1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster

CSX2122 was among the first 200 Cobras produced at AC Cars, Ltd. under the newly agreed contract with Shelby America. It is painted in Princess Blue metallic paint and was shipped From AC Cars, Ltd. to Shelby's Los Angeles headquarters on May 2nd of 1963. It is powered by a 289 cubic-inch v8 engine and fitted with a 4-barrel carburetor. It has a luggage rack, WSW tires, and a four-speed manual transmission.

The first owner of this car was Jaques Passino who purchased it on September 16, 1963, for $5,182, which included his $300 employee discount. It returned to Shelby American a year later with 4,058 miles on the odometer. There is was given a Rotunda tachometer, Smiths clock, a new soft top and tonneau, and a Ford air cleaner.

The next owner was Hi-Performance Motors of Los Angeles purchasing it on August 10th of 1964. It was then sold to Robert Brandes who sold it a year later to Monte Stutes of Conroe, Texas. It remained in his care until September of 1973 when it was again offered for sale. At this point, the advertisement stated it has 26K miles, was painted in metallic grey, and offered for $7,800.

W.H. Griffin of Topeka, Kansa purchased it, and kept it for about a year before selling it to John D. Leatherman of PA. A Wisconsin individual named Bill Milburn purchased the car in 1976 and later sold it to Jim Cowles of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

While in Mr. Cowles's care, the car was given a restoration. Upon completion, it was featured in the January 1994 issue of Mustangs and Fast Fords. David Furay of Colorado purchased the car in 1996 and sold it on to his brother Dan Furay of Frankfort, Illinois in 2001. The car currently has 39,000 miles and is reported to be in great mechanical and cosmetic condition.

In 2009, it was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona where it was estimated to sell for $525,000 - $600,000. Bidding failed to satisfy the vehicle's reserve and the lot was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2009