1966 Shelby 427 Cobra

427ci OHV side-oiler V-8 Engine
Dual 4-Barrel Carburetors
Est. 485bhp at 6,000 rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Offered from over two decades of single enthusiast ownership
*Fascinating and exciting known history
*Formerly owned by 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Didier Pironi
*Converted to 427 S/C specifications
*Equipped with rare dual-quad, dual-plane, tunnel-port intake system
*The model for the 427 Cobra in Forza Motorsport 4

THE SHELBY 427 COBRA

Carroll Shelby's original small-block 260 and 289 Cobras were fine, fast, nimble cars, but by the mid-1960s it was clear that they were being increasingly outmoded in competition – particularly against their greatest nemesis, the Corvette Grand Sports.

In typical fashion, Shelby's first reaction was to install a larger engine on an entire new frame, developed with the assistance of Ford engineers and incorporating four-inch tubes and coil spring suspension at all four corners. The Cobra's fenders were lightly widened and the radiator opening enlarged to accommodate the new 427ci powerplant, which in its mildest roadgoing tune produced 410bhp. It was a fearsome beast that set new standards of performance for a street automobile and, as had been hoped, proved quite successful in competition.

A total of 310 427 Cobras were produced, and have been steadily tracked, researched, and documented by historians virtually since they were new. Accordingly, a great deal is known about the history of each extant example – but some have more fascinating stories than others. CSX 3242, offered here, is hard to beat in that regard.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

According to the World Registry of Cobras and GT40s, chassis no. CSX 3242 was originally invoiced to Shelby American on June 10, 1966. On August 31, 1966, Shelby in turn invoiced the famous Total Performance dealer Larsen Ford of White Plains, New York, for a "1966 Cobra Street, Veh. #CSX3242, Blue." Once air-freighted to White Plains, the carburetor was replaced and the car then delivered to Manhasset Ford of New York State. It is believed to have been used by the Ford District Sales Office for promotional purposes, and to have been drag-raced by Larsen Ford employee William Trifari at Dover Plains and Westhampton as part of that effort. Undoubtedly because of this use the car's upper and lower A-arms were straightened and a new driveshaft assembly fitted under warranty by Pennsylvania Cobra repair guru Ray Heppenstall in August 1967; at this time Manhasset Ford was still listed as the car's owner and it had 3,250 miles.

Soon thereafter, according to history provided by the owner, chassis no. CSX 3242 was sold new to Stuart Hayim of New York City. Hayim kept the car for roughly two years before offering it for sale. Tyler Somas of Queens came to test-drive the Cobra, and at the conclusion of the tour, pulled a gun on the owner, got behind the wheel, and drove away. Hayim assumed that the Cobra was gone forever and filed an insurance claim. Meanwhile, at Somas' place of business, Queens Auto Wrecking, the firearm-wielding new "owner" removed the car's chassis number from the right front shock mount. He added different numbers to the left front shock mount, coinciding with the data tag from CSX 3041, a wrecked 427 S/C Cobra that Somas had previously acquired, which he riveted to the passenger floorbox.

Somas sold "CSX 3041" around 1969 to Shelby Owners Association president David Bythewood of Hempstead, New York. Richard Brostek, who stored the car for Bythewood, noted that the main VIN stamping had been ground away, and later others active in the early years of the SOA noted both the Cobra's stock street-going, non-S/C specification, as well as a patch of weld over the VIN on the right-hand shock tower and the freshly stamped new VIN on the right-hand shock tower – as well as the fact that the original chassis number, "3242," was still present stamped on all the latches, a surefire giveaway as to the car's true identity.

In late 1977, the Cobra, still with its mistaken identity and finished in red over tan with black under-car exhaust pipes, was sold to Bruce Clemmons of Kansas. Clemmons sold the car the following year to Andrew Robinson, also of Kansas, by which time a fresh 427 with two four-barrel carburetors was mounted along with stainless steel inner panels.

In the early 1980s the Cobra was sold to Ferrari Formula One driver, Didier Pironi, the 1978 winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, also known for his exploits as part of the Tyrrell, Ligier, and Ferrari teams. At this time the car was exported to Italy. It was during Pironi's ownership that a California court deemed that the true identity of chassis no. CSX 3041 belonged to another owner, and thus, when the Cobra returned stateside after several other European owners, it was finally properly returned to its correct, authentic identity, CSX 3242. In addition, it was refinished in blue, as original, with white stripes.

In the summer of 1995, CSX 3242 was acquired by Ron Huber of Arizona, and underwent a complete mechanical restoration by Don Roberts, during which it was prepared for vintage-racing with the addition of a fuel cell, Halon fire system, competition fuel filler, racing brakes, and other updated safety equipment. Roberts also built the present 427 side-oiler V-8, complete with an extremely rare dual-plane, dual-quad, tunnel-port intake system, only a handful of which were originally made for the big-block GT40s. The Cobra subsequently appeared at the Shelby American Automobile Club convention in Las Vegas in 1997.

The current owner acquired the Cobra in 1999 and has now enjoyed it for over two decades, meticulously maintaining it in his own skilled hands. In 2013 it was refinished by RaceCraft NW of Woodinville, Washington, in its original paint color, again with white stripes, with great attention being paid to retaining the original body trim pieces. While the car has appeared at Northwestern concours and at an event with Dan Gurney, its most prominent appearance has been its "starring role" as the 427 Cobra beginning in Forza Motorsport 4. In a very impressive effort to ensure total authenticity, Microsoft employees fully digitized the car and all of its sounds, down to the correct note of the doors opening and closing; the owner bemusedly recalls that the exhaust was sufficiently loud to destroy the team's sound meter. If Xbox games count, this car has been joyfully "driven" and experienced by more people worldwide than any other Cobra.

Overall the Cobra remains in wonderful condition, down to the correct chassis number still stamped into the original latches, and is described as running and driving strongly with, in its owner's apt words, "too much power." Then again, it is in the spirit of the car to think there is no such thing!