Shelby takes second swing with Series 2
Remember the Shelby Series 1? It was a modern day Cobra that spewed the venom of a 400-horsepower 4.0L V8 and was wrapped in carbon-fiber skin with a aluminum honeycomb skeleton. A Series 2 model is set to debut at the 2006 Concorso Italiano in mid-August that will cost $220,000. Though the has not yet "officially" debuted, production has begun at Shelby's facilities in Las Vegas and most of the limited edition models have already been sold. Inside Line reports that the Series 2 will feature restyled front and rear ends, and calls the car "Cobra-like". [Source: Inside Line]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
epp_b 6:55PM (6/25/2006)
All I can say is...drooool....
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John Jacobs 7:11PM (6/25/2006)
400 hp FROM A OLDSMOBILE V8; WONDER WHY THE OLD GENERAL COULD NOT DO THAT??
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Rob 10:02PM (6/25/2006)
What are they doing about the motor with Olds out of the picture? Does GM still produce the 4.0 V-8?
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gbh 11:50PM (6/25/2006)
Perhaps this one will look a little less like a Miata with a bad body-kit.
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Matt 1:45AM (6/26/2006)
You forgot to mention that most of the automobile press univerally thought the Series-1 sucked.
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carbuzzard 7:13AM (6/26/2006)
Ol' Shel, legend that he is, has a spotty record as a carbuilder. In fact, he seems to do better--at least volume-wise--when collaborating with someone else who actually puts together the cars heh "designed" together.
Witness the alliance with Ford in the '60s, and Chrysler in the '80s. The more Ford took over, the higher sales went. In the '80s, as Shelby began building (OK, modifying) cars in his own facilities, he wound up with a back lot of Shelby Lancers he couldn't sell.
The Viper was a success. The Series 1, well...
Now Ford. There's no question that the Mustang will be successful in that Ford will produce fewer than eventual demand. (They could make more and sell most of them, but that would leave a forlorn few waiting to be sold...and the last thing Ford needs is another "failure").
So I wish him luck with the Series 2. Perhaps the furror over the Mustang will aid and abet. But the most important thing, I think, is having the cars right, really right, before turning any loose.
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omar 9:35AM (6/26/2006)
"Now Ford. There's no question that the Mustang will be successful in that Ford will produce fewer than eventual demand. (They could make more and sell most of them, but that would leave a forlorn few waiting to be sold...and the last thing Ford needs is another "failure")."
#2 You dont understand something called "limited production" do you?
Anyway I wonder if they will the 600hp v-10 that was in the cobra concept and GR-1 prototype. That said I thing the series 2 will be the last "Shelby vehicle" we see in his lifetime. Enough reason to buy it IMO....and should perform well too.
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omar 9:36AM (6/26/2006)
sorry meant #4
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carbuzzard 11:10AM (6/26/2006)
Omar, I thought I was fairly plain, but I'll explain again. Ford is limiting production so it won't have any left over. It's better to be seen with a halo car such as the Shelby selling for more than its list price. Do you honestly think that Ford will reap mega-profits from selling a handful of hyper-Mustangs? No, their purpose is to sweeten the brand.
Even with mass production models, one auto exec told me (far too many years for me to remember now) that how many cars he wanted to make was one less than he was able to sell.
In the case of the later fwd Shelbys, there were unsold Shelby Lancers sitting in Shelby's back lot. Dealers didn't want CXS's. Shelby didn't have capacity to make more than "limited production." Trouble was, demand was less than even that. You may call that a successful product. Not me.
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PJ 1:28PM (6/26/2006)
$220,000? There'll need to be some pretty serious Carroll Shelby nostalgia going on--not to mention some very appealing restyle work--for collectors to get a return on that investment...
Like Rob, I'm also genuinely curious about the source of that 4.0L V8. Anybody know?
I've only seen one Series 1 in person, at an automobile museum in Las Vegas. The build quality was appalling. Panel gaps exceeded an inch in some places, but were drum-tight in (a very few) others, making the car look like a bad kit. The cheap Mustang-bits interior backed up that impression. I'm sure it's a hoot to drive, but as Matt mentioned, I remember most car-mag writers saying that a contemporary 'Vette was at least as good.
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Sean Montague 12:37AM (6/28/2006)
As for the souce of the 4.0L v8; Ithink its a larger version of the 3.5L v8 used in the Indy Racing League
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MikeW 8:17PM (7/03/2006)
The 4.0 oldsmobile engine made 320hp naturally aspirated (up from 250hp in the Aurora)
When that was deemed insufficient, an inertial supercharger was put on the engine, and 400hp resulted.
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Stefan Dierkes 10:45AM (7/28/2006)
Pictures of the new Shelby Series 2 designed by Tom Tjaarda can be found at www.tom-tjaarda.net/cars.htm. There is also a drawing for a race version at www.tom-tjaarda.net/drafts.htm
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