To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The
Elkhart Collection event, 23 - 24 October 2020.
Estimate:
$175,000 - $225,000
- Features desirable aluminum body
- Beautifully finished true to the original Cobra design
- Regularly used and enjoyed, but always well maintained
Please note that this vehicle is titled as a 1965.
In the early 1990s, Carroll Shelby took up where 427 Cobra
production had left off, nearly 30 years prior, with the
introduction of the 4000 Series. Built in Las Vegas, Nevada, these
cars were intended to be "new" Cobras with the same style and
appearance as their 1960s ancestors and were built using newly
constructed frames and body panels. In stock form, the 4000 Series
featured fiberglass bodywork, but buyers had the opportunity to
order more correct and authentic aluminum bodywork at a substantial
additional cost.
The 4000 Series Cobra offered here was completed in 2002 by
well-known enthusiast and restorer Jason Len, founder of XKs
Unlimited, finished in dark blue metallic with white Le Mans
stripes, aluminized headers, side pipes, quick jacks, and a chromed
rollbar. It features all the best options, including not only the
aluminum coachwork, but also a Shelby-built "side-oiler" 427
carbureted V-8 with aluminum block and heads, intake manifold, and
water pump, as well as the iconic functional side exhausts. Other
competition details include the open grille, hood scoop, oil
cooler, carburetor "turkey pan," no glove box, battery mounted
behind the front seat, and rear fender lips. The brakes were
specially modified, and the Cobra was completed with the buyer's
own fuel cell, original-style upholstery, correct S/C gauge layout,
and Halibrand wheels, now shod in Hoosier racing tires.
At the time of cataloguing, the car had recorded 1,229 miles, but,
typical of the collection's cars, it has been cosmetically well
maintained and shows only minor signs of its enthusiastic road use,
with both the paint and interior in generally excellent condition.
Further, it is complete with a tonneau cover as well as assorted
sideboards and ephemera.
This is an exceptional 4000 Series Cobra, ready to be
enthusiastically driven and enjoyed as Carroll Shelby himself would
have intended. It is among the most entertaining machines in the
Elkhart Collection.To view this car and others currently consigned
to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.
