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CARROLL Shelby is crazy.

Leash the lawyers. No need for litigation here.

Anyone who’s driven the 1987 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z knows that Shelbyis wonderfully, marvelously insane.

Talk about whoosh! A fully-loaded, under-$20,000 performance car thatruns circles around some pricey BMW and Porsche models. Greatestego-buster on wheels.

It figures. The Shelby Z springs from Shelby the Man — atough-talkin’, hard-drivin’, chili-cookin’ car designer who’s concoctedsome of the hottest rides in America for the common soul. RememberFord’s Shelby Cobra and Mustang?

Ol’ Shel ain’t with Ford anymore. He bolted the place shortly afterHenry Ford II fired Lee Iacocca in 1978 for conduct unbecoming alifetime subordinate.

We all know what happened to Lee “I Am Chairman of ChryslerCorporation America” Iacocca. He became famous largely because hebrought people like Shelby to Chrysler with him. And Shelby’s now adesign and engineering consultant to Chrysler’s Dodge Division, whichbrings us back to the Daytona Shelby Z.

What we have here is a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder econocar with theheart of a ’60s street racer. Real nutty stuff in the dawning Age ofPropriety. But what the heck? The way things are going today, itsometimes helps to go bananas.

Complaints: Niggling. Door-lock trim on right door came unstuck.Repaired with Duro glue. Not-so-niggling. Three-point seat belt systemis cumbersome and defeats the purpose of having “automatic” belts. It’ssometimes hard to attach the shoulder harnesses to the door-mountedreceptors; and it’s all too easy to forget to buckle the lap belts afterthe shoulder harnesses are in place. This system needs to be rethought.Also, why not make this car an honest two-seater? The rear seats are ajoke, as in far too many sporty cars.

Praise: A-plus for the Shelby Z’s engineering. Chrysler’s 2.2-literturbo engine has been around for a while, but Shelby’s people have givenit born-again zest. The most obvious change is an intercooler thatreduces the temperature of air rushing from the turbo into the engine,allowing more air into the cylinders for a better air-fuel mix. Theresult is a 30-percent increase in boost over Chrysler’s first turbo2.2.

Chrysler engineers say that the Shelby engine, aided by otherrefinements, can produce 174 horsepower at 4,800 rpm. I’ll take theirword for it. The super swoopy, arrest-me-red test car was a magnet forbadges.

Head-turning-quotient: Police folk weren’t the only people payingattention. The car got civilian waves and raves. It also drew somerank-and-file animosity. Some people seemed to assume that I had to be abad egg to be behind the wheel of this machine. Polite entreaties forpermission to enter traffic brought several upturned noses and fingers.

Ride, acceleration, handling: Relatively hard ride but notsports-car harsh. Acceleration terrific. Very precise steering in thisfront-wheel-drive car, which also brakes with discipli ne. Oh yeah –Shelby abandoned Chrysler’s notchy five-speed manual gearbox in favor ofthe smoother, German-designed Getrag system installed in the test model.Many thanks, Shelby.

Sound system: AM/FM stereo radio and cassette with six speakers andgraphic equalizer. Okay.

Mileage: about 20 to the gallon (14-gallon tank, 280-mile range),mostly highway, driver only, air conditioner operating full-time.

Price: $17,060, including $3,897 in options and $414 destinationcharge. Base price is $12,749. (Dealer invoice on base model is$11,319.12.)