Rare Shelby Series 1 Prototype To Cross Auction Block

How would you like a chance to own the only car Carroll Shelby designed from scratch? No, not the Cobra or the Daytona, and certainly not the GT40, but a prototype car for the Series 1, the company’s premier, limited edition sports car from the late 1990s.

This Series 1 was a test prototype, built at Shelby American’s Las Vegas factory in 1999. It was one of a few prototypes built for testing and showing, a prelude to the run of just 249 production models. The car was bought from Carroll Shelby himself and has just 2,600 miles on the clock.

Under the hood is a modified Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0-liter V8 with 320hp coupled to a C5 Chevrolet Corvette six-speed manual transaxle, but what’s really interesting is its extruded aluminum frame with aluminum honeycomb reinforcement panels and carbon fiber and fiberglass laminate body panels, a first for an American car. The interior, however, looks like a mash-up of various 1990s General Motors products. This particular car was apparently used to test and validate various parts for production car use.

The Shelby Series 1 will be crossing the block at RM Sotheby’s auction in Arizona on January 16 to 17 and, while there is no reserve, it’s expected to fetch between $120,000 to $150,000.

*Images courtesy of RM Auctions