To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Arizona event, 17 - 18
January 2019.
Estimate:
$725,000 - $900,000
- Special ordered by Ford for promotional events
- Raced extensively and successfully in period
- Documented restoration
- Presented in near-factory-original specification
Carroll Shelby established his reputation as a racing driver by
1961 and was ready to kick it up a notch and build his own race
car. Impressed by the combined agility and power of borrowed
Cad-Allards, he set out to create the ultimate Anglo-American
hybrid. AC Cars of Thames Ditton, England, provided the nimble
tubular frame with aluminum body of their Ace, highly reputed for
its dexterity on the European circuit. Desirous of the visceral
power of the Dearborn, Michigan, manufactured V-8, Shelby persuaded
Ford to furnish their short stroke 260-cu. in. engine to complete
the perfect union. The lightweight Ace frame had to be modified to
accept the muscular V-8 engine, but such was Shelby's power of
persuasion, both entities agreed to allow the new prototype to be
named after the race driver. In 1962, a brilliant yellow Shelby
Cobra was unveiled at the New York Motor Show.
Sporting a four-speed manual gearbox, the prototype - chassis CSX
2000 - weighed in at just 2,100 lbs. and was campaigned around the
U.S. Shelby American Inc. could barely meet demand for the brawny
little race car and by 1963 it upped the ante switching to a
rack-and-pinion steering system, but most notably it adopted the
289-cu. in. Ford motor with 271 hp and a top speed of 130 mph. The
Shelby 289 Cobra was able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 5.8
seconds. The superb power-to-weight ratio enabled the newcomer to
take 7th place in the 1963 Le Mans, and Dan Gurney went on to be
the first U.S. driver to win an FIA race in an American car at the
Bridgehampton 500 KM in September of the same year. The following
year at Le Mans, the Shelby Cobra won 4th place overall and 1st in
the GT class.
Chassis CSX 2195 is unique as it was one of very few Shelby Cobras
especially ordered by Ford for exhibition and demonstration
purposes. It was shipped to Los Angles on 1 October 1963. The
Bright Blue Shelby body fitted with the 289 Ford powerplant was
transported to S.P. Spaulding Ford in Richmond, Virginia. This
example was special-ordered by Ford with extruded rear wings to
accept wider tires and a factory rollbar. It came with a black
interior and �Class 1' accessories package, which included chrome
rocker covers, WSW tires, and a luggage rack. After exhibition at
several promotional events, this Shelby Cobra was retired by Ford
and sold to Tony Fisher of North Carolina who repainted it gold and
drag raced it for two seasons. Fisher ran the Cobra extensively in
1964 with his all-female pit crew. According to correspondence
included with the car, he was �undefeated' and won over $18,000 in
prize money and side bets.
In 1967, the Cobra was purchased by Jim Walker of Canada and raced
under the pseudonym �Jay Walker' in the U.S., where it is believed
to have won various events, including the NASCAR Gold Cup
Championship. The car was eventually acquired by Larry Epworth,
also of Canada, where it remained until 1985 when chassis CSX 2195
was purchased by a collector and race enthusiast in Clackamas,
Oregon. The car was never raced again and has remained within his
family until today. Extensive documentation, detailing thousands of
dollars and hundreds of hours of labor, show that this amazing
Shelby Cobra was �restored incrementally' between 2006 and 2018, as
every component and element has been replaced, renewed, rebuilt, or
upgraded. The car was repainted the original Bright Blue and the
interior and exhaust were returned to factory-correct
specification. Accompanying this Shelby Cobra is a portfolio of
documentation, including an event program on which the late great
Carroll Shelby himself penned �Chassis CSX 2195' and his own
signature.
This Shelby Cobra 289 is one of only 580 built between 1963 and
1965, but unlike many of its siblings, this car has truly lived the
life it was built for. It is the apogee of the bare-bones sports
racer and with its unique history and racing pedigree, this Shelby
Cobra is by anyone's standard an excellent example for continued
spirited driving.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az19.
