope this is my legacy.”

The following are Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance's past recipients of the Automotive Lifetime Achievement Award.