In pictures: Carroll Shelby's car collection

All 23 Shelby machines on offer at Bonham's Greenwich auction are snapped up

From racing in Formula 1 to conceiving the iconic Shelby Cobra, to partnering with Dodge to consult on the Viper, the late Carroll Shelby knew a thing or two about cars.

It stands to reason, then, that a man with his record would possess a stable of stunning machines – and the results of Bonhams’ Greenwich sale proved that to very much be the case.

On Sunday (3 June), a chunk of the American automotive legend’s private car collection went to auction, and duly sold with ease. All 23 motors were bought, with many going for way, way above their pre-sale estimates. In total, the cars made £1.6m, and set several auction world records along the way.

Here's a run through of every car in the collection, and how much it sold for.

1999 Shelby Series 1

Sold for: £233,804

The priciest lot in the entire Shelby collection was this rare Series 1, which was bought for an astonishing £233k – that's £140,000 more than its pre-sale upper estimate and a new world record auction price for the model.

Given its history, though, maybe it all makes sense. The innovative vehicle was Carroll Shelby’s only ever ground-up creation, and a mere 249 were built. Conceived as a lightweight giant-killer, it paired an aluminium, Kevlar and carbonfibre build with a 4-litre Oldsmobile V8 and Corvette ZF 6-speed gearbox.

Alas, while it was a proper pocket rocket, production delays and certification costs blighted its limited run – but CX5001 remains uniquely stunning: supercharged and bespoke, it’s the first ever Series 1 built. And now it's the most expensive too.

1987 De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S

Sold for: £168,996

This one's another record breaker, a fact that's all the more incredible given that it was offered without engine or transmission.

Then again, we can see why the buyer wanted this striking combination of Italian style and American power.

For starters, it's a rare car in its own right: one of only 136 built for the US. But more crucial still is the role it played in motoring history. This car was used as a test vehicle while the Shelby team were creating the Dodge Viper, and regularly had its Ford V8 engine swapped out as the engineers attempted to settle on a unit to power the viper. Does that make it worth nearly £170,000? Well it obviously did for one buyer…

1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Continuation Series Convertible

Sold for: £150,591

Thought the last convertible GT350 was built in 1966? So did many, until the Shelby production line fired up again for a ‘Continuation Series’ of just 12 drop-tops built between 1980 and 1982. Fitted with a 289cu in Ford engine found by Shelby in storage, this one’s notable for the nitrous bottle in the boot – and, of course, its iconic white-on-blue paint job.

Again, this one set a world record at the auction, going for around £90,000 more than it was expected to.

1983 De Tomaso Pantera GTS

Sold for: £136,368

Like the GT5-S, the GTS continued to be be built long after Ford and De Tomaso parted ways in 1974. Distinguished by flared fenders, this particular GTS – a later 1983 example – was one of just 138 made for the US market and carries a 351cu in V8 good for 266bhp. Matching numbers and all-original, Shelby’s GTS has done a mere 7350 miles.

Also like the GT5-S, it sold for big bucks at the Bonhams auction, eventually making more than £130k – almost double its original estimate.

1965 Shelby 427 Continuation Series Cobra

Sold for: £194,095

Definitely one of the auction highlights, this Continuation Series machine sold for around £100,000 more than its pre-sale estimate.

Equipped with a 7-litre Ford V8 so hefty that it necessitated a stronger chassis, only 356 examples of this reincarnation of the Cobra were originally built – until the CSX4000s arrived in the late-’80s, with new chassis and period parts.

Gifted by Shelby to 1999’s Playmate of the year (until he bought it back), its all-aluminium body remains impeccable today.

2012 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake

Sold for: £110,433

A contemporary reimagining of the feisty GT500, just 500 (get it?) of this range-topping beast were ever built.

Delivered directly to Shelby himself, this black-on-black example carries the same all-aluminium 5.4-litre supercharged Ford V8 as every other Super Snake – which made the 2012 machine a 750bhp monster, in fitting Shelby fashion.

1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

Sold for: £86,171

With Ford having backed Cobra production in the early-’60s, it was only right that Shelby return the favour – and so the Shelby Mustang was born. Channelling knowledge gained from competing with Mustangs in the US, the GT350 launched in 1965 with a modified 4.7-litre small-block Ford V8 capable of 306bhp.

This 1968 model, mind, carries a 302cu in Windsor unit and spent the last several years under Shelby’s personal care. Again, it comfortably exceeded its initial price estimate.

1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Sold for: £71,949

Another 1969 Shelby Mustang, this one similarly carries a 428cu in Cobra Jet Ram V8 capable of delivering a mighty 445lb ft of torque. What makes it notable, though, is not just the fact that it was eventually repurchased by Shelby himself, but also that it was once stabled with actor Jackie Cooper. Maybe that explains the £2500 sale-price difference between the cars.

1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible

Sold for: £39,321

Turns out Shelby wasn’t all about sports machinery: this Powder Blue Lincoln Continental is the epitome of the late-’60s American cruiser, complete with independent front suspension and a host of options – including air conditioning and an 8-track stereo. That said, power is hardly lacking, what with a 340bhp V8 under the hood. It sold well above its pre-sale estimate of £19-£22k.

1983 Dodge Shelby Ram Prototype

Sold for: £24,680

If owning an ex-Carroll Shelby machine isn’t enough, how about taking home a one-of-a-kind Shelby pickup prototype? That's what the lucky buyer here gets to do.

Built by the Chrysler Shelby Development Center as a design exercise to resemble the Shelby Charger Prototype, this blue and silver Ram D150 truck is a long way from stock, with custom grille, modified suspension and an all-important 360cu in short-block V8 – making it good for a 16-second quarter mile.

1982 Dodge Shelby Charger Prototype

Sold for: £17,568

Speaking of the Shelby Charger, that very same one-off prototype was also auctioned on Sunday. Another product of Shelby and Lee Iacocca’s storied partnership, the tuned Santa Fe Blue machine derived 107bhp and, thanks to a growly free-flowing exhaust, could hit 60mph in less than 10 seconds. More to the point, it handled like a dream thanks to revised steering and shorter suspension.

1935 Chrysler Airflow

Sold for: £37,647

Long before Chrysler and Shelby first worked together on the Dodge Charger, the former built the beautifully aerodynamic Airflow. Streamlined and steel-bodied, this aeronautically inspired mid-’30s wagon was way ahead of its time.

Why’s this one so special? Shelby supposedly purchased it at auction from a notable previous owner – namely Steve McQueen. That provenance was enough to comfortably see it pass its pre-sale upper estimate.

1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Sold for: £69,439

Naturally, when Ford brought out a 390cu in big-block for the Mustang in 1967, Shelby had to volley back – and so the motoring legend stuck Ford’s 7-litre Cobra Jet V8 under the hood to create the even mightier GT500.

Every bit the muscle car icon, by ‘69 the 500 had diverged significantly from the stock ‘Stang (most notably at the nose). This maroon example evidently took Shelby’s fancy in 2010, as he purchased the all-original machine for his own collection.

1989 Dodge CSX VNT

Estimate: £16,732

Based on the distinctly average Dodge Shadow, 1989’s CSX VNT was anything but. Just 500 of the Shelby-developed machine were made in several variants, and the common themes were Variable Nozzle Turbo (which cut lag by varying exhaust flow) and 175bhp derived from a 2.2-litre motor.

Made lighter with innovative Fiberide glassfibre wheels, this one’s the first ever CSX VNT and spent its whole life in Carroll Shelby’s stable.

1987 Dodge CSX

Sold for: £12,549

Before the VNT variant came the standard CSX and it was no layabout, either: equipped with Shelby’s 2.2-litre engine and electronic fuel injection, it developed 175bhp and could hit 60mph from a standing start in 6.8 seconds. Just 750 were made in 1987, all in identical spec – and this one’s the very first, as the numbered dash plaque attests.

1931 Ford Model A Sport Coupe

Sold for: £22,588

Always fond of a Ford, Carroll Shelby didn’t restrict his collection to post-’60s machinery. The successor to the dominant Model T, Ford’s Model A was (according to legend) the first car Shelby ever drove, which might be why this jet-black 1931 example made it into his stable – though it was one of the less sporty numbers in the auction, deriving just 40bhp from its 4-cylinder engine. That didn't stop a buyer picking it up for more than £22k, though.

1955 DeSoto Firedome

Sold for: £18,405

DeSoto was one of many mid-century Chrysler marques, but in 1952 it became only the second to get V8 power: the Firedome shipped with a hemi-head V8 good for 160bhp, rising to more than 200bhp with a re-boring in ‘55.

More to the point, it looked every bit the stylish ‘50s wagon, replete with fins and two-tone paint job. Naturally, Shelby’s own Firedome has had its hemi engine worked over to squeeze out its best.

1987 Dodge Shelby Charger GLH-S

Sold for: £23,425

Another average machine made good by Shelby, Carroll bought the last 1000 of Dodge’s Omni GLH to modify into the GLH-S, fitting them with a 2.2-litre turbocharged motor, an intercooler and Bosch fuel injectors – bringing power up to 175bhp – as well as adjustable Koni shocks and Shelby Centurian wheels. Of course, he kept the first one (of just 500) for himself.

2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR

Sold for: £68,602

One of the more modern machines in Shelby’s collection, this 2008 GT500KR was presented to the man himself (as the first off the production line) for his 85th birthday – complete with non-standard serial number “JAN112008”.

Built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original GT500KR, the contemporary edition was every bit a Shelby, as performance tweaks took its output to a hefty 540bhp.

1968 Dodge Shelby Dakota Prototype

Sold for: £25,098

As sporty as pickup trucks come, the Shelby Dakota was equipped with a sturdy 5.2-litre V8, alongside a host of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades, which made it good for a 0-60 time of 8.5 seconds – not bad for a ute.

This one’s the prototype, meaning it carries a host of bespoke parts – from low-slung modified suspension to Eldebrock performance valve covers. Its one and only owner (until now)? Carroll Shelby, of course.

1927 Ford Model T Depot Hack

Sold for: £8366

The cheapest item in the Shelby collection, this adapted Model T was gifted to Carroll Shelby by an unknown donor. It comes with the luxury of an electric starter (standard after 1926), while the ‘Depot Hack’ body ought to provide added practicality for anyone looking to put it to work. Notably, it’s been adorned with the crest of the Terlingua Racing Team, an outfit formed by Shelby and some friends.

1987 Dodge Shelby Lancer

Sold for: £14,222

Sporty hatchbacks might seem a long way from the race-bred Cobra, but the Lancer was no ordinary hot hatch: produced in red only, it carried the same 2.2-litre fuel-injected engine as would later be found in the ‘87 CSX, while performance shocks made it a treat around corners.

Unlike most other Shelby machines, though, it also carried a full suite of mod-cons inside – from power windows to a 120W stereo. Only 800 were built, of which this is the first.

1997 Shelby Aurora V8 Can-Am

Sold for: £75,295

Last of the Shelby lots is this one-off Can-Am concept, built to showcase the potential of an upgrade to his ultra-lightweight, properly powerful ‘90s race car (which had its own series).

Equipped with the same V8 engine as the Series 1, the Aurora is doubtless fearsome on track, developing something like 500bhp in a featherweight frame – though it’s only once been tested, at Willow Springs.

As with so many of the cars here, it sold for way above its initial estimate of £15-£19,000.