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LOT 342

Selling on Saturday

From the Passport Collection

1999 Shelby Series 1

OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

1 of only 249 originally built and the only known Rosso Corsa (Racing Red) stripe delete example
Powered by the IndyCar derived aluminum Aurora V-8 engine and six-speed manual transmission
A mere 1,176 miles from new and clean CARFAX®
A rare and desirable piece of Shelby history

VIN: 5CXSA1815SL000086

While cars were created by Carroll Shelby in the 1960s, the famous Cobra and awesome Mustang-based GTs were all legendary by the 1990s. The master of speed wanted to create a real Shelby Cobra and was quoted as saying, "Before they throw the last shovel of dirt on me, I want to take one last shot at an honest-to-goodness Cobra!" With the goal of creating a modern incarnation of his desired Cobra sports roadsters, the Shelby Series 1 was born. For Shelby and his team, creating a new car in the 1990s was a learning experience. For the basic layout and design, he turned to a person who understood performance and competition, Bruce Canepa. His designs produced an extruded aluminum monocoque chassis with specifically designed rocker panels, rear bulkhead and floorboards of honeycomb construction that offered structural integrity with a savings in weight. Body panels of lightweight carbon fiber were developed and a special folding top by Dura, the same firm that supplied these mechanisms for the Corvette, were added into the mix. The Series 1 had a nearly perfect 49/51 front-to-rear weight distribution. Its independent unequal-length control arm and front and rear suspension coupled with 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires produced very impressive grip and road holding.

At the time of the Series 1's development, Shelby was having a few issues with his long-time partners at Ford, so he turned to another industry friend, John Rock, General Manager of Oldsmobile, and was able to secure a supply of the IndyCar inspired L47, 4.0-liter V-8 engines from the Northstar family and designed for the Aurora by Oldsmobile. While the Aurora engine sourced from Oldsmobile was a great choice, the racer in Shelby always wanted more - a way to push even more power to the wheels. Not leaving "good-enough" alone, Shelby's team was able to crank another 70 horses from this cutting-edge V-8. This was done by engineering a freer flowing intake manifold, high-flow catalysts with a low-restriction exhaust system developed by Borla using 2.25-inch pipes and dual XRI mufflers which created its own unique musical notes from the front to the rear of the car.

Only 249 Series 1 Roadsters would ultimately be produced, and today, these are becoming increasingly collectible Shelby automobiles. Capable of 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds, thanks to the 320-horsepower V-8 engine and six-speed ZF manual transmission, this is not a car for timid drivers. Collector-owned since new, this very well-prepared and cared for example shows a mere 1,176 miles at the time of cataloging; however, the title shows exempt. While almost all of these examples were finished in Centennial Silver, this Series 1 is exceedingly rare as it is believed to be the only known Rosso Corsa (Racing Red) stripe delete example from the factory, which is documented on its accompanying file folder from Shelby Automobiles, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada.

The black and gray leather interior is supple and comfortable, featuring the Shelby signature on the headrests. Sounds, other than that magnificent rumble from the engine, are courtesy of the Monsoon sound system, sourced from Buick for the Series 1. For the ultimate Shelby enthusiast, this singular Series 1, pinned with CSX number 5086 is a must-have and is a rare opportunity to own a vehicle of important historical ingenuity, design and Shelby significance.