Vehicle Description
1965 Shelby 289 Cobra For Sale - Late Production, Leaf Springs,
Webers, Fully Documented LMC is very proud to offer for sale this
1965 Shelby 289 Cobra. Having reached the pinnacle of international
motorsport as a Le Mans-winning co-driver for Aston Martin in 1959,
Carroll Shelby soon achieved even greater fame as a constructor
with his potent AC Ace-derived, Ford V-8 powered Cobra. The product
of a long and challenging early road, the Cobra came about when
Britain's AC, the maker of the renowned Ace, learned of engine
supplier Bristol's looming cancellation of its excellent 2-litre
engine. Lightweight and well-proven with countless victories, the
Ace could, Shelby thought, be even better with American V-8 power.
In September 1961, Shelby wrote Charles Hurlock of AC Cars
proposing a hybrid car based on the Ace; Hurlock was interested if
a suitable V-8 was available. When Hot Rod magazine editor Ray
Brock told Shelby of Ford's new lightweight small-block V-8, Shelby
had an early 221 cubic-inch unit mated to a stock AC Ace, with the
compact Ford V-8 weighing little more than the Bristol. When the
221 grew to 260 cubes for the Falcon Sprint, Ford engineer Dave
Evans shipped a pair of the new engines to Shelby, who immediately
air-freighted them to AC. Shelby then flew to England to test-drive
the new car he dubbed the "Cobra" on February 1, 1962. Beginning
from modest facilities in Venice, California during August 1962,
Shelby American went on to build roughly 75 Cobras with Ford 260
V-8 engines, followed by about 579 more powered by the
larger-displacement 289 "High-Performance" solid-lifter unit that
continues to define the small-block Cobra. �Documented in the
Shelby American World Registry , this Cobra was originally invoiced
to Shelby American on June 25, 1964, and shipped to Los Angeles on
July 10 aboard the SS Loch Avon. On October 21, 1964, it was
invoiced to Fort Lee Motors in New Jersey with a base price of
$5,195 plus the "Class A" accessory package including WSW tires, 5
chrome wheels, antifreeze, and freight, bringing the price to a
total of $5,879.05. The first known owner was Fred Knapik of
Edison, New Jersey and the Cobra was repainted and equipped with
Weber carburetors. �Mr. Knapik sold the car in 1973 to Ronald
Sinisgalli of Brooklyn, New York, through whom it passed in 1977 to
Jim Inglese of North Branford, Connecticut, who also established
his soon-to-be-renowned Weber carburetion specialty business that
year. After winning a 1 st place award at the SAAC Northeast Fall
Rally, Mr. Inglese sold it in partial trade for 427 Cobra to John
Daily of Ohio, who sold the car onto Dale Bliss of Oklahoma. The
car was later sold to Robert Benson who recently had a complete
ground-up restoration performed. It was then sold to its �next
caretaker whom converted it back to its factory-style street
configuration with a factory under car exhaust system, factory
chrome wires and �stunning black exterior. As offered now, it
drives wonderfully with its period Weber induction system,
heightening the performance delivered by its 289 cobra engine,
itself mated to the Cobra's aluminum T-10 manual transmission. �As
recently discussed by a Shelby expert �in The Complete Book of
Shelby Automobiles, "Should you be fortunate enough to find
yourself behind the wheel of a good leaf-spring Cobra, you'll find
it's an experience anybody who even remotely enjoys driving will
likely never forget." Accordingly, this handsome, highly drivable,
and historic 289 Cobra carries clean history, stands ready to
enjoy, and marks a thrilling link to its creator, Carroll Shelby.
Additional Details: 1965 SHELBY 289 COBRA -
