Shelby's first racecar up for auction.

Birth of a Legend: Carroll Shelby's first racecar going up for auction



Whenever a collection of vintage automobiles hits the block, typically cars with the best history and racing heritage (or other forms of notoriety) pull in the biggest bucks. Auction houses are always on the lookout for rare vehicles, and events during the upcoming Monterey Car Weekend will feature a variety of high-end machines with unique ownership records. But Monterey isn't the only place to find a car with impressive provenance, as this year's Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction will include several special machines, too. Among them is a mint 1948 MG TC racecar, which may not seem like a huge deal except for one small detail -- it happens to be the very first car Carroll Shelby ever raced.

A dark green MG TC equipped with the car's original 1250cc, 4-cylinder engine (tuned to over 100 horsepower) and three-speed transmission, Shelby originally entered the car in a road race in Norman, Oklahoma in 1952. After surprising many by winning the event, the future Sports Car Illustrated's 1956 and '57 "Driver of the Year" then fired up the MG TC for a second event that day, again taking the checkered flag and defeating a much higher-profile Jaguar XK120 in the process. These back-to-back victories laid the groundwork for Shelby's legendary career as a racer and performance car builder that continues today, and auction house president Steve Davis calls the MG one of "the most significant vehicles to ever cross the Barrett-Jackson auction block."

In pristine condition, Shelby's MG race car also comes with its SCCA Log Book, as well as the original fenders, hood and mechanical parts that got removed when the car was prepared for competition. Still track-ready today, for the last 20 years the car has been in the famed Syd Silverman Collection and run extensively on the MG vintage car circuit. Joining the 427 Shelby Cobra Super Snake sold in 2007 and Carroll's personal 1969 GT500 that went up for auction in Scottsdale this year, the 1949 MG TC is set to become among the most important Shelby vehicles ever to become available to the buying public, and a portion of the proceeds from its sale will even go to one of Carroll's charities.

In the past Barrett-Jackson auctions have been hailed as "The World's Greatest Collector Car Events," and the inaugural Las Vegas sale will feature hundreds of top-quality collectibles as well as "lavish lifestyle" celebrations. Set to be held on October 15 - 18 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, if you can't make it to Sin City this fall the event will also be covered live by SPEED in HD. So if your neighbor comes back from Pebble Beach bragging about the Chrysler Diablo concept he just got at auction, maybe it's time to head for the desert and pick up a little piece of automotive history of your own.

Source: Barrett-Jackson