Vehicle Description
Chassis No. CSX 4170
Chicken farmer, Army Air Corps pilot, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner,
car constructor, race team owner, entrepreneur, and above all else
businessman: Carroll Shelby wore many hats in life, among those his
famous black Stetson, but he is most celebrated for the cars that
bore his name, and the Shelby Cobra being the most renowned among
them.
In 1962, Shelby immediately embarked on a venture that combined the
aluminum body of the AC Ace with Ford's 260 cubic-inch V8 engine.
This fusion of lightweight British engineering and American power
took place at Los Angeles-based Shelby-American Inc. to become the
legendary Shelby Cobra. Pursuing greater power and racing
homologation, Shelby equipped Ford's 427 cubic-inch engine in 1965,
giving birth to the Shelby 427 Cobra. This was more than a mere
engine upgrade; the new 427 Cobra featured a larger-diameter tube
chassis and body, wider wheels and tires, as well as an enhanced
coil spring suspension among numerous other performance
enhancements. Although Shelby halted Cobra production in 1967 and
other cars followed, his Cobra remained the quintessential product
associated with his name.
Over the following decades, the value of all Cobras soared,
resulting in Shelby's Cobra becoming one of the most highly
sought-after and frequently replicated cars of all time. While some
recreations remained faithful to the original design, others
deviated significantly from the period-correct specifications. In
1997, as the executive of his newly-formed Shelby Automobiles,
Inc., Shelby revisited his creation from decades earlier to
manufacture the first batch of continuation Cobras, featuring
aluminum and fiberglass bodies. Inspired by the original 1965 Cobra
427 S/C, these continuation Cobras were assigned serial numbers in
the CSX 4000 range, following the CSX 2000 and CSX 3000 series
assigned to the Cobras built in the 1960s.
Constructed in the year 2000, this particular 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra
S/C, CSX 4170, belongs to the first series of highly collectible
continuation cars. It boasts a rare optional hand-formed aluminum
body, a feature only found in 164 of the first series continuation
cars. In addition to the rare and historically correct body choice,
the original build sheet reveals a generous selection of options
including a Tremec five-speed manual transmission paired with a
500-horsepower all-aluminum 427 V8 engine, Halibrand-style wheels,
Wilwood four-piston brakes, and a faithful leather interior.
This 1965-titled Shelby Cobra, is offered with just under 16,000
miles on the odometer at the time of cataloging. As the values of
CSX 2000 and 3000 cars have skyrocketed, the continuation cars,
especially those equipped with the rare aluminum body, have
followed the same upward trajectory and are now highly sought-after
collectibles in their own right. Adorned in a purposeful all-black
livery riding on Goodyear billboard tires, CSX 4170 possesses an
imposing presence that unequivocally reflects its distinguished
lineage.
