Two Dozen Of Carroll Shelby’s Own Cars Coming Up For Auction

The only thing that the legendary Carroll Shelby loved as much as making high-performance automobiles, it seems, was driving them. That could explain why, every year, we see some of his own cars – the ones he drove himself – coming up for auction.

But at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in Connecticut this June, Bonhams will sell off not one or two, but two dozen vehicles from the estate of the late racer.

The 24 vehicles on offer stem mostly from his long relationships with Ford and Chrysler. But there are some miscellaneous cars as well that just seem to have captured Carroll’s attention.

Among those on offer is the very first example of the 1999 Shelby Series 1 roadster – one of Carroll’s few projects to employ GM power (in the form of an Oldsmobile V8). There’s a 1969 Mustang GT500 that Shelby bought back from Hollywood actor Jackie Cooper Jr, and a 2011 Shelby Cobra CSX 8027 continuation classic.

The docket also includes Shelby-tuned Dodge Chargers, Omnis, and Dakotas, along with a 1935 Chrysler Airflow sedan (believed to have belonged to Steve McQueen). The full catalog has yet to be released, but there’s a couple of Panteras in there as well, Shelby having famously collaborated with De Tomaso back in the day.

“We’re honored to have been chosen to represent the legendary cars of the legendary man,” said Bonhams’ Eric Minoff. His colleague Michael Caimano adds, “Carroll Shelby is synonymous with American racing and performance vehicles and his contribution to the motoring world is priceless. What a privilege it is to represent many of his personal cars.” The auction is set to take place on Sunday, June 3rd.

Photos courtesy of Bonhams