NEW DREAMS: The Series 1 was Carroll Shelby’s vision from the ground up
September 19, 2018
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham
Crossing the block at the 2018 Las Vegas Auction will be this 1999 Shelby Series 1 convertible (Lot #739) – a unique piece of Shelby history.
By most accounts, Carroll Shelby wasn’t one to wallow in nostalgia. Discussions about cars he’d built decades before, like how many 1967 Shelby Mustangs were painted red, held little interest for him. He was always plotting new business ventures, and wanted to talk about the next thing.
In the 1990s, Shelby’s next thing was the Series 1 sports car, and it took all of his considerable skills to get it off the ground.
The concept behind the Series 1 was, of course, evergreen: build an awesome-looking sports car, lightweight, powerful, with a sophisticated suspension. The Series 1 was Carroll’s clean-sheet attempt at manufacturing a world-class performance car, incorporating all the latest technologies.
But the automobile manufacturing environment of the 1990s had changed considerably since the early 1960s, when Shelby melded a Ford V8 with an AC body and put his name on it. The regulatory hurdles were much higher, for one thing. Also, for this venture Shelby teamed with General Motors, and dealing with the world’s largest auto manufacturer introduced another level of complexity.
The project stuttered in fits and starts, with delays along the way. But Shelby persevered and, in 1999, Series 1 sports cars emerged from the company’s Las Vegas facility. One of those rare 1999 Shelby Series 1 convertibles (Lot #739) will be offered at No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas Auction in late September.
Certainly, the finished product looked like a Shelby vehicle. The styling was modern, yet bore more than a passing family resemblance to the Cobra, with its open-mouth grille, arching fenders and ventilation grilles aft of the front wheels. The most distinctive visual feature was the deep air tunnel that emerged in the center of the hood. For a modern car, the racing-style fuel filler cap in the decklid was a nice retro touch. The body panels were made of carbon fiber and fiberglass laminate, mounted over an extruded aluminum frame strengthened by aluminum honeycomb reinforcement panels.
If the interior had a certain familiar feel, it’s because it utilized a number of production pieces from the GM parts bin. Using well-developed components like that allowed Shelby to achieve his comfort and fit-and-finish targets. But the numbered Shelby dash plaque in front of the passenger was nothing you’d ever find on a GM vehicle.
The Series 1 engine was well-matched to the car. Although largely forgotten now, the Oldsmobile Aurora V8 was an advanced engine for its time, and its market segment. Part of GM’s last-ditch effort to make Oldsmobile relevant again, the 4.0-liter Aurora power plant was derived from the Cadillac Northstar V8. In 4.0-liter configuration it was exclusive to the Oldsmobile division. It had double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, and was the base from which GM built its Indy Racing League engines.
After Shelby engineers breathed on the engine, it was rated at 320 horsepower in the Series 1. The 4.0-liter was mounted completely behind the front wheels, and was teamed with a Corvette 6-speed manual transaxle. Front-to-rear weight distribution was excellent.
There was more available, of course. Shelby offered a supercharger option that bumped power to 450, and that option is on the car offered in Las Vegas. A look at the engine compartment reveals the attention to detail Shelby put into the slick under-hood packaging.
The Series 1 for sale has red painted Le Mans stripes over the silver body. It is #34 of 249 built, and one of approximately 60 with the supercharger package. The car has fewer than 10,000 actual miles. It is a loaded example, with a heavy-duty clutch, 4-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, power steering and brakes, power mirrors, locks and windows, and Shelby 5-spoke aluminum wheels with Z-rated tires.
This unique piece of Shelby history is a forceful testament to what a determined automotive icon could accomplish when he put his mind to it. That, plus it’s loads of fun to drive.
For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE. For a look at all the vehicles on the 2018 Las Vegas docket, click HERE.