Friday 1st July 2016

First Shelby Cobra goes to auction

'CSX 2000' is RM's star lot at next month's Monterey sale - best have deep pockets!

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For American car nerds, 'CSX 2000' is the Holy Grail. For general car nerds, it's certainly one to be aware of. Because CSX 2000 is the first Shelby Cobra, the car owned by Carroll Shelby his entire life and the car that created an automotive legend.

Because everyone knows the Cobra, right? It sits in the annals of automotive history alongside the Mini, the Beetle and the Miura as one of the four-wheeled icons that even non-car people recognise. To have the original car offered for sale is rather a big deal, then.

The car was built in 1962, when Shelby famously equipped an AC Ace with a new 260 cubic-inch (4,260cc) Ford V8. CSX 2000 was then Shelby's original press and marketing car, repainted on several occasions to give the impression for many months that production was in full flow. When it was finally let loose on American media, Road & Track returned with some absurd figures: 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds, the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds (at 112mph) and a top speed of 153mph. The Cobra legend was born!

Under Shelby's ownership until his passing, CSX 2000 was used as a promotional car, as a training tool and as a motor show attraction. It is without doubt the most significant Cobra around. A long-standing agreement between the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust and RM means the car will now be sold to a dedicated (and very wealthy) Cobra collector at the Monterey sale, taking place from August 19-20.

The car is in fact so important that it goes to auction without an estimate published. It has to be several million, surely? It goes to show the calibre of this auction that cars like a BMW M1, Ferrari Daytona and a Maserati Quattroporte 'Prototipo' haven't even made the featured lots. See the auction catalogue here, and best of luck if you're fortunate enough to be bidding on anything!

[JohnGoodridge]

Several million? Given that a Daytona Coupe went for $7.25m and the GT40 record is $11 (all some years ago) I think this *could* be in with a chance of a record. Yes, it lacks competition history, but it's historic significance is unparalleled.

[JohnGoodridge]

Update: It did indeed set a record sale value at $13.8m (about 10.6m gbp at current rates)

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/20/luxury/shelby-cobr...