Super Rare Shelby-Themed Dodge Viper For Sale Is a Special Edition Lost to Time

I know what you’re thinking—what’s so rare about the iconic blue-and-white color scheme on a Dodge Viper? Isn’t that the most ubiquitous and desirable color scheme for the second-generation, V10 sports car? Well, kind of.

On paper, 1996 was the first model year for the second-generation Viper, but reality wasn’t quite that cut-and-dried. As production of the updated, fixed-roof GTS came online, it overlapped with assembly of the first-generation RT/10 roadsters. If you bought a coupe, you got the revised chassis and more-powerful engine, rear exhaust outlets (with side pipes still hiding beneath that fiberglass rocker panel, mind you), and the signature Viper Blue paint with white stripes. But if you opted for the open-top model, you missed out on the upgrades and had to pick between Viper Red, White, or Black.

Unless, of course, your name is Carroll Shelby.

The charismatic Texan did more than help Ford develop the GT40 that eventually beat Ferrari at Le Mans. His open-top Cobras were already giving the Italians fits by the time Ford got its big win, and Shelby’s 1966 427 Super Snake is the defining example of the original formula.

The same expertise that gave us those hotted-up ACs went into the development of Dodge’s new roadster, making the GTS Blue finish offered in 1996 a perfect fit.

If you’re a true Viper geek, you’re probably already familiar with Fitzgerald Motorsports. This prominent Connecticut Viper dealer was fond of juicing up its inventory, offering various performance packages and other upgrades to customers over the course of the car’s run.

The one you’ll encounter most frequently will be some variant on the Snake 530 package (aka “Edition 530,” “Millennium Snake,” et al), which packaged a Corsa exhaust, some mild engine upgrades, and a tune intended to push (you guessed it) 530 horsepower at the crank. Considering later GTS models put out 460 stock, it was a fairly tame bundle.

But this 1996 Carroll Shelby Edition listed for sale by Hagerty is an entirely different animal. Since it’s still based on the first-gen Viper, Fitzgerald had less to work with, and it appears the dealer compensated for that by throwing a lot more at the bundle. Only 19 of them were produced, and only two were in GTS Blue. Each received custom body work (including a Cobra grille and a striped composite removable hardtop), many Fitzgerald- and Shelby-specific parts (steering wheel, floor mats, wheels, emblems/badges) and a nice collection of power upgrades (good for 35 horses on top of the factory 415) and an overhauled suspension with a new sway bar, revised shocks and a unique bump steer kit.

The RT/10 is still the most affordable path to Viper ownership, but this one won’t go cheap. Bidding has already topped $30,000 (about what you’d pay for a well-worn driver) with a week still to go. Six-figure RT/10 sales are few and far between, but this one looks like it has some potential.

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