Carroll Shelby was a singularity in the automotive world, a man who changed the sports car market forever. But a closer look at his career shows that he was many other things: a salesman, a Le Mans-winning racer, the father of the Shelby Cobra, Daytona, and Mustang, the man who boosted Dodge’s performance in the 1980s, and even a co-founder of the Championship Chili Cook-off in Terlingua, Texas. As talented and savvy as Shelby was, he also knew the power of collaboration to make things happen. In that spirit, the business that bears his name has collaborated with a variety of companies to produce vehicles, parts (such as superchargers), and lifestyle items, including the Bulova Shelby Racing Chronograph I reviewed last year. Now we have a new item: the Randolph x Shelby Aviator II sunglasses.

LOOKING BACK

Randolph has a long history of collaborating with a different high-speed industry: aviation. Polish immigrants and master machinists Jan Waszkiewicz and Stanley Zaleski founded the company in 1973, and eventually set up their own eyewear shop in Boston. Five years later, Randolph became a subcontractor to the U.S. military; that joint effort led to the HGU-4/P Aviator for fighter pilots. In 1982, Randolph became a direct contractor. By 1991, it was making 40,000 M40 Gas Mask inserts a month for use in the Gulf War.

TIME FLIES

As Randolph puts it, “Over the decades, our styles have evolved to meet the needs of a broader audience, embracing contemporary trends while honoring our roots. Through in-house innovation and meaningful collaborations with like-minded brands, we strike the perfect balance between classic and modern, creating eyewear for those who champion individuality and strive to reach new heights.” Randolph’s most recent collections include eyewear developed with Erin and Ben Napier, stars of HGTV’s home restoration show “Home Town,” the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and optics company Gentex, and actor Cole Hauser, the co-lead in the “Yellowstone” spin-off show “Dutton Ranch.” The Shelby x Randolph Speedway Series consists of the Aviator II, Archer, and Sportsman models in four finishes and an array of colors. Each pair features Shelby stripes, Randolph- and Shelby-branded temple tips, and ZEISS lenses with LightPro Technology designed to enhance clarity and control glare.

TARGET ACQUIRED

As someone with a small collection of sunglasses from Ray-Ban and Moscot, I was curious to get hands-on experience with a pair of Randolph’s frames. For this review, I selected the Aviator II model for its lean, efficient take on the traditional aviator style. It’s available in four finishes that surround three nylon lens color options, all of which are semi-polarized and paired with corresponding colors on the white-striped brow bar and temple tips. The four sizes range from 52 millimeters (Small) to 61 millimeters (XL). I’m a traditionalist, so I opted for the very-Shelby Gunmetal & Le Mans Blue lens combo. Since my head is hat-shopping-is-hard big, I thought it best to go up a couple of sizes to the Large model (58 millimeters).

THE WHOLE PACKAGE

Inside the shipping box was a couple of smaller containers, each with Randolph and Shelby branding, that eventually led me to the Aviator II. The first one was a colorful box depicting a vintage car race. Within that box was a large black cleaning cloth with a white Shelby Cobra logo and matching racing stripes, use/care instructions, and a Z-fold brochure with information about the Randolph x Shelby line and blueprint-style illustrations of its various models.

Those smaller items surrounded a black carrying case with gray perforations. The inside of the case was lined with a gray microfiber that featured two black stripes down the middle and Carroll Shelby’s signature in black. The Aviator II’s nose pads rested on a curved support that matched the case’s exterior.

A CONCERN, NOT A COMPLAINT

The case snaps open and shut with a button in the middle of the top flap. Pulling up the part of the flap around that button can put a lot of strain on it, which has led to a few of my Ray-Ban cases losing their buttons and becoming semi-useless. I’m happy to say that that hasn’t happened to the Randolph case. I still worry that it might, though, so I’m slow and gentle when I want to pull out the Aviator II. Closing the case involves focusing pressure on one point that’s mere millimeters from the sunglasses inside, so I also make sure to use a light touch when I snap the case shut. So far, it has held up, but I would be more at ease if the case closed with a gentle magnetic closure instead.

IMPORTANT FIT

All the sunglasses I’ve owned over the years have taught me the various ways in which the wrong size can affect you: Too big, and they can constantly slip down your nose or look like gag sunglasses you and your friends wear in a photo booth at a party; too form-fitting, and they can be painful. I’ve worn these Randolphs long enough (and often enough) to know that the Large size was the perfect choice. Their width gives me plenty of coverage without dwarfing my face. The ribbed black nose pads stay put no matter how sweaty or oily my skin may be. And the temple tips hug the sides of my head with the perfect amount of pressure that keeps the frames in place and me comfortable.

HOW THEY LOOK

As I said earlier, I’m a traditionalist, so I thought Le Mans Blue and white stripes were just right for a pair of Shelby-branded sunglasses. Don’t get me wrong — the Black Chrome & Apex Gray colorway looks sleek and would go great with the all-black clothing that I wear when I shoot videos for the ClassicCars TV and Collector Car Network Media YouTube channels. But the majority of the time, I wear more colorful clothing, so the the Aviator II I chose was the way to go. They pair well with brighter, lighter summer clothing (which you wear almost all year in Phoenix), just like the Bulova Shelby Racing Chronograph. However, the longer I wore the Aviator II, the more I liked it and the more adventurous I got with it. I started wearing them with more rugged, outdoorsy clothing such as bluejeans and military-style shirts with epaulettes. Despite the vivid colors, the Aviator II is more versatile than I originally thought. Plus, they just look cool, which is what everyone looks for in a pair of shades.

HOW THEY SEE

Before these Randolphs came in, I was used to sunglasses with polarized or non-polarized lenses. The Aviator II’s ZEISS LightPro lenses are anti-reflective and semi-polarized, a treatment that Randolph states “Enhances contrast and reduces glare while allowing some reflected light to pass through.” Whether I’m in the metro Phoenix area or on the beach in Carlsbad, California, the Aviator II softens the brightness ahead of me and tone down any blinding hotspots created by the sun. Even better, unlike fully polarized sunglasses, they allow me to see the head-up display in the various press cars I test.

HOW TO SEE YOURSELF IN THEM

My experience with the Randolph x Shelby Aviator II sunglasses has taught me that yet another Shelby collaboration worked out well. The Aviator II is stylish, comfortable, and helpful. At $369 a pair, it’s also pricey but, now that I know what Randolph sunglasses are like, I plan on adding them to my collection. To check out the entire Shelby x Randolph Speedway Series of sunglasses, click here.