Carroll Shelby’s legacy is built on turning ordinary machinery into something extraordinary — but the story doesn’t begin and end with Ford. Among the most fascinating chapters in Shelby’s history is a car that most enthusiasts overlook: a modern, ground-up roadster powered not by a Blue Oval V8, but by a General Motors engine. It’s a surprising twist, and it makes the Shelby Series 1 one of the most intriguing American performance cars of its era. When it debuted, it promised to carry the spirit of the original Shelby Cobra into a new century — and it very nearly delivered.
When it comes to famous American tuning companies, Shelby is the one that, arguably, stands out as the most well-known. For the last several decades, Shelby has undertaken loads of tuning projects and has helped quite a few brands improve their performance images by helping to create limited-edition, high-performance variations of normal models. These creations include the Shelby Mustang GT500 and the Shelby Dodge Lancer.
However, Shelby also created its own in-house models from time to time. Of course, nearly everyone knows of the Shelby Cobra. It was a two-seater roadster produced during the mid-1960s that, for a time, was one of the fastest cars in the world. Some 30 years later, Shelby embarked on a similar project. It was called the Series 1, and the basic design was meant to be a modern twist on the classic Cobra. Interestingly, though, instead of using a tuned Ford engine as you might expect, the Series 1 took advantage of the GM-bred Aurora V8.
The Modern Cobra
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Quick Facts About The Shelby Series 1
- Introduced for the 1999 model year
- Took advantage of the Northstar-based Aurora V8
- First unveiled at the 1997 Los Angeles Auto Show
- Plagued with production setbacks
- Axed in 2005
It can be argued that the groundwork for the Shelby Series 1 was laid all the way back in the early 1960s. At the time, the English automaker AC began working on a new two-seater sports car called the Ace. It was a simple, ladder-framed roadster with a straight-six engine underneath the hood. However, shortly after its initial development phase, Ford and Shelby stepped in to partner with the British company to add some much-needed power to the Ace. The Shelby Cobra was born.
Shelby Cobra 426 Exterior Barn Find Finished In RedGoodings & Co
Bearing this in mind, AC built the Ace with enough room and the appropriate mounting points for a small-block Ford V8, despite the car using a Ford-derived Zephyr inline-six at the time. Initially, the Cobra used Ford’s 260 cubic-inch (4.3-liter) Windsor eight-pot. However, a 289 CID (4.7-liter) V8 quickly replaced it. The 289 proved popular, and Shelby offered an upgrade kit for existing Cobras fitted with the 260 CID engine. The majority of Cobras equipped with the smaller V8 were converted to the larger powerplant.
In late 1964, Shelby began tinkering with the Cobra’s underhood configuration to shoehorn a 390 CID (6.4-liter) V8 in. However, the 390-equipped test mule was deemed virtually undriveable, and the project was quickly scrapped. Determined to fit a bigger V8 into the Cobra, Shelby didn’t give up, and a new set of modifications was made to accommodate a big-block Ford V8 in the tiny body. This new model was the Mark III.
The lightweight 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 is powered by a seven-liter Ford V8 engine. Traction control? Nope.RM Sotheby’s
Shelby managed to cram a 427 CID (7.0-liter) into the Mark III Cobra, and it was a success. The vast majority of models produced from then on sported a 427 CID “Side-Oiler” V8 producing 425 horsepower in the stock configuration. Reportedly, Shelby tested the Mark III’s top speed and managed to reach 164 mph. A more powerful version of the Mark III, called the S/C, was also produced, boasting 485 horsepower and an alleged top speed of about 185 mph. The final original-production Shelby Cobra rolled off the assembly line in late 1967, with Shelby moving on to non-automotive business ventures for a time. It wouldn’t be too long before Carroll Shelby was back in the car business, though.
The Shelby Cobra’s “Round Two”
1999 Shelby Series 1 finished in silver and blue with black interiorBring A Trailer
Thirty-two years after the final Shelby Cobra left the factory, Shelby returned with the idea for another two-seater roadster. The Shelby Series 1 looked the part, sporting rounded headlights, an oval grille, and sloping body lines. However, apart from the slightly retro-inspired styling, the Series 1 was thoroughly modern. Prior to its launch, the model suffered from a series of developmental setbacks, including the significant cost of bringing the initial concept up to US vehicular safety standards.
1999 Shelby Series 1 finished in silver and blue with black interiorBring A Trailer
The huge expenditure was unforeseen, forcing the rest of the Series 1 project to operate at a near-loss. Additionally, the convertible top configuration was not ready by the time the first 60 or so Series 1s were produced. The company had to dispatch technicians to customers’ homes and businesses to install the convertible tops after the fact. Despite the setbacks, however, the model continued production.
shelby series 1 rear blueBring a Trailer
One of the largest differences between the original Cobra and the new Series 1 was Shelby’s partner in the project. The original Cobra received its engine and certain other aspects of its design from Ford. The Series 1, however, had backing from General Motors. GM was actually more involved in the vehicle’s development than was originally let on, as the Detroit giant oversaw virtually all aspects of its design, development, and production.
GM Bones: The Series 1’s Underpinnings
1999 Shelby Series 1 finished in silver and blue with black interiorBring A Trailer
The heart of the Shelby Series 1 was its Aurora V8. The engine was actually based on the Cadillac Northstar V8, albeit loosely — the bulk of the powerplant was Oldsmobile’s own design. In fact, the Aurora V8 proved to be an excellent platform for modification and a genuine winner in motorsports. Versions of it powered vehicles in IndyCar, IMSA, and the German Touring Car Masters championship. Naturally, Shelby gravitated toward the Aurora V8 for many reasons, its racing pedigree included.
1999 Shelby Series 1 finished in silver and blue with black interiorBring A Trailer
The engine featured impressive technology for its era, including a glass-filled thermoplastic intake manifold and a complex sequential fuel injection system produced by Rochester. The oil pan was aluminum to save weight, and interior baffles prevented sudden oil starvation under hard driving conditions. The engine ran so quietly at idle that the GM engineers responsible for designing the Aurora V8 felt compelled to add a starter interlock system — a component that prevented the starter from engaging while the engine was already running.
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Quietness, though, was not the Shelby Series 1’s reason to exist. The roadster sported a pair of narrow-mount exhaust tips that sprouted from the rear end. Buyers could order the car in three performance grades. In the base version, the Series 1’s V8 was naturally aspirated and produced a modest 320 hp. At mid-level sat the X50 package, which added high-flow headers and lifted power output to 390 hp. The top-spec version, meanwhile, added a supercharger that pushed output to 450 hp. A six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive rounded out the Series 1’s mechanical layout.
1999 Shelby Series 1 Specs (Supercharged)
Engine Details
4.0L supercharged V8
Horsepower
450 hp
Torque
530 lb-ft
0-60 MPH Time
3.2 seconds
Top Speed
170 mph
Curb Weight
2,650 lbs
*Specs courtesy of Silodrome.com
End Of The Line
1999 Shelby Series 1 finished in silver and blue with black interiorBring A Trailer
The final Series 1 was produced midway through 2005, but Shelby didn’t plan on letting the nameplate die entirely. Plans to produce a Series 2 were immediately put into motion at the request of Shelby’s then-independent investors. Reportedly, the Series 2 was to resemble the Series 1 closely, with just minor tweaks to parts like the headlights and bumpers, along with improvements to the powertrain and drivetrain.
However, the Series 2 project ran out of money and was axed shortly after. More recently, the Series 2 program was relaunched by Wingard Motorsports and Custom Coaches (WMC), which intends to build 10 of them. They would be available with either a modern 427 CID V8, the Ford 7.3-liter Godzilla V8, or an all-electric powertrain. These Series 2s will be built on existing Series 1 frames, and production has, allegedly, commenced.
Sources: Silodrome.com, TopGear, Hagerty, CarFolio.com
