Carroll Shelby is a legend, but not everything he built was legendary. Case in point: the Series 1 roadster he designed and engineered in the 1990s. The car’s journey to production was fraught with complications and setbacks, with Shelby American eventually producing just 249 copies. One of them is currently up for auction at Bring a Trailer, which, as Car and driver—is part of Hearst Autos.
Cobra Connection
Just because the 1999 Shelby 1 Series, shown here in Centennial Silver with Maroon Red Metallic Stripes, didn’t live up to the ambitious goals set by its iconic creator, doesn’t mean it isn’t still great like hell Just look at the thing. Its resemblance to the original Shelby Cobras is undeniable, and the curved body is said to be extremely lightweight, being made of carbon fiber and fiberglass. The Series 1 had a claimed curb weight of 2650 pounds.
The Playskool-like interior isn’t as appealing. It’s actually quite embarrassing for a car that once cost about the same as a Ferrari 360 Spider when both were new. Close inspection reveals parts from a fourth-generation Pontiac Firebird; Look no further than the modernized gauge cluster, climate controls and door handles to spot the connection.
Still, no one who bought a 1 Series probably expected a luxury interior, or apparently one with cup holders or storage space. The roadster was also notoriously hostile to drivers over six feet tall, as the standard seating positions put the top of the windshield directly in their line of sight.
Developed by Oldsmobile
It’s a little strange to think that a car as expensive and performance-focused as the Shelby 1 Series would share an engine with a front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Aurora, but that’s exactly where its 4.0-liter DOHC V-8 originated.
Without the optional Vortech supercharger, said to be a nearly $20,000 add-on, the standard 1 Series engine produced 320 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. Sending that power to the rear wheels is a six-speed manual transaxle, and the eight-cylinder soundtrack was delivered through a Borla exhaust system with a set of prominent tailpipes on the rear part
In the year 2000, Car and driver icon Brock Yates reviewed a 1999 Shelby Series 1 that looks identical to the example currently up for auction. Despite mechanical glitches during two separate tests, the supercharged roadster shot to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and covered the quarter mile in 13.0 seconds at 112 mph. Its Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires, sized 265/40R18 in the front and 315/R18 in the rear, helped it achieve 0.92g of skid grip. All Series 1s also had race car-derived wishbone suspension.
However, its impressive performance and sophisticated chassis weren’t enough to make up for its other shortcomings, and Yates summed up the car this way: “The Shelby Series 1 is essentially an excellent concept, but it’s still a work in progress. ongoing. When all the bugs are ironed out, we’re eagerly awaiting another call from the man whose name appears on this interesting but as yet untested sports car.”
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Senior Editor
Eric Stafford’s car addiction started before he could walk, and has fueled his passion for writing news, reviews and more for Car and driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno-like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social media influencers make it seem, so he eschewed financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and working at a newspaper, years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and driver hired him His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28 and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.
