Did Dodge make a Shelby?
Yes. Dodge did produce Shelby-branded performance cars in partnership with Carroll Shelby during the 1980s and 1990s. These were limited-run Dodge models wearing the Shelby name rather than a standalone Shelby model line from Dodge today.
Carroll Shelby, renowned for his Ford-era performance cars, also teamed with Chrysler’s Dodge for a period to create factory-tuned versions of Dodge compact and hatchback models. The resulting vehicles are a niche chapter in American automotive history, valued by collectors for their rarity and the cross-brand collaboration. This article explains which Dodge cars carried the Shelby badge, when they appeared, and how that partnership evolved over time.
Shelby-badged Dodge models: what they were and when they appeared
These entries summarize the official Dodge-Shelby collaborations and their approximate timeframes. They represent a limited, historical lineup rather than a continuous Dodge-Shelby model family.
- Dodge Shelby Charger (early 1980s): A turbocharged variant of the Dodge Charger on the K-car platform, produced in limited numbers with Shelby-tuned performance and distinctive styling cues.
- Dodge Shelby Lancer (late 1980s): A performance version of the Dodge Lancer (based on a Mitsubishi platform) featuring turbocharged power and Shelby-specific exterior and interior treatments.
- Shelby CSX family (mid-1990s): Limited-run versions based on the Dodge Shadow/Omni-derived platform, including the CSX and later the CSX-VNT, which used a turbocharged setup with enhancements typical of Shelby packages.
Concluding: The Dodge-Shelby era was relatively brief and localized to a handful of models. Today these cars are remembered as notable curiosities that highlighted Chrysler’s willingness to partner with Carroll Shelby to create factory-backed performance variants.
The bigger context: Shelby, Dodge, and the broader automotive landscape
While Shelby’s best-known collaborations remained with Ford on high-performance Mustangs, the Dodge-Shelby era stands as a distinct, shorter chapter in American muscle and compact-performance history. The collaboration produced a small number of cars rather than a long-running model line, and the Shelby name in Dodge today is more a matter of history and collectors’ interest than an ongoing production program.
Enthusiasts often view the Charger, Lancer, and CSX projects as emblematic of a period when performance branding crossed brands within the American car puzzle. In the modern era, Dodge’s performance storytelling has been driven by other programs and partnerships, with Shelby-branded Dodge projects not continuing as a core part of the lineup.
How enthusiasts remember these cars
Collectors and vintage car enthusiasts prize these Dodge-Shelby models for their rarity, distinctive styling, and the historical collaboration between Shelby’s team and Chrysler. They are frequently cited in classic car guides and auction catalogs as examples of a unique, if short-lived, era in American performance cars.
What happened to the Dodge-Shelby collaboration?
The Dodge-Shelby partnerships largely faded by the early to mid-1990s as Shelby Engines/Automobiles shifted focus and Dodge pursued other performance avenues. In the decades since, Shelby’s public-facing performance branding has become more closely associated with Ford’s modern performance programs, while Shelby Automobiles remained a separate entity with collaborations that did not replicate the Dodge lineup. As of the latest available information in 2025, Dodge has not reintroduced a new, official Shelby-backed model line.
Summary
In brief: Dodge did indeed make Shelby-branded cars, but only in a small, limited-run capacity during the 1980s and 1990s. The models—Charger, Lancer, and the CSX family—were produced under license with Carroll Shelby’s organization and are now remembered as a distinctive, collectible chapter in the history of American performance cars. The Shelby name today is more closely tied to Ford performance vehicles, with no current Dodge-Shelby lineup announced.
