Carroll Shelby will receive the 2011 Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award

Famed car designer Carroll Shelby will receive the 2011 Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, Jan. 27 during the Washington auto show.

The award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the auto industry.

Shelby created the Shelby Cobra and has inspired designs for American sports cars for decades.

"If ever there was an icon in our industry, Carroll Shelby is it," said Keith Crain, Automotive News editor-in-chief. "He has been the driving force behind putting power and performance in great American cars and thereby representing our industry throughout the world, both on the racetrack and the highway."

Previous winners include auto-safety pioneer Ralph Nader and U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich