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AC Cobra Mk I

The Collection

We have to start from the very beginning. And the very first AC Cobra, this MK I, tends to get forgotten. It’s a little complicated, just a little. The first 75 examples were equipped with Ford’s 4.3-litre engine (260 cubic inches), of which probably 62 were roadworthy. But then there were also 51 with the 4.7-litre Ford engine (289 cubic inches). And these must be distinguished from Mk II, which then all had the 289 engine. But let’s start this collection with the highlight, because a lot of history has already been told:

Chassis number: CSX 2000

The wonderful story and lots of pictures: here (sorry, just in German). Oh yes, what is not mentioned there: The vehicle was auctioned in 2020 for an impressive 13,750,000 dollars.

Chassis number: CSX 2011

Of course Carroll Shelby raced his fledgling Cobra (we’ll get to that). But he also had to earn money – and customer racing was a wonderful playground. When John A. Everly, a not unknown racing driver, asked if he could buy such a MkI Cobra in racing trim, Shelby definitely did not say: no. The preparations were not really wild, there were front and rear stabilisers, a roll bar, the big tank, a sharper ignition, the fat tyres. Whether the engine of the red Cobra with the black interior was also modified is not known – in any case, Everly traded in his Ferrari 375 MM Spider (#0376 AM), which must have pleased Shelby. Everly’s results in 1962 and 1963 were not really inspiring, in 1964 he sold the #CSX2011 to John Archer, who couldn’t do any better, but gave the Cobra an engine from a GT350 in 1965. In 1965 the car came to Ron West, who won some SCCA races with it – and kept #CSX2011 in his garage until 2007. 42 years, how nice. After that, this very early Cobra was also in the Andrews Collection for a few years – as an automobile, you can experience worse fates. In 2015, #CSX2011 was auctioned for almost two million dollars.

Chassis number: CSX 2019

Made an appearance in the Elvis Presley film “Viva Las Vegas”. And was then rebuilt by Shelby into the first “Dragonsnake”.

Dragonsnake? We’ve got another critter like that down the road.

Chassis number: CSX 2023

Unfortunately, not much is known about this vehicle. It was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in Fort Lauderdale in 2014 for $825,000. It is noted in the description that #CSX2023 probably received a 289 engine early on. And that it was well maintained from 1971 to 2011 by the same owner, Ruben Garnica.

Chassis number: CSX 2044

Harrison Horn, born in 1927, later became famous as one of the co-inventors of the first Macintosh computer. But incidentally, he was also the first buyer of a Cobra. But even then he was quite the scientist he later became successful as. On 17 March 1963, he wrote a handwritten letter to Carroll Shelby asking for “complete technical description ans specifications, prices and availability of your AC-Ford car, and its options and accessoires”. Two weeks later, Dr Horn received a reply – and apparently liked what he read. He wrote back a two-page letter, asking lots of questions, including a crucial one: “Are you still using the 260 engine, or has it been replaced with the cored and bored 289 item?” The fact that “Hap”, as Dr Horn was called by his friends, knew about the larger Ford engine showed that he was following what was happening at Shelby very closely – and Shelby also confirmed to him that the 289 engine would soon be available. Horn ordered with extremely accurate specifications, bringing the price of his Cobra with chassis number #CSX2044 from $5995 to a whopping $6944.55; it was delivered on 21 May 1963. Although Horn’s Cobra was arguably one of the fastest examples built in 1963, the scientist never seemed to have raced it. But he did drive it 23,000 miles over the roads of Silicon Valley in the first six years, parking it frequently on the Stanford campus. In 1969, he lost an exhaust pipe – side pipes, by the way, were available from the factory at no extra charge – and put the car in his garage to have it repaired later. Well, that turned into 32 years. When Dr. Horn then sold #CSX2044 in 2001, he first informed himself carefully about the market situation – and took the buyer’s promise that he would have to take good care of the Cobra. In 2013, the Horn Cobra, which remained in absolutely original condition, was then auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in Portola for 924,000 dollars.

Chassis number: CSX 2047

CSX2047 was delivered in mid-November 1962 in red with black interior. First owner was in February 1963 to Dave Grubbe Ford in Burbank, a dealer. The car featured sun visors, side windows, front and rear bumpers, aluminium sill covers and chrome exhaust tips and bonnet latches. In 1968, Lieutenant Kit Coyle, a fighter pilot from La Jolla, bought the car – and drove it daily for five years. Along the way there was a new paint job (green) and a new exhaust system. In 1973 #CSX2047 came into the hands of Bob Schiro from Saratoga. He then put the Cobra away in a refrigerated shed for 46 years. Then in 2019, the car got a new owner and also the original red paint right back – and was auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s in Arizona for $577,000 in January 2020.

Chassis number: CSX 2048

You have to take a closer look. RM Sotheby’s offered the Cobra #CSX2048 as a Shelby 289 Cobra. But the year of construction as well as the chassis number clearly indicate that this vehicle was originally equipped with the 260 engine (4.3 litre). Like #CSX2047 this car was delivered in red with black interior, this on 12 November 1962. #CSX2048 was first part of the “Ford Custom Caravan”, then sold to Jacques Passino, then head of Ford’s racing department, for $5889.30, the $300 discount for Ford employees already deducted. When the car came to Mark Panageotos from New Hampshire in 1971, it had 33,273 miles on the clock – and a 289 engine. Panageos moved the Cobra diligently, also had it restored – and only sold it on in 2011. In 2012, #CSX2048 was sold at auction in Monterey for 522,500 dollars.

Chassis-Nummer: CSX 2051

For sale at William l’Anson (Juni 2024), with the following information: «This stunning example is one of only 75 260 Cobra built. Billed new to Shelby America in November 1962, in white with a black interior, it has always been a race car from the start. Sold new to renowned US racer George Reed, it made its debut in the 1963 Sebring 12 Hours. Upgraded to 289 specification for the 1964 season by its second owner Pat Manning, the car continued to be raced extensively with success, in period, with the SCCA and USRRC. A multiple race winner both in period and in historic racing. Very few Cobra’s raced in international events in period such as Sebring and the Le Mans 24 Hours and this car is one of them».

Chassis number: CSX 2075

The first owner of the Cobra MkI #CSX2075 was a certain Chet McFallo, but his toy was probably too slow for him, he tinkered with it diligently, there were apparently always new engines – including soon a 289 from a Gurney-Eagle (which means that #CSX2075 had been delivered with a 260). The car passed through a few hands, and in the mid-70s the black interior car was restored for the first time. At some point, #CSX2075 came back to Shelby American – and was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in Portola in 2017 for $803,000.

Chassis number: CSX 2082

It is rare that a first generation AC Cobra still exists in its original colour combination. CSX2082 was already delivered with the 289 engine on 1 February 1963, but did not find its first buyer, Ford dealer Ed Flandro in Pocatello, until March 1964. Then in 1975 the Cobra reappeared, it was parked at a mechanic’s after an accident without windscreen, steering wheel and passenger seat, John R. Kaltenbach from Akron bought the vehicle and brought it back into shape. In 2003, CSX2082 returns to its home in England, and in 2016 the vehicle is auctioned off for 459,200 pounds.

Chassis number: CSX 2093

We have a nice story: here (sorry, just in German).

Chassis number: CSX 2109

Auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey in 2005 for $451,000. There is a reason for that: this is a “Dragonsnake”. We will gladly explain what this is all about. The problem is: the more you delve into the subject, the more convoluted the story becomes. But that’s fine, we love that.

Yes, then of course there’s more to come. There is also more in our archive.

One Comment

  1. Mike Garner Mike Garner

    Hello,
    The owner of CSX 2075, Chet McFallo and his wife Lucille were friends of mine. They lived on North Fessenden in the St. Johns area of Portland, OR. He was a diesel mechanic and she worked at the Lay’s potato chip factory, with me, on Union Avenue. Chet was a handsome, dark haired, husky man, a WW II veteran, with a sizeable ego. I think he was an adrenaline junkie. One time he was on Sandy Blvd at a red light, on a Harley bike in front of the Jantzen Knitting Mills swim suit factory and offices, when some models were crossing the street in front of him. He wanted to show off. He revved up, popped the clutch, lost control, spun around in circles with one leg on the pavement and highly embarrassed. At the hospital they used a wire brush to clen the sand and rocks from his wounds. He said the pain was terrible. He loved his Cobra and doted over it.

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