Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Shelby’s Personal Cobra for sale


Carroll Shelby’s personal 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Supersnake (Lot #1301), which was designed and built solely for the racing legend, will be sold at No Reserve during the 36th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event from Jan. 13-21, 2007, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hailed as “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Events™,” the auction will feature more than 1,100 of the world’s finest collector automobiles, attract over 225,000 visitors and be featured on SPEED with 40 hours of live coverage.


“When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car on the road,” said Shelby. “Forty years later, it will still kick the tail of just about anything in the world. It’s the fastest street legal Cobra I’ve ever owned.”


Shelby plucked CSX3015 from a line of 19 production Competition Cobras and molded it into one of the most impressive automobiles ever built. It has a monstrous 427cid, 800hp twin Paxton supercharged V8 with a super three-speed automatic transmission. In addition to use as his personal automobile, Shelby drove the Cobra in a running of the “Turismos Visitadores” in Nevada. In February 1968, Road & Track referred to CSX3015 as “The Cobra to End All Cobras.”


“This is conceivably one of the most significant and valuable automobiles to ever cross an auction block,” said Craig Jackson, president of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “Carroll Shelby not only poured his automotive wisdom and racing pride into this vehicle, he also personally gripped the wheel of this American legend.”


“This incredible Cobra personifies Carroll Shelby, and the maverick he is,” adds Steve Davis, senior executive vice president of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “CSX3015 embodies the spirit that defined a generation and is as impactful today as it was some forty years ago.” Shelby built a similar Twin Paxton-enhanced 427 Cobra (CSX3303) for close friend and famed comedian Bill Cosby. CSX3303 was later wrecked, leaving CSX3015 as the only one of its kind in the world.


“CSX3015 speaks volumes about the genius in Carroll Shelby,” said Harley E. Cluxton III, owner of CSX3015. “His Cobra is the benchmark that defines the American Muscle car. His baby does it all, and without the help of ASR, ESP, ABS, engine management ECU’s, carbon fiber, titanium or the United Nations. How cool is that.”


Barrett-Jackson continually reaffirms its leadership position in the collector car market by elevating consignment standards, challenging annual records and serving as the barometer for market trends. Last year, more than 300,000 attendees and millions of television viewers from around the world witnessed over 1,600 cars being auctioned off for approximately $135 million at the two 2006 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Events held in Scottsdale and Palm Beach, Fla.

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