The AC/Shelby Cobra 427 is one of the most famous, and most desirable sports cars of the 1960s, meaning whenever one of the few originals comes to market, car people tend to get excited.
But news that Carroll Shelby’s personal Cobra 427 is getting ready for a trip to the auction block has Cobra fans in a genuine frenzy.
You might be familiar with the story: Texan chicken famer and Le Mans winner, Carroll Shelby, wants to win races and has the bright idea of pairing Ford’s new small-bock V8 engine with the chassis from Britain’s light and simple AC Ace.
Those early Cobras, with their narrow arches and powerful – but not outrageously powerful – 260 and 289cu in V8s, made up the bulk of sales.
But the Cobra that everyone thinks of when they hear the name is the butch-looking 427 that’s famous for its swollen bodywork and big-block 7-litre engine. When you see a Cobra kit car at a summer car show, it’s almost always a copy of the 427.
Chassis CSX3178 was owned by the great man himself from the time it was built in 1966 right up until his death in 2012. It’s one of five painted in Charcoal Grey, though it’s only recently returned to that original colour following a major restoration that also saw it reunited with a four-speed Toploader manual gearbox.
At some point in the past Shelby (seen above right with the car and F1 star Dan Gurney) had dropped in an automatic transmission, along with a different 7-litre engine, which is still found under the Cobra’s bonnet today.
This special Cobra will be auctioned off at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale which takes place between January 7 and 16 2021.
Mecum’s sale catalogue doesn’t list an estimate, but back in 2016 CSX2000, the very first Cobra, sold for £10.5m ($14m), and this car isn’t far behind in the desirability stakes, meaning it could well cost the new owner a cool £5m ($6.6m) or more.
Keyword: Carroll Shelby’s own Cobra 427 heads for auction