2015 Shelby 50th Anniversary Cobra 427
-
Shelby 50th Anniversary Cobra 427
-
Year:2015
-
Make:
-
Model:
-
Price:119995
-
Price:
-
car segment:
-
body style:
The iconic Shelby Cobra — based on the British-built AC Ace roadster — first left Carroll Shelby’s shop in 1962 with a 4.3-liter, V-8 engine under its hood. It took the Cobra name only a few months to become famous and Carroll quickly turned to making it equally popular on the race track. Although the 4.7-liter version was unbeatable in the U.S. racing scene throughout 1964, Carroll also wanted the Cobra to become competitive in the FIA GT class, which was dominated by Ferrari back in the early 1960s. Thus the Cobra 427 was born, a roadster that featured wider fenders, fatter tires, an upgraded chassis and a massive, 7.0-liter, V-8 engine.
Notwithstanding the fact that it missed homologation for the 1965 racing season, the Cobra 427 went on to capture the SCCA’s covered "A Production" championship. A the same time, its road-legal version rocked the sports car world thanks to its amazingly powerful engine and reduced weight, which combined helped the Cobra obliterate most of its competitors. As the 427 turns 50 years old in January 2015, Shelby American is building 50 new examples, which are dubbed the 50th Anniversary Cobra 427, to commemorate the occasion and bring back the most powerful roadster of the 1960s. Read on for the full details.
Click past the jump to read more about the Shelby 50th Anniversary Cobra 427.
Latest Shelby Cobra news and reviews:
This Cobra 289FIA Replica Looks Absolutely Stunning
The Cobra 289 FIA has a rich track history. This 1960s model dominated tracks throughout the decade, taking down Jaguars, Corvettes, Aston Martins, and Ferraris. While the real deal is tough to get these days, you can get yourself a replica produced by Connecticut-based ERA Replica Automobiles. The car was reportedly acquired by Yankees legend, Reggie Jackson in 2012.
The ERA Cobra 289 FIA recently came up for auction on Bring-a-Trailer, and it can be yours if you act fast.
Cool Car for Sale: 2006 Shelby Cobra CSX1000
Continuation models aren’t a new concept. Shelby and AC introduced the CSX1000 in early 2000s and built just 14 of them. One of them is up for sale on Bring-a-Trailer! It features a blue paint with white racing stripes and an all-aluminum V-8 engine under the hood mated to a manual gearbox. This 2006 CSX1000 has 1,700 miles on the odometer and has been in the possession of just one owner so far. The car is going for close to $200,000.
Superformance Donates Its MKII Shelby 289 Slab Side To Charity
Superformance is known to create some classic builds that are priced like crazy, but the company has gone generous with one of their builds – the 1962 MKII Shelby 289 Slab Side. Superformance has donated the car to Petersen Automotive Museum for its upcoming digital gala that’s set to take place on September 26. The car is officially licensed by Shelby and built aesthetically and dimensionally correct to the original289 Cobras of the early 1960s. The only difference here is that the Superformance builds have modern-day mods complementing the classic styling. Isn’t that a win-win situation?
Kick Off The Weekend With This Video of a $7.25 Million Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe At Spa
Carroll Shelby started making cars in the early 1960s by dropping V-8 engines in AC Ace bodies imported from Britain, and it took just a couple years of him to become a performance icon in the United States. A few years before he started working with Ford to produce some of the greatest Mustangs ever built, Shelby began to race his Cobras. Although highly competitive, the roadster wasn’t fast enough on Le Mans’ 3.7-mile Mulsanne Straight, so Shelby wanted a different Cobra that could beat the Ferrari 250 GTO. That’s how the Shelby Daytona Coupe was born in 1964.
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra
In 1965, Ford won the World Manufacturer’s Title in the GT ranks with the Cobra Daytona Coupe. But you wouldn’t have found the aerodynamic Kamm-tailed endurance racer on almost any bedroom wall around that time. Instead, everyone was hooked on Shelby’s new roadster - the Cobra 427. Sporting the ’side-oiler’ big block 7.0-liter V-8 good for at least 500 ponies, the revised Cobra was five inches wider than the AC Ace-based examples before it, handled slightly better due to an all-new chassis with independent suspension, and was one of the fastest cars you could register in 1965. With a 0-60 mph time of four seconds flat and tires that would go alight at the lightest depressing of the gas pedal, the 427 was unruly but that’s what made it a legend.
Think about what American cars you have loved throughout your life. It’s almost certain that the Cobra 427 was (or still is) in amongst your favorites. With rounded, flared arches, a gaping mouth and a scoop on the hood, and a pair of racing stripes traversing the (usually) blue paintwork, the baddest Cobra found its place in the history books from the moment it entered production. It was as loud as a pack of lions - if lions were ever to attack in packs - and more unruly than a teenager who’s going through a phase that’s "totally not a phase". The first 50 cars made were Competition or Semi/Competition-spec while the other 260 copies built until late ’67 were tuned to be more street-oriented, although even this can be considered a stretch. That’s why probably no other car can boast with such a wide variety of replicas quite like the Cobra and, naturally, most try to copy the look of the Cobra 427.
The early 60s all the way up to the 70s was a golden age for the American automotive industry if only for the simple fact that muscle cars were growing not just in number, but in overall stature. The muscle car arms race of the that time yielded plenty of options for customers looking for more power and metal-twisting torque from these vehicles. And the models only grew in popularity as more and more people began clamoring for the biggest, baddest, and most powerful machines.
The general appeal these muscle cars offered to the growing American car culture of the time was the opportunity to own powerful cars that could be used for drag racing while also keeping costs at bay. At that time, a number of brands began developing their own models, including legendary names like the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Plymouth Barracuda, the Pontiac Trans-Am, and the Dodge Charger, to name a few.
While the golden age of American muscle was limited to parts of these two decades, the industry has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in recent years. It’s not going to compare to the 60s or the 70s, but as proven by customer clamoring, the culture of American muscle cars is far from bearing its last legs.
To pay tribute to the time where muscle was king of the road - and the drag strip - we have compiled a list of the 10 most memorable muscle cars of the golden age.
1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake
One of the most iconic American cars of all time, the Shelby Cobra, came to be in 1962 when Carroll Shelby combined Ford-made V-8 engines with British-designed AC Ace bodies. Although the Ace was fairly old and close to discontinuation in 1962, it’s lightweight structure helped Shelby create one of the greatest American sports cars. Built until 1968 in various road-legal and race-spec configurations, the Cobra reached its performance peak when the Super Snake was launched in 1966. Called the "Cobra to end all Cobras," the Super Snake is the rarest of the bunch, and it still holds the title for the most expensive American car sold at auction.
"When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car on the road," Shelby told Barrett-Jackson in 2007 when the roadster was auctioned for its record price. "Forty years later, it will still kick the tail of just about anything in the world. It’s the fastest street legal Cobra I’ve ever owned."
Let’s find out more about this tremendous classic in the review below.
Continue reading to learn more about the Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake.
Watch this Mean Shelby Cobra 427 Flex its Muscles and Burn Rubber
There’s nothing like a Shelby Cobra 427 revving its big V-8 engine - it’s even better when it happens at the race track. And, this footage recorded by YouTube user "bbrandle2" at the 2017 Goodguys Pleasanton Autocross is proof that the original Shelby Cobra is a crowd pleaser. And loud. And downright awesome!
Sure, modern Mustangs and Camaros are cool too, and a Dodge Viper lapping the Laguna Seca is something I could watch for hours, but nothing compared to the magnificent Cobra 427 that Shelby Carroll himself designed in the mid-1960s. It has the looks, the power (425 horsepower of it!), the exhaust note, and all the fame a muscle car can get. Seeing one in action is a real treat too, since the 427 was produced in less than 350 units, including S/C and Competition roadsters.
Continue reading for the video.
1962 Shelby 260 Cobra "CSX 2000"
If you ask any car enthusiast the name of the person who has been the most influential to the automotive world, nine times out of ten you’ll get the answer “Carroll Shelby.” And, rightfully so – Carroll Shelby had an amazing automotive legacy. And, that legacy all started out with the car you see here: a 1962 Shelby Cobra CSX 2000. While all early Cobras are special in their own right, this one is excessively special because it was the first Cobra built. Ever. It came to be at the hands of Carroll Shelby and a few other people in a small garage in California.
There’s a lot more to this specific Cobra, though. See, this Cobra was built by Carroll Shelby and was owned solely by him. Furthermore, there is a funny story behind it. When the car was complete, it was shown at a number of different venues used by the motoring press and used for testing and development. The funny part is that Shelby had the world convinced that Cobra production was running at full force when in fact the CSX 2000 was the only Cobra at the time. To pull this off, the car was repainted prior to most appearances to give the illusion that there was more than just one for the first seven months of its existence.
With that said, this specific Cobra is ready to go home with a new owner and is being auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey in August of 2016. It is being offered by the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust and, as such, should come with proof of authenticity. The car isn’t exactly in the best condition it has ever been in – there is definitely wear here and there. But, that is a part of the car’s history. So, let’s take a good look at it before it goes under the hammer in a couple of months.
Update 08-21-2016: This gorgeous car just broke the record for an American car sold at Auction. Check out the Prices section below for all the details.
Keep reading for our full review of this very special Cobra
2016 Mecum Auction Indianapolis – Recap
The History of Mecum Auctions goes back to 1988 at the Rockford Airport, where the first Mecum Auction was held. Over the last 28 years, Mecum has grown tremendously, now being ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for collector cars offered at auction, collector cars sold at auction, total dollar volume of sales, and the largest number of auction venues. On top of that, it has become the host of the world’s largest collector car auction that is hosted every year in Florida.
This last week, Mecum hosted an auction in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This year there was a total of 1,859 lots that included plenty of collector cars, a few gas pumps, some neon signs, and even a few coin-operated kid rides. The big news from this auction, however, was the pair of Shelby Cobras that broke seven digits before the hammer dropped and a few other classics that are well worth taking an extra look at.
We’ve taken the time to cover the biggest sellers from the auction as well as a few of those that didn’t sell at all. There was even a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Pro Stock that got as high as $750,000 but didn’t get quite high enough to cross that thin reserve line. That was just one of many that didn’t sell, and those two Shelby Cobras weren’t the only models that found new owners last week. So, let’s take a look at a few of the most notable vehicles that went under the hammer last week.
After winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 (in the Aston Martin DBR1), Carroll Shelby wanted to return to Europe to beat Ferrari with a car of his own design. In 1964, he began work on the 1964-1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe, a car that would solve the 1963 Shelby Cobra’s issues with aerodynamic drag, which limited its top speed on the 3-mile long Mulsanne straight. Only six were built before Shelby was reassigned to the 1964-1969 Ford GT40 project, but the Daytona Coupe went on to win 10 races during 1964 and 1965, as well as the 1965 FIA World Sportscar Championship.
Not only did the Daytona Coupe become the first car to beat Ferrari since 1959, but it also made Shelby the first American constructor to win an international title. Additionally, the Coupe set no fewer than 25 land-
speed records at Bonneville in 1965. It’s been half a decade since those tremendous achievements, and Shelby American is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its FIA World Championship with a limited series of continuation Cobra Daytona Coupes.
Though this isn’t the first continuation Daytona (Superformance already offers a licensed replica), Shelby’s is arguably the most authentic to date. The 50th anniversary Daytona Coupe is actually more than just a replica, sporting modern disc brakes and a stronger frame, and including an aluminum body option, a first for continuation cars.
Updated 9/1/2015: Our man Jonathan Lopez took some pics at Monterey Car Week. Enjoy!
Continue reading to learn more about the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe 50th Anniversary.
Since 3D printing is still very much in its infancy, we are still trying to figure out just how it can be used to improve our lives. There are surely automotive applications for such a thing, but what they are and how they would be best implemented is largely unknown. So Oak Ridge National Laboratory, working with the Department of Energy, has built a Shelby Cobra replica using 3D printing to manufacture many of the parts. Specifically, the entire chassis and body of the car.
Obviously, quite a bit of the car couldn’t be printed, like the electric drivetrain, for instance. But those parts that were printed were good enough that you can’t tell the difference just to look at the car. As is mentioned in the video, the process isn’t suited to mass-producing cars and it won’t be for years. But it is an amazingly efficient way of producing one-offs and/prototypes, much faster than the practices currently in use. What this means to those of us who don’t run car companies is something we’ll have to wait to see, but what we’re hoping is that it means a lot more concepts and prototypes turning up at car shows, in much greater variety.
Introduced in late 2014 and put on sale in January 2015, the 50th Anniversary Cobra 427 meant that Shelby enthusiasts can purchase a limited-edition, classic-looking Cobra without having to pay the million-dollar sticker the original 427s fetch at auctions. A few months later, and the anniversary roadster could spell trouble for Shelby American, in the form of a lawsuit for alleged acts of unfair competition and breach of its dealer agreement.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Stephen Becker Automotive Group, a Georgia-based authorized Shelby dealer known as Planet Shelby Cobra (Planet Shelby), the manufacturer is accused of violating Plaintiff’s dealer agreement as well as California and Nevada statutes against unfair competition. Specifically, Stephen Becker Automotive Group claims Shelby American engaged in direct sales of vehicles to members of the general public and stopped referring customers to Planet Shelby, as required by the dealer agreement.
The complainant went on to add that Shelby American refused to provide a VIN number for a 50th Anniversary Cobra 427 it had ordered for one of its customers. Later on, Shelby informed dealerships it had already sold a "significant" number of the Anniversary roadsters directly to the public and gathered dealers, including Planet Shelby, to participate in a lottery to determine which would be able to order the cars. The lottery was contrary to the "first come first serve" basis promised initially, the dealership added.
Continue reading to learn more about the new lawsuit against Shelby.
The iconic Shelby Cobra — based on the British-built AC Ace roadster — first left Carroll Shelby’s shop in 1962 with a 4.3-liter, V-8 engine under its hood. It took the Cobra name only a few months to become famous and Carroll quickly turned to making it equally popular on the race track. Although the 4.7-liter version was unbeatable in the U.S. racing scene throughout 1964, Carroll also wanted the Cobra to become competitive in the FIA GT class, which was dominated by Ferrari back in the early 1960s. Thus the Cobra 427 was born, a roadster that featured wider fenders, fatter tires, an upgraded chassis and a massive, 7.0-liter, V-8 engine.
Notwithstanding the fact that it missed homologation for the 1965 racing season, the Cobra 427 went on to capture the SCCA’s covered "A Production" championship. A the same time, its road-legal version rocked the sports car world thanks to its amazingly powerful engine and reduced weight, which combined helped the Cobra obliterate most of its competitors. As the 427 turns 50 years old in January 2015, Shelby American is building 50 new examples, which are dubbed the 50th Anniversary Cobra 427, to commemorate the occasion and bring back the most powerful roadster of the 1960s. Read on for the full details.
Click past the jump to read more about the Shelby 50th Anniversary Cobra 427.
If you think that you’re an authority on the Shelby Cobra, then you probably have never met Lynn Park, the man many regard as the most well-versed historian of the iconic American sports car. XCar Films was able to spend some time with the man people call Mr. Cobra, giving us a close look at what it really means to be a Cobra historian. Park’s stature isn’t unfounded. He’s owned well over 50 Cobras at one point or another in his life and one look at his garage shows that he’s got a whole lot more registered to his name.
Clearly, Park didn’t get nicknamed Mr. Cobra by a happy accident.
His fascination with Cobras started at an early age, even at a time when he couldn’t afford to build one. So he built his first makeshift Cobra using an AC body and a Ford engine, and later moved to restoring models that he picked up on the cheap. Since then, he’s been a one-car guy, even making it a life mission to espouse his passion for the Cobra to anyone who shares it, including Carroll Shelby himself. The two actually fostered a friendship that lasted until the day Shelby passed away, forged by a shared obsession with a car that still turns a lot of heads wherever it goes.
During the course of the episode, Park also shows us some of his prized possessions, including some of the rarest Cobras in the world today. He has “16,,” which he describes as the first of five FIA cars Shelby built. It’s also one of the rare Cobras with a significant racing history, having been wrecked by Bob Johnson at Sebring in 1964. Naturally, Park got his hands on the wreckage and with the help of some of his friends, he managed to return it back to its pristine form. Park also has one of five Dragonsnake factory-built Cobra drag racers he bought from Shelby himself, signed pink slip and all.
The man’s passion for Cobras isn’t just evident with all the Cobras he has in his garage. You can see it in every corner of the room, whether its press clippings, books, or whatever memorabilia that’s associated with the American sports car. So the next time somebody tells you that he knows a lot about the Shelby Cobra, bring up the name Lynn Park and tell that someone to look him up.
The Gumball 3000 is an exciting thing to be a part of, but when you get hundreds of nice cars together to go on a 3,000-mile road trip, there is bound to be some carnage and general mayhem. Sadly that often means that one of the cool and valuable cars entered in the rally will not be going home in one piece. That story rings true for this modified Shelby Cobra.
The car is said to be good for 800 horsepower, and it looked downright menacing with its matte-black vinyl wrap. At some point during what looks like the UK leg of the trip, the Cobra was involved in an accident that ripped most of the car’s front end clean off. Most of the suspension, wheels and body work are completely missing in the photos gathered by GT Spirit. There is no information on the cause of the crash, but thankfully it appears that all those involved are safe.
The car itself was a 1966 model and as entry number 113, it was the official car from Battery Energy Drink, one of the main sponsors of this year’s rally.
Epic road trips are lots of fun, I love them, but it is important to remember to keep it safe out there. Especially when piloting an 800-horsepower hot rod with no roof.
Click past the jump to read more about the Shelby Cobra.
The Shelby Cobra went into production in 1961 and only three years later, Shelby unveiled an FIA version of the car which competed in the 1964 World Manufacturers Championship series. Now, 50 years later, Shelby American is celebrating this great model with the unveiling of a special 50th anniversary model called the CSX7000.
This special Cobra is offered exclusively in Viking Blue with Arctic White FIA stripes and roundels. The interior is trimmed in black combined with special billet anniversary badges and a variety of additional options are offered exclusively at customer’s request.
The new Shelby 289 CSX7000 is limited to only 50 units with prices starting from $94,995 for fiberglass-bodied models and $159,995 for aluminum-bodied models. For both versions prices do not include a drivetrain. Shelby American will show off the CSX7000 this weekend at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Click past the jump to read more about the Shelby 289 FIA Cobra CSX7000 50th Anniversary.
The swinging 60s just brings up this roasted and muddy air of sex, sweat and drugs. Enough to intoxicate even the plastic hippies among us, the 1960s is rapidly becoming the most profitable segment of the classic supercar market.
And for good reason. Simple leather is mixed with gasoline until emotions boil. This list spans such greats as the Ferrari 250GT California Spider LWB Competizione to the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. And what a long, strange trip it was between those two masterpieces.
The birth of the Porsche 911, the Aston Martin DB5, the Shelby Cobra and Ford GT40, the Maserati Ghibli Spyder and many more.
All of the cars from this era are rich in prose. Sean Connery’s name pops up repeatedly, and so does Steve McQueen and Sir Paul McCartney. These were mens’ men in a time of changing morals on a global scale.
But the coupes and ragtops these gents preferred are really fit for the ages. So throw on some Aviators and slip into your slimmest racing loafers.
Click past the jump for a sunny-Sunday donut run in the Top-Ten Best Supercars from the 1960s.
Here at TopSpeed, Heffner Performance is better known for its twin-turbo packages offered for models like Lamborghini Gallardo or Audi R8 V10. But now the tuner has announced a twin turbo package based on the famous Shelby Cobra.
Heffner began the program by simply teasing us with a massive engine on its Facebook page asking us to guess what it went in. The following day, Heffner showed us the beautiful Cobra body that it was going in. Unfortunately, the package is far from complete, but we do have bits of information and some rather sexy images.
This Cobra package will be developed during the winter and we’ll likely see the final draft sometime in the spring of 2013. Since the tuner will offer hasn’t offered up any other details, we can only speculate on what the beautiful powerplant in the Cobra’s engine bay will produce. Judging from previous packages we have seen from Heff, we expect the new Cobra Twin Turbo to deliver somewhere around 750 horsepower.
We’re in direct contact with Heffner, so we will get information lightning fast, once Heff releases it. So, stay tuned for more info!
After we lost racing and general automotive legend, Carroll Shelby on May 10th, a squabble ensued over his remains. His estranged wife, Cleo, claimed that she had the rights to his remains and the documentation that his children had, which requested that he be cremated and his ashes split between his children and his burial plot in Texas, was forged.
According to reports, Shelby had filed for an annulment of the marriage, citing that his wife had lied about her background and even her name, just before he died. Unfortunately, the annulment was not awarded posthumously, so it appeared as if the only other way to settle the dispute was in court.
Fortunately, the two sides managed to keep the case out of court by coming to an agreement on Monday and Mr. Shelby’s body will be laid to rest in the way that he requested, except for one minor compromise. The minor compromise is the fact that his estranged wife gets part of his ashes.
We’re glad to hear that the issue is settled, though we would have preferred to see his wife completely cut out of it. The most important thing, however, is that the issue is done and this legend can now be laid to rest peacefully and his children can hold their heads high that their father was laid to rest in the way he requested, though his son Michael says that they are still not happy with the results.
To say we absolutely love every Shelby Cobra to death is an understatement. This also breeds a little hatred in our hearts for those that take a hacksaw to them and start modifying stuff. However, here are some modifications to Shelby Cobras that we can stomach and some that we completely fall in love with at first sight. Magnis Jinstrand’s modified Shelby Cobra just happens to fall squarely in the latter classification…
This beautiful example of automotive genius boasts a disgustingly sexy 6.0-liter Mercedes V-12 with an equally disgusting loud-mouthed supercharger strapped to its intake. There’s no information on the power pushed out by this mean machine, but judging by the above video, we would have to estimate it to be in the 700-horsepower range.
The exposed supercharger really just does it for us. Not only does it look awesome, but it is about the only whining that I can say I want to hear while driving a car. This blower obliges by providing plenty of it in audible goodness.
We are unsure what other modifications this Cobra has on it and we are also unsure if this is actually a real AC Cobra or not. Chances are that it’s a kit car sitting on a custom chassis, especially given how well it handles. Regardless of its authenticity, it is still one sexy beast. We will update you if we happen to come up with any of the vehicle’s specs. Until then, crank your speakers up and enjoy.
Factory Five is known for being the premiere Shelby Cobra replica builders of the world, but how does their Mk4 Roadster stack up against the original 427? On March 17th and 18th, 2012, Powerblock TV will be airing episodes of MuscleCar TV that will show both cars stacked up against each other in a variety of driving categories. The Mk4 Roadster was jacked up with Ford’s new 5.0L Coyote engine, upgraded Wilwood brakes, Moser’s wavetrack rear end, and KONI’s latest double-adjustable shocks before both cars went to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a little one on one action. To watch the action, make sure you catch those episodes on March 17th and 18th, then again on March 24th and 25th on The Powerblock. Of course, if you want to be part of the action, then head over to the PowerBlock website, or visit the PowerBlock TV Facebook page where you can sign up to win the Ultimate Do-It-Yourself Package.
PowerBlock is holding a sweepstakes in which the winner will receive a complete Factory Five Mk4 Kit, complete with Ford Racing parts and Matco Tools, as well as a bunch of other prizes. All you have to do is sign up online to win. No purchase necessary.
Hit the jump to get full details on how to enter.
For full contest rules and all the wonderful fine print, go to http://www.powerblocktv.com/roadster/#!/rules
It’s quite possible that the Mercer name may not spark any type of recognition with the younger crowd. After all, this company was an American automobile manufacturer that produced cars before World War II and are probably not mentioned in any of the history books handed out in most classrooms. For the short version of the story, Mercer was responsible for the Mercer 35 Raceabout which was produced back in 1910 and considered the most admired sports cars of the decade. This vehicle was capable of hitting a top speed of 90 mph, which at the time was quite a feat, and was admired so much that Carrozzeria Sibona-Basano ended up building a modern interpretation of it in 1965.
The Mercer Cobra Roadster was a one-off vehicle commissioned by the Copper Development Association from Virgil Exner’s designs in Esquire. Its design was drawn up by Virgil Exner and Virgil Exner, Jr. and was built using a Cobra chassis, number CSX2451.
The special Mercer-Cobra Roadster will be put to auction on August 20, 2011 in Monterey with an expected draw of $800,000-$1,200,000.
See what makes up a 1.2M Mercer Cobra after the jump.
Crazy as it sounds, there are just people that have nothing better to do with their money than waste it away on a meaningless drag race between an American classic and an Italian thoroughbred. Yep, you read the title right, too: a $400,000 bet to see which car is faster in a quarter-mile run.
Can you say nuts?
Dan Bilzerian owns what’s described as a tuned-up 1965 427 Shelby Cobra and with nothing else better to do, he decided to engage his friend Tom Goldstein to race against the latter’s 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia in a good old fashion quarter-mile drag race. But instead of settling for bragging rights or a Diet Pepsi at the vending machine, the two men decided to raise the stake to the tune of $400,000.
One race. One winner. One $400,000 bet. Unbelievable.
In what will go down as one of the most expensive “friendly” bets we’ve ever seen, the two buddies bring their machines to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to settle the score and, more importantly, who takes home that ridiculous amount of money.
So, who won? Well, something like this doesn’t deserve a spoiler. Check out the video after the jump and find out.
If you put a gun to our head and gave us five seconds to name the greatest American car ever built, we’d spill out the Shelby Cobra’s name faster than even our minds can process it.
Sure, there are a lot of other vehicles that can lay claim to this subjective title, but we reckon that we’d have a lot of people on our side who agree with us when we say that no American car has been as universally loved and appreciated as the Carroll Shelby’s masterpiece.
The question that we’d like to ask though is how a 427 SC Cobra – the grand daddy of them all – can hold up to one of its successors, namely the 2011 Shelby GT500 Super Snake and the ensuing mayhem that follows with that 750 horsepower engine.
To our good fortune, the folks from Hot Rod had the same thought in mind when they took the two Shelbys out on track for a road course and drag strip test to determine which serpent packs a more venomous bite.
Care to find out whose bite is more lethal? Check out the video and see for yourself.
Take a stroll back in time to the 1962 New York Auto Show and you’ll come across a roadster that would invariably change the course of automotive history, as we know it.
That car was the Ford-powered Shelby Cobra and almost half a century after its historical debut in New York, a special edition ‘50th Anniversary’ model was introduced at Barrett-Jackson a few days ago.
The rolling chassis models, which are using the CSX8000 chassis number, are being touted as continuation cars that will be limited to only 50 units, a not-so-subtle ode to the iconic car’s age.
"Fifty years after its introduction, the Shelby Cobra is still an international symbol of high performance," said John Luft, president of Shelby American.
“Half a century later, the Cobra remains one of the most coveted cars in the world,” he adds.
Despite being a rolling chassis model, we don’t expect all 50 models to be unaccounted for soon. Sure, it doesn’t have a drivetrain, but it’s a Shelby Cobra. And a special edition one at that. These type of cars don’t sit on dealerships too long.
UPDATE 02/02/2011: Shelby American has announced that all 50 units of the 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra Street Car have been sold just 48 hours after the official introduction: "The strong demand for these cars proves that the Shelby Cobra is still as desirable and sought after today as it was 50 years ago," said John Luft, president of Shelby American. "People who didn’t have the opportunity to buy one in the 1960s jumped at the chance to own one of these very special collector’s edition Shelbys. Although the entire factory allocation has been spoken for, a few of these anniversary cars are still available from our Shelby Cobra dealers who seized the opportunity and bought multiple cars."
UPDATE 01/23/12: Shelby has announced that the last unit of the 50th-anniversary Cobra will be raffled off at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona. For a chance at owning this bad boy, interested car enthusiasts have to buy a ticket - or hundreds of tickets - at a price of $25 each, or five for $100. The winner will be announced in January 2013. All proceeds will be donated to the Carroll Shelby Foundation. (Autoweek)
Details on the Shelby Cobra "50th Anniversary" after the jump.
How much would you pay for an original 1963 Shelby Cobra – chassis number CSX 2080 – that hasn’t been used, let alone touched, since 1981? If you’re having trouble gauging its value, Auctions America by RM has an estimate that could make you double over in disbelief.
It’s estimated to fetch a price tag of a little less than half-a-million dollars. Unbelievable.
This particular Shelby Cobra is widely considered as “one of the most original Cobras in existence”, and if you take Donnie Gould, the president of Auctions America by RM, and his word, then you better believe that this particular model is the perfect centerpiece for any collector of classic vehicles. "The discovery of CSX 2080 represents an important collecting opportunity for automotive enthusiasts," he said.
The event is going to be held on March 3rd to 5th at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Details after the jump
Comparing a Shelby Cobra to snow may be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard, but hear us out first. For all the giddiness we feel when we first see snowflakes falling on the ground, it’s pretty much the same feeling we have when we see a Shelby Cobra. However, as time passes on, the effect of snow becomes less of a novelty and more of a hassle. Snow angels are replaced with the chore of having to shovel snow on the streets, making it a tedious and tiring experience.
To some extent, that’s exactly what we feel with the Cobra. The first few times are awesome, blasting in and around streets at breakneck speeds with not a care in the world. That is until we realize the fact that this car comes with a 7.0-liter V8 engine. Yeah, it’s a gas-guzzling serpent and not exactly a healthy option for our wallets.
But what if we told you that you could have your cake and eat it too? No, we are not talking about the girls in the picture, but of an actual Cobra. Would you listen?
Continued after the jump
Imagine yourself waking up one day, going to work in a towing company, and find yourself driving off with an authentic Shelby Cobra body, and you even get paid to do it, then consider yourself very lucky.
While replica Shelby Cobras are made by over 100 shops in the US alone, the chances of actually finding a legitimate chassis and body of one of the most revered muscle cars in history is pretty remote. But the owner of the tow company – his name’s Shawn, by the way - that moved the body of this Shelby Cobra found himself sitting on a proverbial goldmine after he was paid to remove it from a storage facility when the owner failed to pay the rent and ended up forfeiting the entire unit. Nevada laws stipulate that when a tow company contacts the registered owners of the car and goes 90 days without a response, the tow company automatically takes legal ownership of the car.
So when Shawn discovered what he indeed was paid to own, he went to the Gold and Silver Pawnshop in Vegas to have his new property estimated. In the end, the pawnshop called in no less than the president of Shelby Cars Northwest who confirmed that they indeed had the real deal, valuing the Shelby Cobra chassis at around $60,000. After a few rounds of negotiations, Shawn ended up selling the car for $30,000 to the pawnshop’s owner, Richard Harrison, who later on had the car completed for a relatively bargain price of just $80,000.
This story isn’t good enough without actually seeing how everything went down. So check out the video and watch for yourself how this whole episode came to be.
The folks at Factory Five Racing, the premiere Shelby Cobra replica builders in the world, have just come out with their fourth generation roadster complete with a reshaped body for a more period correct look thanks to a new in house fiberglass manufacturing process that significantly reduces the costs to tool the bodywork and apply the paint as well as additional room in the footwells for a more comfortable ride for both the driver and passenger and an optional aluminum shell seat for bigger guys.
The Mk4 roadster replica also comes with an all new assembly manual for complete kits making it easier to put the cars together from scratch as well as a Koni suspension that was first offered as an option on the last generation model and are now standard with all kits, but best of all they are made to accept the all new 400 HP 5.0 Liter Coyote V8 from the new Mustang GT.
Press release after the jump.
Every well-versed car enthusiast will tell you that if there was a car that would be considered as the ‘Holy Grail’ of automobiles, more than a few would say that the 1964 Shelby Cobra would fit that bill to a tee.
That being said, if you’re a self-professed car nut and you’ve got a ton of money to boot, then you have the opportunity – and a rare one at that – to buy an original ’64 Shelby Cobra when the car, chassis CSX2557, becomes up for grabs at an RM Auction on March 13.
The auction, which will coincide with the Amelia Island Concours, will feature a boatload of some of the world’s most exotic classics but none more so than the ’64 Cobra. The CSX2557 was produced to race in the U.S. Road Racing Championships and is just one of 42 189-powered racecars and one of only six “cut-back door” factory team cars to ever be built.
There’s no question this particular Shelby Cobra is as rare as it gets. There’s no telling how much this car is going to cost you but if you’re the type to peg a number, then you might have to shell out north of $1 million for the privilege of taking this ’64 Shelby Cobra home.
Car description after the jump
Not everyone can afford one of the six Shelby Daytona Coupes (if you can, one is going to auction in May.) So for those who don’t want to put a million dollars worth of hardware on the track, Factory Five Racing has a new kit.
More information after the jump.
Another car from the ’refuses to die’ file is the Shelby Cobra. Official replica maker Superformance is one of the largest makers of the Cobra kit, and they also add improvements to the spartan racer. The latest evolution of the fiberglass kit is the Special Edition MKIII-R developed in collaboration with Roush.
Customers can choose from a variety of Roush crate motors including the 427 IR V8 that is dyno tested at 576 horsepower and comes with a 2-year/24,000 mile warranty. The MKIII features custom Cobra seats with four-point harnesses, black chrome trim, Roush floor mats and short throw shifter, custom Roush-engraved wind wings, and a unique Monza Red paint scheme with silver stripes and black pin stripes.
Shelby Distribution USA presented automotive legend Carroll Shelby with a custom Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. This unique gift was made possible by Amy Boylan and the team at Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas and Lance Stander and the employees at Shelby Distribution USA in Irvine, CA. “It was fantastic to have the opportunity to honor Carroll Shelby with this special car,” said Stander. “We hope he enjoys driving it as much as we enjoyed giving it to him.”
Painted in the same “Guardsman Blue” of the original cars, Carroll’s Daytona Coupe also features the number 98 that represents chassis #2300 that Shelby himself owned up until 1999. Power comes from a Roush 427SR V8 with 480 horsepower and 515 lb-ft torque. Unique to Carroll’s Daytona Coupe is a shifting system that utilizes paddles and buttons on the steering wheel.
Developed by MasterShift of San Diego, the Art Carr 2004R 4-speed automatic transmission can be up shifted via paddles and downshifted using two buttons on either side of the steering wheel. The system also has safety features including a one second delay from Drive to Neutral as well as a speed sensor to prevent the car from being shifted into reverse or park unless it is completely stopped. Installation of the engine, transmission and paddle shift system was handled by Exotic Auto Restoration of Costa Mesa.
No burn-out.
No high speed or rapid acceleration.
No, this is just a video of a car being loaded into a truck.
But what a car, and what a sound.
The car is a Shelby GT 500 “Super Snake,” caught as it was being loaded for transport to the Woodward Dream Cruise.
The “Super Snake” is a GT 500 specially modified by Shelby.
It is supercharged and, depending on the version selected, puts out a minimum of 600 hp with 590 lb ft of torque, and can be had with as much as 725 hp.
(No warranty (...)
Highland Daytona Racing is a leading Cobra Daytona Coupe designer and manufacturer. HDR only commercializes "turnkey" cars, adapted to the owner’s requirements, even as far as custom building the cars driver’s side interior to his personal size dimensions! These are not kit cars by anyone’s imagination.
Highland Daytona Racing is a leading Cobra Daytona Coupe designer and manufacturer. HDR only commercializes "turnkey" cars, adapted to the
owner’s requirements, even as far as custom building the cars driver’s side interior to his personal size dimensions! These are not kit cars by anyone’s imagination.