1966 Shelby Cobra 427

Brutally quick and downright aggressive, the 427 Cobra is an all-American performance icon. A good original car, CSX 3155 is one of the original black on black cars, formerly owned by two different Hollywood celebrities, one of which was TV producer Burt Sugarman. Retaining its original engine, chassis and body, this Cobra was sold at RM Auctions Sports & Classics of Monterey in 2008 for $962,500. For more information please visit http://www.rmauctions.com

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[LB427SC]

Zepvista sorry but you are wrong. All original Cobras built in the 60's were made complete apart from engine and box at AC in Thames Ditton England. They were shipped to Shelbys plant in LA for the engine and box to be fitted and various other mods carried out. Perhaps you are thinking of the more recent copies built by Shelby?

Why do some people insist on ignoring history and calling this car "all American"? Its an insult to all the people in the UK that were involved in the project.

[zepvista]

anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. 427 Cobras did NOT ,and I'll repeat,did NOT use AC bodies. those bodies were made in LA

[1978BHO]

@t45tube

Thank you sir, the feeling is mutual.

[t45tube]

@1978BHO I'd agree with that. I'd also like to say it's been nice to have an intelligent adult discussion without any of the infantile insults that ruin so many YouTube threads. You are a credit to true car enthusiasts sir.

[1978BHO]

@t45tube

Denying the British roots readily apparent in the Cobra would be pointless. And perhaps that is the most ironic part of the whole equation, in that it is so very American to incorporate and embrace the best the world has to offer. The melding of American and British ideas relative to anything made to go very fast has typically ended very well. The Cobra and early Ford GT's are unique among cars IMO, in that they manage to be so unequivocally American and British simultaneously.

[t45tube]

@1978BHO Your point about the value is clearly bourne out by the info in the description for this thread's video. $962,500! The description is however wrong when it says 'the 427 Cobra is an all-American performance icon'. Definitely an Anglo-American performance icon because AC, Ford and Shelby American all played their part. Incidentally, several Shelby American staff were ex-pat Brits, so there was still plenty of British involvement in the Cobra even on that side of the Atlantic. :-)

[1978BHO]

@t45tube

The 'lawsuit happy' nature of Carrol Shelby is blown out of proportion. He has won more of suits than he has lost. In fact, the only major suit he has partially lost is the attempt to outright trademark the Cobra shape, he won the right to keep anybody else from legally calling a car so shaped as a Cobra, with Ford's blessing, but anybody can produce the basic shape itself. And while he is either loved or hated, it certainly doesn't seem to have hurt the value of his name or his cars.

[t45tube]

@1978BHO I agree that Shelby's name would always have been more prominent in US - as with the Shelby Mustang - to cash in on his fame. Makes sound business sense.

Of course it's not just AC that Shelby's had bust ups with (Enzo Ferrari is another) and he now seems to be about as famous for starting law suits as he is for his racing successes and his involvement with Cobras and Mustangs. Pity really because it definitely seems to have harmed his reputation and lost him a lot of respect.

[1978BHO]

@t45tube

I think the Cobra would have been badged as a 'Shelby-AC' at best even had the AC name been better known on this side of the Atlantic. That said, I'm not surprised Shelby hasn't been eager to work with AC since the 60's, well and truly that relationship over the years has been a very tumultuous one. I'm not sure how Angliss and Shelby got along on a personal level prior to the lawsuit. The attempted AC-Shelby 'reunion' in 2003 was sadly another disaster in a history of the same.

[t45tube]

@1978BHO I always thought 'American' Cobras used Shelby badges because AC was unknown in US, while Shelby name was famous and more 'marketable' (especially with Shelby himself doing the selling) whereas in Europe AC was an established marque so it made sense to use AC badging here.

I can't help thinking it's a pity Shelby didn't work with Angliss to sell MkIV Cobras in the US (with Shelby badges of course!) rather than suing him. Especially as he got AC to build Cobras for him again in 2003.