Sixty years ago, a man named Carroll Hall Shelby founded a company named after him. As a car enthusiast, racing driver, designer and brilliant entrepreneur, Shelby quickly found a way to overthrow the legendary American sports car Chevrolet Corvette - this car is called Cobra, and in order to make Chevrolet realize reality, this car continues to win race after race!
In 1961, Shelby wrote to the British AC company: "Give me a body, I will put a Ford engine on it", and then write to Ford in the United States: "Give me an engine, I can put it on the body of AC". When the body arrived in the United States in February 1962 without an engine, he assembled the world's first Cobra, the Shelby 260 Cobra CSX2000, which was powered by a Ford 260-cubic-inch 4.3L V8 engine mated to a BorgWarner four-speed manual transmission.
The car shined at the New York Auto Show in May 1962! At first, Cobra had the "Ford Power" label because the power unit was supplied by Ford. The first frame designation CSX2001, codenamed Mark I, used a 4.3L "small displacement" engine. A total of 126 Mark I Cobras were built, of which the first 75 were equipped with 260 cubic inches (4.3 liters) "small displacement" engines and the remaining 51 with 289 cubic inches (4.7 liters) engines.
In 1963, the first major update was made in this generation known as the Shelby Cobra 289/Mark II, and the main change in this generation was the replacement of rack and pinion steering, which further improved handling. The new car made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of which was driven by Carol Shelby himself.
In September 1963, Dan Gurney won the Bridgehampton 500 km race in a Cobra specifically designed to fight Ferrari, which not only defeated Ferrari for the first time, but also made Dan Gurney the first American driver to win a FIA race in an American car.
In 1964, Cobra continued to compete at Le Mans, finishing first in the GT class that year and fourth overall. The Mark II had frame numbers COB/COX 6001-6062, which meant a total of 61 units were produced.
In 1964, Team Shelby traveled to France. Join the GT class, where he will face Porsche, Alfa . Romeo, Lotus and, of course, the Ferrari 250GTO. The Cobra Daytona, one of the most famous Cobras, was built on the Mark II, with a total of 6 units built specifically for GT racing based on the Mark II, still equipped with a 289 cubic inch (4.7 liter) V8 engine, in order to win the championship.
Shelby upgraded the car's chassis and optimized the aerodynamic design of the exterior. Not only did it need to reach speeds of more than 180 miles per hour, but stability at such speeds was also required, especially the 3-mile (4.8km) Morsan Straight, which had to surpass Ferrari in speed. The car eventually reached a speed of 186 miles per hour on the Mursan Straight, driven by Bob bonduran and Dan Gurney. By the end of the race, they were almost a lap ahead of the Ferrari.
CAROL SHELBY ALSO OFFERS A MODIFIED "DRAGONSNAKE" PACKAGE FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF "DRAG RACING". The CSX2093 is one of them, driven by Bruce Larson or Ed Hedrick and has won quite a few races.
In addition, the Shelby factory team owns two 289 Dragon Cobras (2019 and 2357), and the other four are privately owned chassis codes 2248, 2416, 2427 and 2472 respectively.
Americans tend to think that bigger is better, especially with V8 engine displacement, and Carol Shelby understands this and decides to try to put a larger displacement engine on a lightweight chassis while maintaining vehicle handling.
His first attempt was to fit a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) heavy-duty Ford FE V8 engine, the Mark II designation CSX2196. Unfortunately, this turned out not to be a wise choice. The car, driven by British driver Ken Miles, who said the car was not able to be driven properly, which he called "The Turd", and that the car did not even finish the Sebring race.
The Shelby team worked hard to improve the car to make it easier to drive. The aluminum 390 cubic inch (6.4 liter) engine was later improved to alleviate balance issues caused by the extra weight of the large engine. Subsequently, the car went to race again, but in the end it was not completed.
Later, Carol Shelby was inspired by the Nazcar race, when Ford cars with 427 cubic inch FE engines dominated the 1963 season. At the same time, this 427 cubic inch engine was also installed on the Ford GT40, and the excellent performance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans gave Enzo Ferrari a headache.
Originally using bodywork from the AC Ace, all Mark I and Mark II introduced were equipped with independent suspension using transverse blade springs. With this 427 cubic inch engine, some changes had to be made, first the coil-spring suspension was replaced, in addition to the fact that the fender was opened enough to fit the wider rear tires, and the radiator was enlarged for better heat dissipation.
In late 1964, the Cobra 427 (Mark III) made its first media appearance. The car uses a new tubular aluminum body, coil-spring independent suspension chassis and a 427 cubic inch (7.0 liter) 425 hp engine. It can accelerate 0-60 (96.56 km/h) in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 185 mph (298 km/h), and the car is capable of accelerating from 0-100 mph (160 km/h) and braking 100-0 in less than 14 seconds.
In 1965, the Shelby AC Cobra 427 won the World Sports Car Championship and was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest production car.
Production of the Cobra 427 (Mark III) began in January 1965 under chassis designation CSX/CSB 3001-3100.
The 1965 FIA World Championship added new requirements that in order to compete in the Group 3 GT class, 100 identical production models had to be produced for season certification, and only 53 were produced when the deadline expired.
22 vehicles that met the full race requirements were sold to a private racing team! The remaining unfinished vehicles began to be sold for the civilian market, and Carol Shelby made some minor modifications to these intended races, installing the windshield and retuning the engine to make it more suitable for driving on the road. Of the 53 racing cars built in 1965, 31 were modified and sold in this way, and these cars are also known as S/C (semi-competitive) cars.
To differentiate itself from the road model, the S/C boasts larger rear brake discs, heavy-duty front and rear screen calipers, optional bronze suspension bushings, an external fuel tank, a Stewart-Warner fuel pump, a special 42-gallon fuel tank, and front and rear jack caps and roll cages. In addition, under the hood, they have magnesium intake manifolds, aluminum cylinder heads, oil coolers, rear differential coolers and huge side exhaust pipes. Each car is primed and the interior is black. Each 427 S/C is equipped with a CSX VIN originally assigned in 1965 and a unique badge number, as well as an "MSO" and historical documents personally signed by Carol Shelby herself.
As pure race cars, these cars are not registered and cannot be driven on the road. However, each car is a perfect interpretation of American muscle car culture, which holds a high status in the United States and even the world, and is also a rare treasure for car collectors. Between 1990 and 1992, Carroll sold five of the 427 S/Cs for $500,000 each. Today, the original S/C basically sells for more than $2 million.
In addition to the 427 cubic-inch S/C, the Mark III Cobra introduced a more economical version with a cheaper long-stroke 428-cubic-inch (7.01-liter) Ford V8 engine. These cars are numbered CSX/CSB 3101-3360, but cars without 427 cubic inches of engine are not very collectible today. But despite this, they're still a great road bike!
In order to meet the needs of consumers in Europe, Australia and other international markets, the Mark III also launched the Mark III Cobra equipped with a small-displacement Ford 289 cubic inch engine. The exquisite chassis tuning process combined with the small enough and lightweight V8 engine brings the driver a flexible and pleasant driving experience. The chassis number of these cars is COB/COX 6101-6132.
Overall, between 1961 and 1968, a total of 998 units were produced. These numbers include road cars, race cars, semi-competitive circuits, and more).
After reading it, you should know that the 427 Cobra Competition (S/C or Sports) version is the most valuable!
On January 26, 2023, Sotheby's will hold an auction in Arizona, USA, and one of the artworks is this car!
The upcoming sale of the 427 Cobra (CSX 3011) was first invoiced by AC on January 11, 1965, and subsequently modified by Shelby on May 14. It was one of the first 19 racing cars, though, and was not pre-sold to private racing teams.
Instead, he was painted with blue paint and white racing stripes, and was featured on the cover of Car Graphic magazine in November 1965, along with the GT 350 R, GT 350, Street 427 Cobra, Cobra Daytona Coupe and GT 40 in 12 cities in the United States.
The CSX 3011 did not sell during the roadshow promotion because it attracted a lot of people.
In March 1966, the car became a star! The car can be seen in official Ford showrooms, major auto shows and media events.
On February 7, 1966, it was loaned to MGM Studios for the filming of a film starring Elvis Presley. After 10 weeks of filming, Shelby USA invoiced MGM Studios for $12,595 on April 25.
In October 1966, the CSX 3011 was sold to a private company.
On October 11, Shelby America sold the car to Formula 1 driver Moisés Solana Arciega for a total invoice of $11,393.
The order was placed through Ford Mexico, and the CSX 3011 was subsequently delivered to Laredo, Texas, on October 15 in order to immediately prepare for the race in which Solana participated.
The talented Mexican driver, who had previously had a lot of success driving the 289 Cobra, was intrigued by this new car.
Solana competed in CSX 3011 several times in Mexico and the United States until her death at an event on July 27, 1969.
The car was then put in the manor garage, but it didn't take long for his close friend Juan Carlos Boranos to get the car and continued to use it for several years until the vehicle caught fire and the engine and body were badly damaged.
In 1978, American cobra enthusiast Jim Sausdar discovered the car in Mexico and finally bought it on April 9, 1980, a well-known Shelby Cobra collector and vintage racing driver, and the car was subsequently taken to a restoration center in Georgia, USA, for the highest quality restoration.
The whole car was taken apart, the frame was restored, and it is worth noting that the 427 racing engine is still original. At that time, the restoration of this CSX 3011 was popular all over the United States and became the focus of attention.
Jim Szadar kept the car until 1993 and then chose to sell it due to financial problems, but regretted it soon and spent several more years trying to buy it back, which he eventually repurchased in 2006.
During the SAAC 32 (2007), the car was exhibited at Miller Motorway Park in Elda, Utah, USA, and was restored to its original factory appearance. The restoration took three years and involved several Cobra historians and SAAC experts as consultants. The invoice shows that the entire restoration amount was nearly $300,000.
The restored CSX 3011 debuted in 2011 during the SAAC 36 at Virginia International Circuit and quickly achieved gold-level honors.
Today, the car can be called a treasure-like collection. The auction is accompanied by all restoration invoices, historical footage, owner's manuals, film memorabilia, the original Cobra press brochure, the original Shelby invoice to Moises Solana from 1966, the FIA Cognate Table from 1965, the 1980 bill of sale, and numerous historical documents signed by Shelby himself.
The new 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 costs about $7500. Today, the reference price of the common Mark III Cobra starts at about $800,000, and the rarer version, such as the S/C version of this auction, starts at $2 million. The first-ever Shelby Cobra, which sold for a record $13.75 million in 2016!
So, what do you think will be the final price of such a Cobra that has participated in races, parades, and even Internet movies?
By the way, before the official auction, the car will be on display at Biltmore, Arizona on Missouri Avenue in Phoenix, USA, and will be able to visit it for free to any member of the public.
In addition to this classic car, enthusiasts can also go there to buy relevant souvenirs, many precious photos of the past, and an atlas of the process of thorough restoration. In addition, it is important to note that if your auction is successful, you will need to pay the auction house a commission of 12% of the final transaction price.