Shelby Series 1

Carroll Shelby is the creator of some of the best American sports cars, among which we can highlight the successful street and competition Cobra, its modified Mustang , the Ford GT40 plus its contribution to the development of other cars like the Dodge Viper.

This Roadster named Series 1 is the first car Shelby builds entirely from scratch, meaning it does not part of any other car or development as a base. The main advantage lies in the joint design of chassis and bodywork for a stable, safe and high performance sports.

The Shelby Series 1 features an aluminum honeycomb frame with carbon fiber panels on the body. These materials form a very lightweight set that ensures high structural rigidity and impact hardness. This achieved a very low total weight of 1,202 kilograms.

This vehicle was designated as the CSX5000 series, of which 251 units would be manufactured. But changes in environmental and safety regulations changed during the manufacturing period, so new specimens should be modified and re-evaluated in order to certify the requirements required by these standards. Production was eventually interrupted prematurely, although 249 copies of the Series 1were built.

While Shelby was always linked to Ford, for this project it had as its engine supplier the General Motors division “Oldmobile”.

The engine used in the Series 1 in an Oldsmobile Aurora V8 of 3.995 cm3 displacement equipped with a supercharger. With 4 valves per cylinder (DOHC) and electronic fuel injection, this engine develops a power of 320 hp at 6,500 rpm and a torque of 290 pounds foot at 5,000 rpm.

The consumption is moderate, while the response of the engine is docile in everyday and wild handling in the face of sudden acceleration. With its 320 hp, the Series 1 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 273 km/h.

This rapid acceleration with a stop start is also achieved with a good weight distribution and a specially calibrated six-gear manual gearbox for maximum acceleration performance.