1999 Shelby Series 1

Restless and having been out of the limelight for too long, indefatigable automotive icon Carroll Shelby  dreamed of designing, building and distributing another car to recapture the hearts and imagination of American sports car enthusiasts. The legendary snake-charmer at 70 years old set out to create the vehicular version of the Loch Ness Monster, a rarefied machine known as the Shelby Series 1 as a follow up to his greatest production car, the Shelby Cobra.

The Pick of the Day is a 1999 Shelby Series 1 being sold by a classic car dealer in Sarasota, Florida, who says the sports car has only 4,644 miles on its odometer.

The Shelby Series 1 proved to be “most difficult car to produce in his (Carroll Shelby’s) storied career,” according to the listing on ClassicCars.com, which notes that only 249 cars were produced. The Series 1 was ahead of its time for a production car of that era, the seller says, in part due to its carbon-fiber body made by Venture Industries.

The project struggled for years with modest sales and consistent price increases that reached $134,000, when Venture Industries stepped in with needed capital.

The listing says the “chassis was made from extruded aluminum parts and the suspension could easily be custom tuned. It was also made of aluminum with four-wheel independent movement of upper and lower control arms, adjustable shocks and coil springs that pounced with Formula 1 style inboard rocker arms.”

Powering the Series 1 and causing controversy during the design and production phases was its Oldsmobile Aurora V8 modified with a performance camshaft, custom intake manifold, dual exhaust and a special performance chip. The Aurora engine was rated at 320 horsepower “and was designed to be supercharged,” the listing says.

Production of the Series 1 ceased with impending federal emissions standards of 2005, which spelled the end of another “great performance car,” the seller says, as Shelby decided that rather than trying to meet the new emissions standards and beginning all over again, he would discontinue production of the Shelby Series 1.

Of the 249 cars built by Shelby American in Las Vegas, this car is marked as CSX 037.  The car comes with air conditioning, antilock brakes, high-performance tires, power steering and other luxuries. One of the sun visors is signed by Carroll Shelby.

The asking price for the Series 1 is $105,900, which buys an unusual, ultra-low-mileage sports car with a famous name and an interesting back story.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day