Carroll Shelby’s Cobra is for sale

Yes, really

No, you didn’t misread that heading.

Carroll Shelby’s personal 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra is going under the hammer with Mecum Auctions on Friday 15 January 2021 as part of its 10-day sale in Kissimmee, Florida.

This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Shelby admirers, then. Let’s take a closer look.

Til death do us part

The car pictured here is Shelby 427 Cobra CSX3178.

From the day it was assembled until 10 May 2012 when Carroll Shelby passed away in his home state of Texas, aged 89, he owned this car.

Paper trail

Indeed, documents issued by the auction house show this car photographed with Shelby and US motor-racing star Dan Gurney.

There’s also an invoice dated 3 March ’66 stating that the car cost $6088 plus $185 in freight costs. 

From across the Pond

An earlier invoice, dated 18 November 1965, is included, too.

It states that AC Cars in Thames Ditton, Surrey, supplied a grey Cobra with black trim, but without an engine and gearbox, and without its final paint coat, to Shelby American.

A special delivery

The same invoice also states that protection boards were used at the front and rear of the car to keep it safe and secure in transit – which cost £3 10s – and that delivery to the docks at Dagenham was £6 15s.

The total fee was £1019 15s.

The details matter

And, of course, when it comes to a car like this, details such as these really do matter.

What’s more, this is one of only five 427 Cobras finished when new in this fetching shade of Charcoal Grey.

For the boss

The absence of an engine or gearbox was standard for Cobras.

On 7 January 1966, Shelby American opened a work order called ‘Build 427 Street Cobra CSX3178’, this closed on 3 March when this car was delivered to the boss at his home in Dallas, Texas.

Serious potential

By the time Carroll Shelby got his hands on the car, it was more than ready to go, fitted with a 427cu in engine mated to a four-speed Toploader transmission.

What a prospect.

Sitting comfortably

Sitting here really would be nestling into a piece of automotive history.

This is the only 427 Cobra Shelby owned from new until his death and one can only imagine which famous faces joined him for a drive in this car.

Time for a change

But this Cobra hasn’t always looked quite like this.

It will probably come as little surprise to learn that Carroll Shelby wasn’t immune to tweaking his cars.

Feeling blue?

In 1972, having owned this car for six years, Carroll Shelby took it friend and Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey.

CSX3178 was restored and repainted Guardsman Blue with a gold nose.

More power

CSX3178 was also treated to a performance upgrade by its famous owner.

It is not known when this work was undertaken, but an aluminium-head 427cu in side-oiler engine with an automatic transmission was fitted.

Another change

That’s right, for the final decade before Shelby’s passing, this car wore yet another colour.

In 2002, Shelby American in Las Vegas painted this famous Cobra red.

Time to move on

In 2016, four years after Carroll Shelby’s passing in 2012, his estate sold the car to a new owner, who’s consigned it to Mecum’s January 2021 auction.

And this keeper decided to go back to basics.

Rewinding the clock

This meant a ground-up restoration to the specification the car was in when it was delivered new to Carroll Shelby.

And the work was only completed in 2019.

A job for the experts

The work was done by well-known specialist Cobra restorer Legendary Motorcar Company in Canada.

What an incredible honour it must have been to have worked on this car.

True to its roots

During this work, the Cobra’s body was returned to its original Charcoal Grey.

And, of course, the 427cu in engine and four-speed manual gearbox were reinstated, too.

Wheely lovely

As well as this spare, the Sunburst knock-off wheels remain, as when delivered to Carroll Shelby more than half a century ago.

And being the original body and chassis, this is one very special Cobra.

A special moment

Cars like this and opportunities like this don’t come along too often.

It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that Mecum hasn’t published a pre-sale estimate for this car, lot F145 in its Kissimmee sale in January.

Money talks

As always, an auction item sells for whatever those bidding for it are prepared to pay.

What we do know is that when the original small-block Cobra CSX2000 crossed the block, it achieved a final sale price of almost $14m. Wow.

The one and only

With this being Carroll Shelby’s very own Cobra that he hung on to and never sold, CSX3178 holds a unique place in the model’s history.

It’s fair to say that someone is going to have to dig deep to be the winning bidder.

Simply stunning

But what a simply incredible prospect, not to mention an amazing car.

You can’t remake history and CSX3178’s authenticity makes it a mouth-watering lot – it should be an exciting auction to witness.

A new chapter

And it is not only this notable Shelby Cobra that Carroll Shelby fans will be looking out for on 15 January.

Also going under the hammer in that same sale is a rare Shelby GT350 prototype.

Tune in!

We’re intrigued to find out what both these cars sell for, but most especially the much-anticipated, ex-Carroll Shelby Cobra.

Get full details of Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee 2021 sale here.