Anyone ever heard of one, if so, what are they all about, and where can i find one. someone told me they were a ### signature car, and it was a factory GM model.

 

Well, I never heard of it, and Carroll Shelby did not have any association with Corvettes I'm aware of, except to compete a little too successfully with them. Zora Duntov would turn over in his grave.

Your friend may be thinking of the Shelby sportscar, "Series 1." This was not a Cobra, but a completely new design in the 90s: he built a factory and made some of them for a few years . Looked a bit like a vette, cost about $80,000, and used a GM V8 -- not the vette engine but a 4-liter V8 like in the Olds Aurora. It was not the most succesful design - just didn't work well. They added SCs and all sorts of things but it was just never a . . . well, as good as a Cobra. Everyone was disappointed.

You can see what it looked like at

http://www.acarshow.com/shelone.html

Note the "signature" on the dashboard. This is prbably what your freind is thinking about.

 

Well here is the deal, there is a supercharged 1989 vette for sale with a supercharger, and a carol shelby nameplate and sig. so thats why im sayin it seems to be a shelby vette, i dont know if its a scam, but its fast as hell. who knows if it was givin to shelby racing to put a supercharger in it or not. this is the first i have heard of it.

 

Well, I can't find anything after an hour of using every serach engine on the 'net, but who knows? I could be wrong - there are things I haven't heard of or seen, but, I very much doubt it is real. In '89 Shelby was still in his contractual association with Dodge, making those nasty little turbos. I can assure you that Dodge would have made damn sure He would have been contractually prohibited from associating with any other manufacturer: they were paying him enough.

Can you get photos? Details? What type of SC? Where is the signiature, how big is it, and what is it written on? In the interior, stitched neatly on each seat and floor mat? On a metal dash plaque? On the engine? What other mods? You say its fast, but a stock 89 vette had 240 HP. Lets say its an aggressive SC, then we have a 50% gain - 360 HP, fast then but not FAST today.

Look for any sign that all is not original. Is that an 89 engine? If not, then it is a fake. Shelby would not have done used car retrofits in later years -- he was into much bigger things. so it it is not an 89 Corvette engine, etc., well . . .

Right now, I think it is one of three things.
1) A deliberate scam, some guy put a SC on his car and then decided to make himself look big. Or maybe he has a sense of humor. I put "Cosworth" badges on a stock MG Midget in 1971 just to see, and people at a local Jaycees car shown ogled over it like it was exotic -- it was funny as hell.
2) A dealer model rather than a manufactuer model: many dealers put out special models of their own: have the mkechanics mount a SC, make some deal with Carroll Shelby for his signature. Again, can't see how Dodge would have let him do even this in 89, but if he owned the dealership (and he owned some, I think) . . . .
3) A bastandized car. An 89 corvette with parts from, say some other, honest to God Shelby car. I'd guess this is it with a bit of (1).

But I'm intrigued. Can you get pictures or details?

 

I don't think anything ever came off the GM line with Mr. Shelby's name on it. I could be wrong but I am almost certain I am right.

 

CARROLL SHELBY ACTUALLY WAS INVOLVED IN BUILDING A CORVETTE IN THE LATE FIFTIES, IT WAS A COLLABORATION WITH JIM HALL AND SERGIO SCAGLIETTI, AS FAR AS I CAN SEE THERE WERE ONLY THREE MADE AND I DOUBT MOST OF US COULD AFFORD ONE.. REFERENCE "CORVETTE THE COMPLETE STORY" BY RANDY LEFFINGWELL