Leon A. Smith The Shelby Cycle Co. owes much of its success to factory superintendent Leon A. Smith. In 1924, after stockholders abandoned the company mired in debt, Smith and 18 others kept the factory open and began to turn a profit. By 1925, the company was producing complete bicycles. During the 30 years the… Continue reading Inventor Leon A. Smith (1888-1972)
Category: People
Clarence “Whippet” Wagner
Clarence “Whippet” Wagner (1900-1936) Clarence “Whippet” Wagner put the fledgling Shelby Cycle Company in the news in 1927 when he broke his own transcontinental record, riding a Shelby Whippet bicycle. Wagner was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1900 and served in the 69th Balloon Company with the Army Expeditionary Force in World War I.… Continue reading Clarence “Whippet” Wagner
Shelby Cycle History 