Mustang Shelby GT350

Make
Ford
Segment
Coupe

Remember the Shelby Series 1? The high-performance roadster was the only car designed and developed by Caroll Shelby from the ground up. Only 249 examples were built as 1999 models, each costing around $225,000. It was supposed to spawn a new range of sports cars, but the project was scrapped due to financial issues. Now, nearly two decades later, Shelby's forgotten sports car has been given a new lease of life with the aptly named Series II.

Billed as a "major evolution" of the original model, the Series II is the result of a collaboration between Shelby and Wingard Motorsports, which purchased the remaining Shelby Series 1 chassis and parts several years ago. As a result, it rides on the same aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis as the original. Only four examples will be produced per year, with a choice of aluminum, carbon fiber or one of the first titanium car bodies. Thanks to billeted aluminum and carbon fiber components, the Shelby Series II is more than 12 percent lighter than the original. Every example will feature cantilevered suspension and a high-performance braking system featuring six-piston calipers at each wheel.

The Series II will also ride on custom 19-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires. Engine options include a 427 Windsor or a 427 FE engine from the Carroll Shelby Engine Company, but Shelby says other engine options will be supported that produce more than 800 horsepower. That's more than twice the power of the original Series I, which packed a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V8 engine rated at 320 hp. A supercharged variant was also available developing around 460 hp. Each of the four Series II models planned for production will be built to order and sold in "component form" but can be finished by Wingard Motorsports.