Chassis number CSX 2000 was Carroll Shelby's own Cobra, the car he built himself and kept until the day he died and is being offered for sale by the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust itself.
"When it comes to American sports cars, CSX 2000 is without peers. Its historical significance and impact on the global sports car scene cannot be overstated," said Shelby Myers, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby's.
Auction houses are expected to hype upcoming sales, but in the case of this Cobra, interest could be such that the car drives into the all-time auction top 10.
That's because it was more than just the testing and development prototype that would one day cement the Cobra and Shelby's places in the annuals of automotive history. It was one of Shelby's most important props. This is the car that the world's motoring press tested around tracks — 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds and a 153mph top speed in 1962 — but it was also the car that Shelby would take to events every week, painted a different color to convince potential buyers that production was in full swing and he had plenty of Cobras ready.
As well as a tangible reminder of Shelby the showman and raconteur, it's also a testament to his automotive genius, the foundation that would help Ford eventually clinch that 1-2-3 le Mans victory in 1966 with the GT40.
"In the automotive world, CSX 2000 was the shot heard ‘round the world; it revolutionised not only American racing, but the greater auto industry as a whole. Had Carroll Shelby never decided to squeeze that high performance V-8 into its engine bay, there would be no Cobra and certainly no Shelby American, nor GT40, nor the others that followed," said Myers.
CSX 2000 started out life as an AC Ace, a stylish but quaint British roadster. Shelby managed to totally transform it with a Ford 260 cubic inch (4.2-litre) V8 and some chassis reinforcements and a legend was born.
"It is, without exception, the single most important and history-rewriting sports car ever offered at auction, after over 50 years of ownership and without ever leaving the care of its founding father," said Myers. "We're beyond thrilled to celebrate and present this national treasure in Monterey this August."
