Carroll Shelby was involved in the production of numerous performance machines in his lifetime, but only one project was designed and built entirely in his hands. That car was the Shelby Series 1, developed in the late 1990s as a modern successor to his infamous Cobra. Developed using the best of modern engineering and construction techniques, it sported a high-strength all-aluminum chassis, modern carbon fiber bodywork, and a Shelby-modified Oldsmobile 320-horsepower twin-cam L47 V-8 engine that was backed by a six-speed manual transmission by ZF. Even with all these high-performance features, the Series 1 was still a comfortable car, with a folding soft-top and power side windows, power steering, power disc brakes, factory air conditioning, and a Monsoon sound system.

Performance of the Series 1 was impressive. In standard form, the naturally aspirated 320 horsepower Series 1s could rocket from 0–60 mph in 4.4 seconds, cover the quarter-mile in only 12.8 seconds at 112 mph, and reach a top speed of 170 mph. With the optional Vortech supercharger those figures improved to 3.2 seconds to 60 mph, a quarter-mile in 11.35 seconds at 124 mph, and a top speed of over 185 mph. The Vortech supercharger brought power up to 450 hp, while the X50 option in addition to the supercharger pushed output past 540 hp. For Shelby, a man who claimed that his favorite automobile was “the next one,” it was undoubtedly satisfying to come up with such performance numbers.

Series 1s were finished as standard in Centennial Silver, with owners able to option Le Mans stripes in blue, maroon, black, white, red, or orange. It is said that six Series 1s left Shelby American finished in black, with one example in Guardsman Blue and one example in white. A total of 249 production Series 1s were built, making the model extraordinarily rare and collectible from the moment that it was created.

This Series 1 was built at Shelby American’s Las Vegas facility in October 1999. It left the factory finished in black with red Le Mans stripes, as well as the optional Vortech supercharger. In May 2003 it was acquired by Chris Kilmore of California-based rock band Incubus. At the time of his acquisition the Shelby had just 1,414 miles on the odometer, having had at least one, and possibly two, prior owners. Kilmore would go on to own the car until October 2021 when it was acquired by The Boeckmann Collection.

Finished in the rarely seen factory black, and one of very few examples factory-equipped with the Vortech supercharger, this 4,638-mile Shelby Series 1 checks a number of boxes sure to pique the interest of any discerning collector. A modern classic, the Series 1 represents the ultimate evolution of Carroll Shelby’s only ground-up automotive design.