Rare Car Archive

Makes › Shelby American United States › CSX-T (1988) · Specialist manufacturer · 1988 Very Rare

Shelby American
CSX-T (1988)

Shelby Shadow built solely as a Thrifty rental car

Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

IDENTIFICATION CARD · SHELBY AMERICAN CSX-T (1988) 1988
No licensed photograph yet. Photographs are published only when their licence permits it.
1,000BuiltIndependently researched
0Chassis documentedin this archive
210SurvivingRegistry reported
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
1,000 Built
Years
1988
Engine
2,200 cc / 2.2 LFactory: 2.2 L
Power
106 kW / 144 PSFactory: 142 hp · converted
Top speed
208 km/hFactory: 129 mph · converted
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Carroll Shelby / Shelby Automobiles (Whittier, California), on the Dodge Shadow
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
210 (registry reported)

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The CSX-T was a version of the CSX built solely for Thrifty Car Rental in 1988, a rental-fleet Shelby comparable to the earlier Hertz GT350H. It was detuned compared with the 1987 CSX, without intercooler.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityVery Rare 1,000 · Built1
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed 210 · Surviving2

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productioncars voluntarily entered in the Shelby Registry list for the 1988 CSX-T (21% of the registry's production figure); a registration count that includes entries reported totalled or destroyed, not a survivor census 2102 Surviving examples Registry reported
Total model productiontotal production 1,0001 Factory production Independently researched

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Thrifty liked the CSX idea and hired Shelby to produce the CSX-T in 1988; it could be rented for $34.95 a day and most were sold to the public after their rental lives. Some intercooled 1987 CSXs had been sent to Thrifty and were found to have too much power, so Thrifty asked for the 1988 cars to be de-tuned. The cars were white with a grey lower body, wore new 15 x 6.5 five-spoke polished aluminium wheels, and had a numbered dash plaque with the Thrifty logo instead of Carroll Shelby's signature.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard CSX-T (1988).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeChrysler 2.2-litre Turbo I3 Independently researched
LayoutNot yet verified
Displacement 2,200 cc / 2.2 LFactory: 2.2 L4 Registry reported
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemNot yet verified
Power 106 kW / 144 PSFactory: 142 hp · converted5 Independently researchedRegistry page describes the engine only as the standard 1988 Dodge 2.2 turbo with no intercooler.
Power atNot yet verified
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxNot yet verified
GearsNot yet verified
Driven wheelsFront6 Independently researched

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisDodge Shadow (Chrysler K-car) front-drive platform, built at Sterling Heights, Michigan and finished at Shelby in Whittier, California3,6 Independently researched
Front suspensionNot yet verified
Rear suspensionNot yet verified
BrakesNot yet verified
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
WheelbaseNot yet verified
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed 208 km/hFactory: 129 mph · converted4 Registry reported
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
0–60 mph 7.7 s4 Registry reported
Standing ¼ mile 15.7 s4 Registry reported
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Thrifty CSX-T cars were all finished in white and grey and were sold to Thrifty locations. They used the less powerful 2.2-litre Turbo I engine (142 hp) rather than the Turbo II of the 1987 CSX, so a white-and-grey CSX-T with a Turbo II is not a rental-fleet car.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Shelby Registry (shelbyregistry.com) – 1988 CSX-T Level B
    • 1000 total production
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  2. 2
    1988 CSX-T (Thrifty) registered cars Level B Shelby Registry (shelbyregistry.com)
    • 210 registered (21%)
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  3. 3
    Rare Rides: The 1987 Shelby CSX, Not a Dodge Level C Corey Lewis · The Truth About Cars · 2019-09-10
    • the Thrifty cars used a Turbo I engine for 142 horsepower
    • shipped from Michigan (Sterling Heights Assembly) to Whittier, California
    Accessed 2026-11-13
  4. 4
    1988 CSX-T (Thrifty) Level B Shelby Registry (shelbyregistry.com)
    • standard 1988 Dodge 2.2 liter turbo engine with no modifications
    • top speed: 129 MPH
    • 0-60: 7.7 seconds
    • Quarter mile: 15.7
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  5. 5
    Rare Rides: The 1987 Shelby CSX, Not a Dodge Level B The Truth About Cars · 2019-09-01
    • used a Turbo I engine for 142 horsepower
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  6. 6
    The 1989 Dodge Shelby CSX-VNT Was the Pinnacle of Turbo K-Car Radness Level C Alex Nishimoto · MotorTrend · 2020-03-26
    • front-wheel-drive compact hatchback based on the Dodge Shadow
    Accessed 2026-11-13

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