1998 Shelby Series One

The legendary Carroll Shelby designed a high-performance roadster dubbed the Shelby Series 1. It was produced by Shelby America based at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada. Production of the Shelby Series 1 began in 1998 and continued until 2005. A second generation of the Series 1, called the Series 2, was rumored to debut in 2006, and it is believed that around 500 examples were created.

The Shelby Series 1 was powered by a four-liter Oldsmobile L47 Aurora V8 engine capable of producing 320 horsepower. It has DOHC's and four-valves per cylinder. The transmission positioning is a unique design; it is located at the rear axle giving the SEries 1 a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Zero-to-sixty took a mere 4.5 seconds and the quarter mile was achieved in 12.8 seconds at 112 mph. Top speed is 185 mph. The car weighs just over 1200kg (2650 lbs) and measures 168.9 inches in length and 76.5-inches in width. The low weight is achieved by the use of exotic materials such as carbon-fiber composites and heat-treated aluminum.

Playboy magazine awarded Karen McDougal a special version of the Series 1 for being the 1998 Playmate of the Year. The car was finished in silver with the middle stripe removed.

In 1999 the Shelby Series 1 was featured in the Xbox game Forza Motorsports and Forza Motorsports 2. In 2003 a supercharged version of the Series 1 was featured in the Playstation 2 game Gran Turismo 4, and cost 184,792 credits.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2008