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Rules under FIA GT class competition stated that a minimum of 100 examples needed to be produced prior to acceptance in racing. Carroll Shelby, with his strong relationship with privateer racers, felt confident he could sell that many. As a result, a competition spec version of the new 427 was developed.
The competition Cobras were given several differences that set them apart from the standard street machine. This included a wider body to accommodate the wider Halibrand wheels and Goodyear racing tires over the larger rear rots with heavy-duty front and rear calipers, bronze suspension bushings, an external fuel filler, Stewart-Warner 'Booster' fuel pump, a special 42-gallon fuel tank, as well as the front and rear jacking points and roll bar. Under the hood, the engine was given magnesium intake manifolds, aluminum cylinder heads, an oil cooler, rear differential cooler, and unbaffled side exhaust.
Shelby boldly placed an order with AC for 100 of these competition 427 Cobras. Each was finished in primer, with a black interior, and air shipped to Shelby's facilities upon completion. When the FIA inspectors arrived on April 29th of 1965, just 51 cars were completed. Shelby was denied the homologation that he was needed.
Once Shelby was certain that the 427 Cobra was not going to be allowed in the GT class, he cancelled his order for the remaining competition cars, and AC began production of the street cars immediately.
In June of 1965, the FIA decided to create a new class called 'Competition GT', and the production requirement was lowered to 50. This solved a problem, but created a new one. The Shelby Cobra was now in the same class as Ford's GT40. Since Shelby was running the program for Ford, there was a clear conflict of interest. Shelby resolved the issue by agreeing not to campaign his own car, leaving it in the hands of the privateers.
By this point in history, 53 competition chassis had been completed by AC (chassis number CSX3001 through CSX3053). Of those, 16 had been sold to private teams. The first two were retained as prototypes, and one chassis (CSX3027) was sent to Ford Engineering. The remaining 34 sat parked outside Shelby's L.A. warehouse. Charles Beidler, the east coast representative, suggested the cars be painted and completed as street cars and marketed as the fastest street cars ever built. Thus, the 427 S/C 9for semi-competition) was born.
While the cars were being converted for street use, three more orders were received for full competition cars, for a total of just 19 'production,' full-competition cars.
CSX3014 was invoiced to Shelby American on January 20th of 1965. It was originally ordered by Neil Eric Allen, though he never took delivery. Instead the car (completed on September 8th) was sold to Ford Advanced Vehicles in England. This chassis, along with CSX3015 and a pair of GT-350 R models, were shipped to England for promotional purposes.
CSX3014 was finished in white and rented to MGM British Studios during the early part of 1966. It was used in the movie, Grand Prix, starring James Garner and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is believed the car was used as a camera car. After filming, the car was repainted by AC and shown at the London Motor show, where it was exhibited with white side exhaust and Halibrand wheels. After the show, the car returned to Shelby American and delivered to S&C Motors in San Francisco, who sold it to Robert Cooper, of Palo Alto, California. Cooper raced the car, with Dick Terrell driving. When he purchased the car, it was white with a blue stripe, although he repainted the car black with a white stripe. Terrell drove the car throughout the 1968 season, winning the SCCA regional championship that year, securing victories from Laguna Seca to Willow Springs. Terrell and Bob Brown bought the car from Cooper and raced it throughout the 1969 season, with wins at Sears Point and Laguna Seca, among other successful finishes.
The car was later sold in the late 1960s to a medical student; his mother paid for the car. They warned him against driving the car home because of the open exhaust, but he set out anyway, only to be turned back at the Arizona border. The next owner of record, in the mid-1970s, was Corona DelMar, California resident Sam Johnson. It remained with him until the late 1970s, when he sold it, now restored, to Nick Braemer, of Torrance, California. Braemer rebuilt the engine and sold it to Randy Minch in 1980, who undertook a more comprehensive restoration and re-finishing the car in red.
Larry Bowman, purchased the Cobra in 1999. A mechanical restoration soon followed to prepare the car for track use. He participated in the 2003 Monterey Historics and also at the 2003 Coronado Festival of Speed. The current owner acquired the car in 2004.
The 427 cubic-inch overhead valve V-8 engine is estimated to produce 600 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel disc brakes.
In 2012, this car was offered for sale at RM Auctions Monterey, California sale. It was estimated to sell for $1,500,000 - $1,800,000. As bidding came to a close, the car was sold for the sum of $1,485,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2012
The competition Cobras were given several differences that set them apart from the standard street machine. This included a wider body to accommodate the wider Halibrand wheels and Goodyear racing tires over the larger rear rots with heavy-duty front and rear calipers, bronze suspension bushings, an external fuel filler, Stewart-Warner 'Booster' fuel pump, a special 42-gallon fuel tank, as well as the front and rear jacking points and roll bar. Under the hood, the engine was given magnesium intake manifolds, aluminum cylinder heads, an oil cooler, rear differential cooler, and unbaffled side exhaust.
Shelby boldly placed an order with AC for 100 of these competition 427 Cobras. Each was finished in primer, with a black interior, and air shipped to Shelby's facilities upon completion. When the FIA inspectors arrived on April 29th of 1965, just 51 cars were completed. Shelby was denied the homologation that he was needed.
Once Shelby was certain that the 427 Cobra was not going to be allowed in the GT class, he cancelled his order for the remaining competition cars, and AC began production of the street cars immediately.
In June of 1965, the FIA decided to create a new class called 'Competition GT', and the production requirement was lowered to 50. This solved a problem, but created a new one. The Shelby Cobra was now in the same class as Ford's GT40. Since Shelby was running the program for Ford, there was a clear conflict of interest. Shelby resolved the issue by agreeing not to campaign his own car, leaving it in the hands of the privateers.
By this point in history, 53 competition chassis had been completed by AC (chassis number CSX3001 through CSX3053). Of those, 16 had been sold to private teams. The first two were retained as prototypes, and one chassis (CSX3027) was sent to Ford Engineering. The remaining 34 sat parked outside Shelby's L.A. warehouse. Charles Beidler, the east coast representative, suggested the cars be painted and completed as street cars and marketed as the fastest street cars ever built. Thus, the 427 S/C 9for semi-competition) was born.
While the cars were being converted for street use, three more orders were received for full competition cars, for a total of just 19 'production,' full-competition cars.
CSX3014 was invoiced to Shelby American on January 20th of 1965. It was originally ordered by Neil Eric Allen, though he never took delivery. Instead the car (completed on September 8th) was sold to Ford Advanced Vehicles in England. This chassis, along with CSX3015 and a pair of GT-350 R models, were shipped to England for promotional purposes.
CSX3014 was finished in white and rented to MGM British Studios during the early part of 1966. It was used in the movie, Grand Prix, starring James Garner and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is believed the car was used as a camera car. After filming, the car was repainted by AC and shown at the London Motor show, where it was exhibited with white side exhaust and Halibrand wheels. After the show, the car returned to Shelby American and delivered to S&C Motors in San Francisco, who sold it to Robert Cooper, of Palo Alto, California. Cooper raced the car, with Dick Terrell driving. When he purchased the car, it was white with a blue stripe, although he repainted the car black with a white stripe. Terrell drove the car throughout the 1968 season, winning the SCCA regional championship that year, securing victories from Laguna Seca to Willow Springs. Terrell and Bob Brown bought the car from Cooper and raced it throughout the 1969 season, with wins at Sears Point and Laguna Seca, among other successful finishes.
The car was later sold in the late 1960s to a medical student; his mother paid for the car. They warned him against driving the car home because of the open exhaust, but he set out anyway, only to be turned back at the Arizona border. The next owner of record, in the mid-1970s, was Corona DelMar, California resident Sam Johnson. It remained with him until the late 1970s, when he sold it, now restored, to Nick Braemer, of Torrance, California. Braemer rebuilt the engine and sold it to Randy Minch in 1980, who undertook a more comprehensive restoration and re-finishing the car in red.
Larry Bowman, purchased the Cobra in 1999. A mechanical restoration soon followed to prepare the car for track use. He participated in the 2003 Monterey Historics and also at the 2003 Coronado Festival of Speed. The current owner acquired the car in 2004.
The 427 cubic-inch overhead valve V-8 engine is estimated to produce 600 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel disc brakes.
In 2012, this car was offered for sale at RM Auctions Monterey, California sale. It was estimated to sell for $1,500,000 - $1,800,000. As bidding came to a close, the car was sold for the sum of $1,485,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2012
2012 RM Auctions - Monterey
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $1,500,000-USD $1,800,000
Sale Price :
USD $1,485,000
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Shelby Cobra 427
(Data based on Model Year 1965 sales)
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C 50th Anniversary Edition Chassis#: CSX 4566 Sold for USD$335,000 2024 RM Sothebys : ModaMiami | |
1965 SHELBY COBRA 427 CSX 3096 Chassis#: CSX3096 Sold for USD$407,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra Chassis#: csx3006 Sold for USD$4,180,000 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1965/2016 Shelby Cobra 427 FIA Competition by Burgol Chassis#: CSX3120 Sold for USD$288,755 2023 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster Chassis#: CSX3063 Sold for USD$660,000 2023 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra Roadster Chassis#: CSX3016 Sold for USD$715,000 2022 Mecum Indy | |
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra Chassis#: CSX 4428 Sold for USD$362,500 2022 RM Sothebys : Arizona | |
1965 SHELBY COBRA 427 S/C CSX 6086 Chassis#: CSX6086 Sold for USD$280,000 2022 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, Arizona | |
1965 SHELBY COBRA 427 SUPER SNAKE CSX 4404 Chassis#: CSX4404 Sold for USD$935,000 2022 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, Arizona | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Mini Car Sold for USD$31,860 2021 Mecum : Indy 2021 | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra FAM Sold for USD$352,000 2021 Mecum : Glendale | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster Sold for USD$5,940,000 2021 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Chassis#: CSX 3104 Sold for USD$1,380,000 2019 Bonhams : Quail Lodge Auction | |
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 R Chassis#: CSX4007R Sold for USD$212,800 2019 Gooding & Company : Amelia Island | |
1965 Shelby Cobra CSX 4920 Roadster Sold for USD$99,000 2019 Russo & Steele : Scottsdale | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra 'CSX 3178' Chassis#: CSX 3178 Sold for USD$1,375,000 2016 RM Sotheby's : Monterey | |
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra Chassis#: CSX 3010 Sold for USD$2,255,000 2016 RM Sothebys : Arizona | |
1965 SHELBY COBRA 427 ROADSTER CSX 3169 Chassis#: CSX3169 Sold for USD$1,595,000 2015 Barrett-Jackson - Scottsdale | |
1965 Shelby Cobra CSX4112, 427 CI, 4-Speed Sold for USD$170,000 2014 Mecum - Kissimmee | |
1965 Shelby Cobra CSX4337, #28 of 40 Anniversary Cars Sold for USD$140,000 2013 Mecum Auction - Chicago |
Shelby Cobra 427s That Failed To Sell At Auction
1965 Shelby Cobra 427's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster | csx3090 | 2023 Mecum : Indy | $800,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,100,000 |
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra | CSX 3011 | 2023 RM Sothebys : Arizona | $3,000,000 | $3,600,000 | |
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra | CSX3006 | 2022 Mecum : Monterey | $4,800,000 | ||
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra Sanction II | CSX 3067 | 2021 RM Sothebys : Arizona | $375,000 | $425,000 | |
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra 1000 Series | CSX 1017 | 2020 RM Sothebys : Open Roads, North America | $225,000 | $275,000 | |
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra Sanction II | CSX 3067 | 2020 RM Sothebys : Open Roads, North America | $400,000 | $500,000 | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra | CSX 3125 | 2019 RM Sothebys : Monterey | $1,250,000 | $1,500,000 | |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster | CSX3016 | 2019 Mecum : Monterey | $550,000 | $800,000 | $1,200,000 |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra | CSX 3110 | 2019 RM Sothebys : Villa Erba | $700,000 | $1,100,000 | |
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra | CSX 3006 | 2019 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | |
1965 Shelby American Cobra 427 Twin Supercharged | CSX4923 | 2019 Russo & Steele : Amelia Island | $150,000 | $175,000 | |
1965 SHELBY AMERICAN CSX 427 COBRA | 2017 McCormick's Auction # 63 | $85,000 | |||
1965 Shelby America | 2017 Silver Auction Sun Valley | $85,000 | |||
1965 Shelby 427 S/C Cobra | CSX4095 | 2017 RM Sothebys : Santa Monica | $90,000 | $110,000 | |
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 | CSX4007R | 2016 Mecum : Monterey | $285,000 | ||
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C | 2016 Mecum : Kissimmee | $325,000 | |||
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra CSX3016, 1966 Sebring Class Winner | CSX3016 | 2014 Mecum Kissimmee | $1,700,000 | $1,900,000 | $2,400,000 |
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Continuation 427/550 HP, CSX6019 | CSX6019 | 2013 Mecum Auction Anaheim 2013 | $95,000 | ||
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Challenge Racer | CSX4185 | 2013 Mecum Auctions Monterey | $60,000 | $125,000 | $150,000 |
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C CSX6170 | 2013 Mecum Houston, Tx | ||||
1965 Shelby Cobra 427/550 HP, 5-Speed | 2012 Mecum Houston, Tx | ||||
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra CSX3127 Street 427 Prototype | CSX3127 | 2012 Russo and Steele Scottsdale | |||
1965 Shelby Cobra | 2011 Mecum Auctions Kissimmee, FL Auction | $82,000 | |||
1965 Shelby Cobra | 2011 Mecum Auctions Kissimmee, FL Auction | $76,000 | |||
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Roadster | CSX6062 | 2010 Mecum Auctions Monterey | $550,000 | ||
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra | CSX3006 | 2009 RM Auctions Automobiles of London | $525,000 | $600,000 | $790,000 |
1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster | 2009 Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction 22nd Year | $35,500 | |||
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 | 2008 Hilton Head Sports & Classic Car Auction | $165,000 | $195,000 | ||
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 | 2008 Mecum St. Charles, IL Auction | $60,000 | |||
1965 Shelby Cobra CSX 4179 Roadster Challenge Racer | CSX4179 | 2007 Mecum High Performance Auction at St. Charles, Il | $145,000 |
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1999 Mercedes-Benz SL 73 AMG Chassis#:WDB1290761F186283 Sold for $610,000 2024 RM Sothebys : ModaMiami | |
2003 Saleen S7 Chassis#:1S9SB18193S000021 Sold for $610,000 2024 RM Sothebys : ModaMiami | |
1968 Ferrari 206 Dino GT Chassis#:00298 Sold for $610,000 2024 Broad Arrow Auctions : Amelia | |
1936 SQUIRE 1 1/2 LITRE LIGHTWEIGHT Chassis#:1052 Sold for $606,820 2023 Gooding & Company : London Auction | |
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1962 Aston Martin DB4 'Series V' Vantage Sports Saloon Chassis#:DB4/1131/L Sold for $615,173 2023 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris | |
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1965 Shelby Cobra 427
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