The Shelby Turbine was one of four open-wheel Indy cars released in 1969 as part of the new Grand Prix Series. In the common colors, the Shelby Turbine is one of the most common redlines. Good condition loose cars can be had for under $20.

The Shelby Turbine is a replica of an actual turbine powered Indy race car. During the winter of 1966-67, the Granatelli brothers' STP team built a radical new race car powered by a turbine engine. At the time, such an engine was allowed under USAC rules. Parnelli Jones, 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion, was hired to drive the car.

In the 1967 Indianapolis 500, Jones led 171 laps, but a $6 bearing burned out on lap 197. The STP Turbine, referred to by some as the "pregnant guppy" might have been what the Mattel designer had in mind. For 1968, the Granatellis turned to Lotus for another try with turbine engines.



Photos of the actual Shelby Turbine

The designer of the original STP turbine car, Ken Wallis, approached Carroll Shelby and convinced him to build a turbine car for the 1968 Indianapolis 500. Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren were to drive the new Shelby Turbines, but they were quietly withdrawn before the race. After the 1968 pre-race crash of a Lotus Turbine that killed driver Mike Spence, Shelby announced that turbine engines were too powerful and could never be made to work safely in automobiles. However, the withdrawl of the cars likely had more to do with Shelby's discovery that a design flaw in Wallis' turbine engine left it without sufficient power.

One of the Shelby Turbine cars was later used as a promotional vehicle for Paul Newman's movie "Winning".