To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Amelia Island event, 8 - 9
March 2019.
Estimate:
$3,000,000 - $4,000,000
- 1 of 19 true production 427 competition Cobras
- Of those, only a handful retain their original body
- The only production 427 Cobra to win a significant European
race
- Raced in 1966 by three Formula 1 drivers: Chris Irwin, David
Piper, and Bob Bondurant
- Competed in a 1966 FIA World Sports Car Championship race
- 1st overall at the 1966 Brands Hatch
- Significant ownership history, including Michael Shoen, Steven
Juliano, George Stauffer, Chris Cox, Jim Spiro, Larry Bowman, and
Gary Bartlett
- Completely restored by Legendary Motorcar Company
- Featured on Dream Car Garage television show
- Presented at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 2014
Concorso Villa D'Este, and 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed
- Considered one the most significant factory Competition 427
Cobras in existence
Please note that this lot is titled as a 1966.
This impressive 1965 Shelby Cobra, chassis CSX 3006, was equipped
from the factory with a potent competition 427 side-oiler
aluminum-head engine, which was billed to Shelby American on 31
December 1964. Work order 15060 was opened on 25 January 1965 to
build CSX 3006 for William G. Freeman of Muncie, Indiana. Freeman
specified that his Cobra be finished in metallic blue, a shade
lighter than that of the team cars, with gold Le Mans stripes. It
was invoiced to Hi Performance Motors in Los Angeles, California,
on 7 April 1965 at a cost of $9,600, plus $24.86 for a shoulder
harness. Freeman picked the car up at the dealership and photos of
the car at that time show that it was delivered with 6.578.5-in.
FIA Halibrand wheels and devoid of a Cobra nose emblem.
Freeman campaigned the car in two SCCA races, including Lynndale
Farms, before being
offered a lucrative racing contract in Europe. The Cobra was then
offered for sale in May 1965: "Cobra Mark II. Just purchased.
Unexpected racing contract in Europe forces sale. Immediate
delivery. All options including extras and custom trailer. Discount
for cash."
However, the Cobra did not sell at the time, and a second ad
appeared in Competition Press in November 1965 stating that the car
had been "stored in France since May." Freeman eventually sold his
Cobra to an Air Force Captain from Dayton, Ohio, who then sold it
to The Chequered Flag in London, England. There the car was
converted to right-hand drive, painted white with a black hood and
custom scoop, and campaigned in the 1966 season.
Its European racing debut at the Brands Hatch Ilford 500 was
nothing less than exceptional. Bob Bondurant, former Shelby
American Team driver who had just won Shelby their ?rst and only
FIA World Championship and Le Mans in the previous year, was paired
with David Piper whose long-distance racing career was virtually
unparalleled. The race started in wet conditions after a torrential
downpour. As seen in the famous photo of the start, Bob Bondurant
jumped to the front row amongst two Ford GT40s, leaving the
lightweight Jaguar E-type and a Ferrari 250 LM in the trail spray
behind. The English-American duo proved to be the right choice as
Bondurant and Piper took the overall win after six grueling hours.
CSX 3006 continued the season racing, again at Brands Hatch with
Formula 1 driver Chris Irwin, as well as a few other minor events.
Bondurant once again got a chance to drive CSX 3006 this time at
FIA World Championship race in Zeltweg, Austria, where the car ran
into mechanical problems and failed to finish.
The Chequered Flag continued to race the car in various events
until it was sold in 1969 to Edwin Butterworth who reportedly
entered the car in two more races. John Carden purchased the Comp
Cobra as an investment before selling it back to The Chequered Flag
in 1977. Mike Shoen, known as one of the earliest Cobra/Shelby
collectors and historians, owned only the most signi?cant Fords,
including two Daytona coupes, the Mirage GT40, and CSX 2345, the
very best factory team 289 Cobra, he purchased CSX 3006 in 1977.
Shoen, who later authored the famous book Cobra Ferrari Wars,
entrusted expert Cobra restorer Geoff Howard to complete a ground
up restoration, returning it to its original LHD con?guration with
Blue paint and racing stripes.
After nearly a decade, Shoen sold the car to Bob Jordan, who has
also owned several Cobras over the years. After several interim
owners, Steve Juliano, well known in the Cobra community to be one
of the most particular of Cobra enthusiasts, purchased CSX 3006.
After a rare opportunity to buy an original Mark II GT40 presented
itself, Juliano traded the Cobra back to Jordan. Wes Cadillac-Olds,
who had originally purchased the car from Bob Jordan, repurchased
it for a second time before placing it for sale in 1989. George
Stauffer, one of the most famous names in Cobras and GT40s,
purchased the car in 1990 before moving it to David Livingston, who
vintage raced it in 1990 placing 1st overall in group 8 at the Palm
Springs Vintage Races. Renowned Ferrari collector Chris Cox
acquired the Cobra and sold it to Matt Prowse. Another notable
collector, Jim Spiro purchased it in 1998 and occasionally used it
for road use after having a mechanical restoration performed on the
car by Dralle Engineering.
In 2003, Spiro sold the car to the very knowledgeable and astute
collector Larry Bowman. Bowman sent CSX 3006 to the widely
respected Legendary Motorcar Company of Ontario, Canada, to perform
a complete, no-expense-spared, ground-up restoration returning it
to its Brands Hatch-winning con?guration. Bowman even found the
original lightweight custom seats that Piper and Bondurant squeezed
into in 1966, which are included with the sale, as well as the side
curtains. The entire restoration was documented and featured on
Dream Car Garage, a television series produced by Legendary
Motorcar.
In 2009, the car was passed onto a European collector before being
sold to Gary Bartlett of Muncie, Indiana, the same town the car was
delivered to nearly 50 years before. Bartlett showed the car over
the next ?ve years taking it to the most prestigious events around
the world including the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the
Goodwood Revival, and Concorso Villa D'Este, to name a few. This
Cobra participated in some of the world's most exclusive events and
shows during Bartlett's ownership. The car is fully sorted and an
absolute pleasure to drive. The Comp Cobra is certainly docile
enough for road use, tours and rallies, or ready for driving a few
laps at the track!
Of the 19 production Competition Cobras produced, CSX 3006 checks
all the proverbial boxes. An early competition 427 full Comp car
that has retained its original aluminum body is virtually unheard
of. Additionally, it has a sterling provenance that includes
stellar European winning race history piloted by some of the
biggest names in sportscar racing. Along with a correct,
high-quality restoration, CSX 3006 is arguably the very best and
most significant production 427 Competition Cobra in existence.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am19.