1999 Shelby Series 1 Prototype

In contrast to the Shelby GT and Cobra variants, which were based on another manufacturer’s platform, nearly every component that went into building it was designed specifically for the Series 1, including the modified Oldsmobile Aurora V-8 engine and C5 Corvette six-speed manual transaxle. The extruded aluminum frame featured aluminum honeycomb reinforcement panels and was covered in carbon fiber and fiberglass laminate body panels, a first in an American car. While the original specifications were enticing for Shelby fans, the production cars addressed several shortcomings that showed up in development testing that were subsequently fixed.