The Original Shelby Cobra Hits The Auction Block
The name CSX2000 is pretty much legendary among Shelby enthusiasts; it was the serial number fitted to the very first car built by Carroll Shelby himself in 1962. To create the fastest car of the era, the Texan managed to shoehorn a 260-cubic-inch Ford V8 in the body of an English roadster—more specifically an AC Ace. After seeing extensive use as a prototype for the production line, Carroll elected to keep the car for himself. After he died, the Shelby Museum kept CSX2000.
Today, they decided to sell the prized roadster.
The car is currently painted blue, but this wasn’t always the case; after being unveiled, CSX2000 was sent to every automotive publication of the era. However, Shelby wanted to give the impression that he already had a fleet of Cobras; to do this, he repainted the car a different colour between each test drive. The Cobra was eventually repainted in its original shade of blue.
Shelby took care of the Cobra by himself, using it as its personal car.
The original Shelby Cobra will hit the auction block during RM Sotheby’s Auction in Monterey on August 19. According to collectors, this could be the start of a bidding war.