Carroll Shelby was involved in the production of numerous performance machines in his lifetime, but only one was designed and built entirely under his direction. That car was the Shelby Series 1, developed in the late 1990s as a modern successor to his infamous Cobra. Before any cars were produced, a full-scale clay model was created, after which development continued using the best of modern engineering and construction techniques.

The production cars sported a high-strength, all-aluminum chassis, modern carbon-fiber bodywork, and a Shelby-modified Oldsmobile 320-horsepower twin-cam L47 V-8 engine. Yet 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 breathtaking. The car could blast from 0 to 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. For a man who claimed that his favorite automobile was “the next one,” it was undoubtedly satisfying to come up with such performance numbers. A total of 249 production Series 1s were built, making them extraordinarily rare and collectable from the moment that they were created.

This full-size model was hand made from clay to study the design. The wheels roll, but it does not have a drivetrain and the doors, hood and trunk do not open. Since this was strictly a model, no chassis number was necessary or issued. The designers worked on this model to get the styling and proportions just right, and finished production cars look very similar to this design study. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a piece of Shelby history that is a must for any serious Shelby collector and enthusiast.