1962 Shelby Cobra Roadster

Serial #CSX2001 is the first production Shelby Cobra built and among the initial 75 delivered to the dealers in 1962. It was delivered to and prepared by Ed Hugas in Pittsburgh. This car was originally fitted with a Ford-Zephyr straight six-cylinder engine, but was removed and shipped from AC Bristol to Venice, California where Shelby American dropped in a new 260 cubic-inch V8 and took the car for shake-down runs looking for Corvette owners to humiliate.

The Cobra was bought by Lloyd 'Lucky' Casner, Comoradi racing, to race at the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours. With the smaller V8 it did not prove competitive in practice, so it never ran and Casner sold it to Jean-Marie Vincent in France. By then the new 289 FIA cars were out, it was updated with a 289 engine and a rather odd-looking one-off hardtop, which has thankfully disappeared. The only Cobra to enter the Tour de France, this Cobra was a very successful race car with many first place wins.

The car was modified with a 289 cubic-inch engine and updated to full FIA standards by Ford Racing in France. From 1964 through 1966, the car was campaigned in Europe and racked up many victories across the continent.

The Cobra remained in Europe until 2006 when it was bought by the current owner and returned to the United States. It was restored by Mike McCluskey in Torrance, California. The aluminum body, chassis and interior remain in their original, well-preserved state.