To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Villa Erba event, 25 May
2019.
Estimate:
€700.000 - €1.100.000
- A very early street-chassis 427 Cobra
- Believed to be the first Cobra delivered with the Kelsey-Hayes
'Sunburst' wheels
- Formerly owned by the president of Cobra Club Switzerland
Although Carroll Shelby's original 289 Cobra certainly was not
lacking in terms of horsepower, it was only natural that the
chicken farmer turned racing driver would eventually slot a
big-block V-8 into the engine bay. Boasting over 400 bhp, the new
427 cu. in. V-8 engine necessitated a complete redesign of the
Cobra's chassis to ensure proper handling, measuring five inches
wider and boasting coil springs in place of the previous leaf
springs. Just over 300 427 Cobras were built.
The 427 Cobra presented here is amongst the earliest road-going 427
Cobras produced, just the 10th street chassis produced (with the
first being CSX 3101). Chassis no. CSX 3110 was finished in Rangoon
Red over a Black leather interior. Its production started in
December of 1965 and was finished in January of 1966.
Interestingly, this is believed to be the first 427 Cobra by
chassis number to be fitted with the desirable Kelsey-Hayes 7.5"
aluminium 'Sunburst' wheels.
According to the SAAC World Registry of Cobras and GT40s, the car
was billed to the Marshall Motor Company of Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
However, its first owner and early ownership history is unknown.
The car first emerged in Florida in the mid-1970s. At that time,
Pat Conroy purchased CSX 3110 in Florida as a wreck for $10,000. At
the time, the car had damage to its left side and front and had
been given a rebuilt vehicle VIN by the Florida Department of Motor
Vehicles but was eventually retitled as CSX 3110. The car was noted
as retaining its wide front and rear fenders, trademarks of early
427s, and was allegedly showing 10,000 miles on its odometer.
Conroy brought the Cobra home to Pennsylvania and sought to restore
CSX 3110 to its former glory but over the years, he never found the
time. As a result, the car sat in his garage and was purchased as a
project by Sandy Sadtler, also of Pennsylvania, in 1987. With
Sadtler, the car was finally restored to its original specification
and colour scheme. The Cobra remained with him 25 years and in 2002
was sold to Henri-Louis Maunoir of Geneva, Switzerland, who was a
former president of the Cobra Club Switzerland. Purchased by the
current owner, a Swiss collector and racing driver, in October of
2006, the car remains in excellent condition and is ready to be
enjoyed by its next owner.
Truly a performance car icon, Shelby's Cobra took the best of
British engineering, added American horsepower and made a car that
could outrun anything on the road in its day. Any collector of
post-war sports cars needs to have a Cobra in their garage, and CSX
3110 would surely be brilliant to drive and enjoy on the open
road.To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ve19.