Which would you choose?
Sometimes the simplest plan turns out to be a real genius move. This is especially true when it comes to cars. One of the best examples of this is Carroll Shelby’s simple plan of fitting an American V8 engine into one of the lightest chassis of the 1960’s. Starting out with 260-cid Ford V8 then upping the ante with the addition of a 289-cid Ford power plant, Shelby’s idea peaked in 1965 when he managed to squeeze a massive big-block under the hood of a coil sprung AC Cobra chassis. The result was the legendary 427 Cobra. Unfortunately, only 55 original cars were produced, leading to a demand that could not be officially filled and opening a window of opportunity for replica companies. While many of these knock-offs looked the part and some performed similarly, there is nothing quite like an original Shelby Cobra.
In 1990, Shelby decided to build on his nearly 30-year-old brilliant idea with a line of continuation 427 powered Cobras. The 4000 Series Cobras were built in Las Vegas, Nevada and as “new” Cobras with the same style and appearance as the originals. Many of these new Cobra bodies were made of fiberglass but buyers could order them with metal bodywork instead, allowing for a more authentic look and more unique finish options.
RM Sotheby’s is now offering three metal bodywork Cobra CSX4000s for sale. While the first listed on their site features the more common aluminum body, the other two are done in bronze and copper. All three cars are polished to a mirror like finish and feature contrasting, brushed racing stripes.
Though all three are equipped with a 427 FE V8 engine, all of them came bored and stroked for even more impressive performance figures. While the list price for these Cobras is substantial to say the least, considering their pedigree and the fact that an original 427 Cobras can be worth upwards of $1-million, the nearly half-million-dollar asking price for each one of these beautiful continuation models doesn’t seem like a bad deal. This could be a great opportunity to get behind the wheel of a one-of-a-kind 427 Shelby Cobra.
