1964 Shelby Cobra 289 news, pictures, and information

Roadster

Carroll Shelby made 435 AC Cobras with the 289 cubic-inch Ford high performance engine. This car is one of two that were equipped at the factory with an optional aluminum high-rise intake manifold with a 715 CFM Holley Carburetor.

The car is displayed in its original color combination, and was featured on the cover of the September 2007 Classic Motorsports magazine.

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Roadster
Chassis Num: CSX2433

This 1964 AC Cobra 289 Competition was offered for sale at the 2007 Blackhawk Collection Exhibit held at the Pebble Beach Concours. It carried a price tag of $650,000.

This vehicles original color was Vineyard green with the interior being black. The original wheels measured six-inches and were painted wires. The Shelby American Registry write up was completed on 5/11/64 and shipped to L.A. Via boat. Owned by Brooke Perkins '67 and SCCA-raced. Possibly also owned and raced by Dodge Olmstead (Arlington, VA). Purchased by Dave Johnson/White Tiger Racing (Milwaukee, WI) and converted back to street. Purchased by Dan Schott (Oshkosh,WI) and converted back to race. Purchased by Steve Mondloch (WI) '75. Restored by Mondloch and finished '81 ; black/black, Webers, internally-widened wheel wells, race 289 engine, 7-in./8-in. chrome wires. Owned by wife Patsy Mondloch.

Source - Blackhawk Collection

Roadster
Chassis Num: CSX2541

This A.C. Shelby Cobra with a 289 Cubic-inch V8 engine was completed by Shelby American in October of 1964. It was painted in white with red interior which it still wears today. Holman & Moody transported CSX2541 to Lynch-Davidson Ford in Jacksonville, Florida. It was then delivered to its new owner, Joe LaRose. He retained the car until his death in 1999.

The car was a daily driver and never raced, abused or modified. It still retains the Hi-Po 289 engine, 4-speed transmission, Autolite carburetor and cast iron intake manifold. It has a rack-and-pinion steering, Stewart Warner gauges, six-inch wire wheels, side vents, and Ford electrics.

Mark Winkleman became the cars next caregiver who gave it a cosmetic restoration.

In 2007 the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California where it was estimated to sell for $550,000 - $650,000. Those estimates proved accurate as the lot was sold for $577,500 including buyer's premium.

The A.C Cobra cars are among the most memorable and recognizable cars in history. Their original designs can be traced back to the Touring bodied Barchetta's that clothed Ferrari's 166 and 225 Spyders. That bodystyle would become highly duplicated throughout the years, with the first being the one-off Cooper-MG raced by automobile dealer Cliff David. John Tojiero had conceived the ladder frame with independent leaf-spring suspension and Eric Hall and Bill Rich had clothed the car in the Barchetta-style body.

The one-off was successful in racing, and Davis urged Tojiero to mass-produce the cars. Instead, Tojiero licensed the design to the Hurlock family of A.C. in Thames Dutton. Soon, the two-liter, six-cylinder versions bearing A.C. badges were in production. Dubbed the A.C. Ace, they were an immediate success. A few years later, a Bristol engine became available which improved the vehicles performance.

In the early 1960s, Bristol announced it would discontinue its engine. A Chevrolet V8 unit served as a replacement, and later a 2.6-liter Ford six provided ample power to excite drivers and on-lookers. A long-term solution was found when Texan-based Carroll Shelby dropped a lightweight Ford V8 engine into the engine bay and took it racing. The 260 cid, then 289 cid, and finally the 427 version made the Cobra legendary.

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This 289 Cobra, Known affectionately as the 'dirt-bag,' was bought by Fred Offenhauser, of the engine-making family, in 1967. He never used the car much and it was put away under a tarpaulin in 1975 with just 33,000 miles on the clock. It stayed hidden and un-loved until 1999 when it was acquired by Cobra aficionado Lynn Park. After some heavy-duty cleaning and engine fettling, the Cobra was rescued. It remains in unrestored condition. The AC Cobra was the brainchild of Carroll Shelby, and this Mark III model has the 4.7-liter Ford V8 in the modified AC Ace built in Thames Ditton, England, and finished in the Shelby workshop in Los Angeles. Over 1,000 Cobras were built by Shelby between 1962 and 1965.

The formula for the success of the Cobra came through a man named Carroll Shelby adapting a powerful Ford engine into a nimble, British sports car.

A.C. Cars of Thames Ditton in Surrey, England had been producing the Ace since 1954. It was designed by John Tojeiro and featured an independent suspension by transverse leaf springs. The tubular frame body of the vehicle took its styling cues from Ferrari. The original engine used in the Ace was a 1991 cc, over-head-cam engine designed by John Weller, the founder of AC, in the 1920s. In 1956, an optional Bristol engine became available. This was a BMW derived, 1971 cc six-cylinder engine that was capable of producing 125 horsepower. With the Bristol engine, the Ace captured many victories on the race tracks around the world. It even won the SCCA Class E championship three years in a row.

In 1959, Bristol ceased its six-cylinder engine production. When Bristol stopped supplying A.C. with the engine, the production of the Ace ceased. Carroll Shelby quickly negotiated a deal where A.C. would supply him with the chassis. Now all Shelby needed was an appropriate engine. In 1961, Ford introduced the 221 cubic-inch small block engine. This was a new lightweight, thin wall-cast, V8 engine that produced 164 horsepower. Shelby approached Ford about the use of the engine for the 2-seat sports car. Ford agrees.

In February of 1962, a 260 HiPo engine and Borg-Warner four-speed manual gearbox was fitted into the aluminum-bodied Cobras. The AC Shelby Ford Cobra was complete.

In April of 1962, the first Cobra with chassis CSX 2000 was painted yellow and shipped to the New York Auto Show where it appeared on the Ford display. The vehicle was an instant success and attracted much attention. Orders came faster than Shelby could build. The prototype CSX 2000 was continuously being repainted for magazine reviews. The purpose was to create an illusion that more Cobras existed.

In 1963 the engine size increased to 289 cubic-inches. Rack-and-pinion steering was added to the vehicle.

Two Cobras were entered into the grueling 24-Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Carroll Shelby himself drove one of the vehicles. Ford had refused to provide an engine so Shelby, with the help of A.C. cars and Ed Hugus, prepare the cars. One of the Cobras managed to capture a seventh place finish, a major accomplishment.

Dan Gurney became the first American driver to win an FIA race in an American car when he won the Bridgehampton 500KM race in September of 1963 while driving a Cobra.

In 1964, the Cobra returned to LeMans where it finished fourth overall and first in the GT class.

Near the end of 1964, the Cobra 427 was unveiled to the press. If featured a new tubular, aluminum body, coil spring chassis, and a 427 cubic-inch, 425 horsepower engine. The car was able to go from zero to 100 mph and back to zero in less than 14 seconds.

In 1967, the last 427 Cobra was built and in 1968, the last 427 Cobra was sold by Carroll Shelby.

Ford had shifted their resources to the new GT40 and modified Mustang programs. In 1966, three GT-40 Mark II's crossed the finish line at Le Mans capturing first, second, and third.

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