1966 Shelby 427 Cobra

1966 Shelby 427 Cobra
Sold for $1,705,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2014
Chassis no. CSX 3359
CHASSIS NUMBER CSX 3359
Est. 410 bhp, 427 cu. in. Ford V-8 engine with single four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel coil spring independent suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 90 in.
•Only 1,819 original miles
•The second to last 427 Cobra produced
•History since new documented by the SAAC Registry
•An exceptional road going Shelby Cobra
•Incredibly authentic with unquestioned purity, including original “sunburst” wheels and blue dot tires
•Formerly owned by noted collectors John Mozart and Lawrence Bowman
The Shelby American Automobile Club World Registry documents chassis number CSX 3359 as having been the next-to-last 427 Cobra produced. It was billed to Shelby American on December 14, 1966, equipped with a 427 V-8 with single 4V carburetor and finished in red with black interior. In other words, it was ordered as, and has always remained, a road car, one that has been enjoyed and preserved on the street/ It was then sold to Pletcher Ford, of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, at $1,000 off dealer cost, and was trucked to Jenkintown on October 16, 1967. Pletcher Ford repair order no. 2020 records minor storage and shipping damage having been incurred, necessitating repair of the left hand rocker panel, the Cobra emblem on the trunk lid, and replacement of the spare wheel and tire at a cost of $211.95.
The Cobra’s first owner was Frank W. Hultslander, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, who rarely drove it before consigning it to Hexagon Motors, of London, in November 1971; Hexagon Motors imported the car “across the pond” and purchased it themselves. It remained in storage from 1972 until 1976, when its existence in England was widely reported, and the car found a new owner in Richard Buxbaum, of Hinsdale, Illinois. Remarkably, when Mr. Buxbaum advertised his Cobra for sale in 1978 at $85,000, it had recorded only 512 original miles!
The car was sold to Jerome A. Shinkay, of Janesville, Wisconsin, who in the early 1980s advertised it for sale. It was passed to James S. Ward, of Atherton, California, who resold it to the Ferrari dealer in Los Gatos. From there, it passed through the hands of Timothy Lewy into the ownership of renowned collector John Mozart, whose stable includes some of the finest performance automobiles ever built. In 1998, the Cobra was acquired by another well-known enthusiast of Ford performance products, Lawrence Bowman, in whose ownership it was pictured on page 111 of John McClellan’s The Classic AC’s.
In 2004, Mr. Bowman elected to have the car restored by the well-known Cobra expert, Mike McCluskey. The entire drivetrain, including engine, transmission, differential, drive and half-shafts, and suspension, was rebuilt to original specifications, with everything pertaining to reliability and drivability being repaired and replaced only as necessary. The body was left on the chassis, so great was its originality, but was stripped to the bare frame and body shell, metal-finished, primered, and repainted the original Monza Red. Much of the interior remains original, including the wonderfully well-preserved seats, vinyl, wheel arches, and doors. Always a well-kept road car, it still wears its original “sunburst” wheels shod in the original Goodyear blue dot tires and is accompanied by a second set of Trigo wheels.
Now recording only 1,819 original miles, this incredible Cobra remains as-restored, in beautiful show-worthy condition and robust running order, having been well cared for in one of the West Coast’s finest collections. As beautiful as it was when new, yet preserving so many of the original features often squandered in even the best restorations, it is an exceptional example worthy of the finest Shelby collection.
Robert Myrick Photography