At Petersen Museum, a Rowdy Farewell to Dr. Go-Fast LOS ANGELES - The retired racecar driver Dan Gurney perhaps best summarized the life of Carroll Shelby at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wednesday: "He was a man of contradictions, kind on one hand and very cunning on another. Charming and mean, romantic and rough. A friend to many, and a foe to some. He loved cars, women and business. Racer, raconteur, chicken farmer, chili entrepreneur, heart- and kidney-transplant survivor, foundation head and overall rascal, Mr. Shelby in all his guises was celebrated Wednesday by a crowd in a tented event space on the upper levels of the Petersen. The event drew roughly 1,200 family members, close friends, casual acquaintances and fans of the cars Mr. Shelby produced, organizers said. The tribute began with a full minute of Shelby engines revving at 6:55 p.m, a practice repeated around the world at the same time. Army Sgt. First Class Rickey Cole of Irvine, Calif., brought his 2008 Ford Shelby GT500 to the event. Sergeant Cole took delivery on the car in Germany, where he was stationed. Hours away from military retirement, Sergeant Cole was in attendance Wednesday to pay tribute to one of his idols "and a legendary American." Sergeant Cole displayed a framed photo in his windshield in which he, his car and Mr. Shelby appeared. He said Mr. Shelby had gone out of his way to be welcoming during a stop at his Las Vegas headquarters, even giving Sergeant Cole and his friend bottles of Shelby-branded wine at their meeting. Dan Knisley of Camarillo, Calif., brought his 1969 Shelby GT500 to the event. Mr. Knisley is the original owner of his unrestored car, which he bought after totaling his 1963 289 Cobra. The Shelby's odometer reads 132,000 miles, a testament to the cross-country trips Mr. Knisley has taken in the car. A member of the Cobra Owners Club, he had answered the Petersen's call to bring Shelby cars to the event. Present at the ensuing program of speeches were the former Ford and Chrysler executive Lee Iacocca as well as the racecar drivers Bob Bondurant, Parnelli Jones, Phil Remington and Don Prudhomme. Jay Leno, serving as the event's emcee, introduced Edsel Ford II, who said the relationship between his family and Mr. Shelby began 60 years ago - 10 years before Mr. Shelby would build his Cobra with a Ford V-8 engine in it - when Mr. Shelby raced a Ford-powered hot rod in 1952. Little was off-limits, as the majority of speakers related tales of racing mishaps and Mr. Shelby's reputation to sue first, ask questions later. Perhaps the evening's most poignant moment came from Leah Smith, a heart-transplant survivor and friend of Mr. Shelby. Ms. Smith said that it was only through Shelby's foundation, which provides financial support to families of children who require heart transplants, that she was alive. Ms. Smith received her transplant when she was 11 days old. Meanwhile, 3,000 miles from Wilshire Boulevard, more than 400 Shelby cars are expected in Carlisle, Penn., in conjunction with the Carlisle Ford Nationals, which is billed as the world's largest gathering of Ford vehicles. Tributes to Mr. Shelby will continue throughout the year. Another large gathering is planned during the collector car festivities surrounding the Pebble Beach Concours d"Élégance, held on the Monterey Peninsula in California.