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72 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE FALL 2024THIS SHELBY SERIES 1 PROTOTYPE SET THE STAGE FOR A SHELBY REVIVALLEADING THE WAYCarroll Shelby achieved much in his life, but he was a man who was known for looking forward %u2013 not backward. He always had his eye on the next big thing. And for Shelby in the 1990s, the next big thing was the Series 1, a sports car for a new generation. It was to be completely new from the ground up, a performance machine without compromises.Building a new car from scratch in the 1990s, however, was more complicated than it was in the 1960s, thanks to a more complex regulatory environment. Shelby also had a new partner in the enterprise. He had worked with Ford in the 1960s and with Dodge in the %u201980s, but the Series 1 saw Shelby teaming with General Motors, the nation%u2019s largest automaker. Getting the Series 1 off the ground was no easy enterprise.A crucial step in achieving production was the use of prototype vehicles for testing and refinement. One of those historic 1999 Series 1 prototypes (CSX 50X2), the second prototype constructed by Shelby American, and the only remaining prototype in existence, is being offered with No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson%u2019s Scottsdale Fall Auction at WestWorld, Oct. 10-13. In addition to the car%u2019s vital role in Series 1 development, this prototype has an ownership trail that goes straight to the source. Carroll Shelby gifted the car to longtime friend and then-President and COO Donald J. Rager as a bonus for his contributions to the Series 1 program. The car has since remained in the Rager family, never having been road-registered and still retaining its original manufacturer%u2019s Certificate of Origin signed by Carroll Shelby himself. Like most prototypes, CSX 50X2 is a combination of production features and unique details. It is powered by an Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0-liter, dual overhead cam 32-valve V8 engine teamed with a 6-speed manual transaxle.The car is finished in Silver (minus the racing stripes found on the production vehicles) with %u201cShelby%u201d lettering along the forward rocker. The bolstered bucket seats are trimmed in black leather with gray inserts and feature a Carroll Shelby signature embroidered on the backs. Additional amenities include a Monsoon CD/cassette stereo and a multi-speaker sound system. As a one-family-owned car that came straight from Shelby, the documentation is extensive. Included in the sale are the original manufacturer%u2019s Statement of Origin signed by Carroll Shelby, a copy of the 1998 Bonus Compensation Agreement awarding the car to Donald Rager and signed by both Rager and Shelby, photos of Rager and Shelby with the car, and magazine articles about the model. Three limited-edition Shelby American jackets also come with t,he Series 1 Prototype which has 12,309 miles.Only 249 production Shelby Series 1 cars were built from 1999-2003, and this prototype led the way. At the Scottsdale Fall Auction this October, it is set to blaze a new trail. %u2013 Steve Statham For up-to-date information on this vehicle, visit Barrett-Jackson.com