First Impression: Shelby Series 1

Carroll Shelby is known for taking Mustangs and British cars and putting big engines in them. Shelby took an AC Ace body and put a small block Ford V8 into the car and called it the Shelby AC Cobra. Shelby also tunes Ford Mustangs, calling them the Shelby GT500 and Shelby GT350, depending on what performance package goes into the Shelby tuned Mustangs. Shelby was also responsible for the two most successful American race cars, the Shelby Daytona Coupe and the Ford GT40.  In 1998, his company, Carroll Shelby International, built the only car produced by Shelby that was built from the ground up. What Shelby created was a high performing roadster called the Shelby Series 1.

I saw the Shelby Series 1 at the January 2011 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. This car attracted a crowd. It is a rare car, only 249 Series 1 were originally made, so it attracted a crowd. The Series 1 looks fast and fun to drive. It has a stunning appearance.

The Shelby Series 1 is powered by 4.0L V8 that could per optionally supercharged, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 320 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque. The car weighs 2,650 lb. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 170 mph. Prices for the Shelby Series start at $181,824. That is a hefty price to pay for American Muscle. The Shelby Series 1 is fast, but not fast enough to be called a supercar.

The Shelby Series 1 has been seen on TV while it was being sold at various autions. It has not been featured on Top Gear or Jay Leno's Garage. The Series 1 is playable in Gran Turismo 2, Gran Turismo 4, Test Drive 5, Test Drive 6, Forza Motorsport games, Manhattan Chase, Speed Busters: American Highways, and TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed.

Final Thoughts: This is a great American muscle car. It is fast, quick, stunning, but expensive. The Shelby Series 1 is the only car built from scratch by Carroll Shelby. All other Shelbys are either re-engineered models produced by other car companies and modified by Shelby. The Shelby Series 1 has a higher top speed than the famous Shelby AC Cobra. Only 249 were originally built. In 2000, component car versions of the Shelby Series 1 were built without an engine or transmission. Those who got one of the 249 original cars were lucky to get one.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone