Letters to Editor

I just finished reading the Shelby article (Nov. '98), and you definitely got it right! The excitement, the performance, and the bugs. I'm an electrical systems engineer and was on assignment in Washington state last March, when I got a phone call I couldn't believe. "Hey, how would you like to help design the electrical system for Shelby's new car?" "Joke, right!?" "No, get down to L.A. and see what they need." Man, it was like the thrash before race day with every member of Team Shelby totally committed to doing whatever it takes. We arrived in Vegas the night before MT showed up to complete PP1 for your tests. There were grasshoppers everywhere. We could have scooped them up by the hundreds! (I may have missed out on my fortune.) The Series 1 article was great. This car is as beautiful to behold with or without the carbon fiber skin. I'm afraid it's going to be very difficult for those lucky enough to actually purchase one to keep it "low miles"! Anyway, great article, and thanks to Carroll, Don, Mark, Mike, Kirk, and all the other Team Shelby members for the experience of a lifetime.Dave LeeRock Hill, S.C.

After reading the report on the Shelby Series 1, I have a question: Is this car really worth 7.2 times my Stealth R/T, or just another high-dollar attempt to catch up with nearly 10-year-old Japanese technology? I guess the Shelby name may be worth it in the future, but for now, I can have a lot of fun with the old Stealth and $93,000.Phil BrechbillAuburn, Ind.

If only looks could kill, the Shelby Series 1 would leave every other American sports car for dead at the stoplight. I've never seen a car from the States look so good-that is, until Shelby's most in-your-face creation yet. It's unfortunate the car's acceleration numbers aren't as admirable as the body. For the same price, a person could buy not only a better-performing Viper, but also a Corvette Hardtop that offers a better ride, more luxurious amenities, and comparable performance. Besides, they [Viper and Vette] have trunks to put the owner's manual in. Sorry to rain on Carroll's parade.Ryan Hilipp Louisville, Ky.

I love the new Shelby Series 1, and your article is great, but what the heck is Shelby thinking? In your picture of the Series 1's interior, I noticed that the gauges aren't white-faced! How can you have a sports car without white-faced gauges? If I'm going to pay $100,000 for a roadster, it better have everything, including some white gauges.James YoakumHopkinsville, Ky.

Yeah, Yoakum, everyone knows white gauges add 10 mph to any car's top speed, 0.5 g to its lateral grip, and knock a full second off the 0-60 mph time. How stupid of Carroll to overlook this!-Ed.

What? There's actually a Shelby car that didn't use another vehicle as a blueprint. Man, I haven't been this happy since I discovered TV dinners! Who'd figure you could get so much pleasure from a car-and I haven't even finished reading the article yet! Driving a Shelby Series 1 has to be immoral in some way. I must commend Carrol Shelby on his effort of uniting refined luxury with combative sport. I just wish I had the money so I could do a little sinning of my own.Edgar R. SalasEl Paso, Texas