Even those with a passing interest in cars and car culture are familiar with the name Carroll Shelby. It’s synonymous with high performance and collectibility, and it would be difficult to find an American who couldn’t recognize a Shelby Cobra in a lineup.
Nearly everything Shelby has touched carries an aura of exclusivity that catches the eye of car enthusiasts worldwide. However, not all of his creations are genuinely collectible.
Shelby continues to produce a range of vehicles, mostly based on current Ford models like the Mustang and F-Series trucks, though it remains to be seen if these will become future collectibles.
His ventures with Dodge in the 1980s are interesting but aren’t likely to break any auction records. Then there’s the Shelby Series 1, a car with rich historical significance, top-notch engineering, elegant design, and the performance to back up its aggressive looks.
Yet, despite all this, the Series 1 hasn’t quite become a collectible treasure hidden away in climate-controlled vaults, out of the public’s reach. Still, the fact that it’s a Shelby alone is enough to consider it a potential classic.
This gives a solid reason to take a closer look at Carroll’s ambitious 1990s project. And there are plenty more reasons to think the Shelby Series 1 is bound for collectible status.
The Cobra—the most iconic vehicle to bear Shelby’s coiled-snake emblem—was originally derived from the chassis and bodywork of the six-cylinder AC Ace.
When Carroll Shelby paired up with a Ford V8, his Texas roots and American power were exactly what the British AC needed. The AC Cobra was born, and the rest is history.
The Shelby Mustang was also a collaboration between Ford and Shelby’s California-based Skunkworks. During the 1980s, Carroll partnered with Chrysler to create performance cars branded with the Shelby name.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that he and his team set out to design a car that would be a true Shelby product from the ground up. The result of their efforts arrived in 1999 as the Shelby Series 1.
Carroll Shelby’s legacy of teaming up with American automakers for power continued with the Series 1. Although it was a unique Shelby design from the ground up, the engine came from an unexpected source: Oldsmobile.
While Oldsmobile is often remembered as a brand for older drivers’ sedans, it has a surprising history of high-performance vehicles.
The Series 1’s engine originated with the Aurora, a car that Oldsmobile developed in an effort to revitalize its image in the mid-1990s.
The Aurora was a stylish car that did help improve the brand’s reputation somewhat, and its 250-horsepower, overhead-cam V8 was thoroughly modern.
Through his connection with John Rock, then General Manager of GM’s Oldsmobile division, Shelby gained access to this engine.
Shelby modified the 4.0-liter V8 to produce 320 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque, channeled through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels.
An optional supercharger package could bring output up to a formidable 600 horsepower. The standard model’s 0-60 time was clocked at 4.4 seconds, and it could reach a top speed of 170 miles per hour.
The engineering behind the Shelby Series 1 was top-notch. The chassis was made of aluminum that had been heat-treated post-welding to enhance rigidity, with honeycomb panels in critical areas to reinforce the structure.
High-tech inboard springs and shocks were used to keep the unsprung weight as low as possible, resulting in a chassis that weighed just 265 pounds.
Thanks to a near-perfect 49/51 front-to-rear weight balance, the Series 1 could achieve a commendable 1G of cornering force.The aluminum chassis was topped with sculpted bodywork made from fiberglass and carbon fiber.
While the interior wasn’t the car’s standout feature—the gauge cluster and HVAC controls were pulled straight from Pontiac and Chevrolet parts bins—the package of the Series 1 was undoubtedly impressive.
Since 2019, more than a dozen Series 1 cars have appeared on auction platform Bring a Trailer. The most expensive one, which had only 441 miles on the odometer, sold for $180,000.
According to Hagerty, however, the Series 1 may be on the rise in terms of value. Younger collectors are showing greater interest in Shelby’s custom sports car.
In simple terms, now might be an ideal time to add a Shelby Series 1 to your collection as its potential as a collectible is growing.