AC Cobra Mk I – CSX 2003

Eine der ersten

Wir lieben diese Cobra-Geschichten, auch deshalb, weil wir selber ständig etwas dazulernen. Und hier geht es deshalb auch um James Edward «Ed» Hugus, der doch 10 Mal bei den 24 Stunden von Le Mans antrat – und es 1965 ganz heimlich zu einiger Berühmtheit brachte. Doch diese Geschichte wollen wir hier nicht erzählen, die finden Sie: hier (unbedingt lesenswert!). Hugus aber hatte schon 1952 begonnen, europäische Sportwagen nach Amerika zu importieren – und sie dann auch selbst bei Rennen zu fahren, das war die beste Werbung. Er lief dabei irgendwann auch Carroll Shelby über den Weg, der nach dem krankheitsbedingten Ende seiner Rennkarriere das dringende Bedürfnis hatte, einen amerikanischen Rennwagen zu bauen, der mit den europäischen Produkten mithalten konnte. Es heisst, dass Hugus Shelby auf die Qualitäten des englischen AC Ace aufmerksam gemacht habe, dem man doch einen guten US-V8 einbauen könnte. Man weiss, dass Shelby genau diese Idee übernahm, sie dann als AC Cobra umsetzte – ob der Input wirklich von Hugus stammte, wer weiss das schon.

Wie auch immer, die Einflussnahme von Ed Hugus ging noch weiter – und ist auch verbürgt. Gemäss dem Buch «Cobra Pilote: The Ed Hugus Story» bestellte Hugus die ersten AC Ace, bezahlte sie auch, liess sie nach Pittsburg in seine «European Cars»-Garage bringen – und baute dort die Ford-260er-Motoren ein. Es sollen die ersten sieben Cobra, also CSX2001 bis CSX2007, bei Hugus gefertigt worden sein – was Shelby Zeit gab, seine Werkstatt in Venice, Kalifornien, aufzubauen. Und vor allem: Die Ford-Memmen davon zu überzeugen, dass dies genau das Fahrzeug war, das Dearborn unterstützen musste. Die Cobra, die wir hier zeigen, CSX2003, gehört also auch zu diesen Hugus-Autos.

Ab hier wollen wir nun Broad Arrow «vertrauen», die CSX2003 in Monterey 2025 versteigern werden, Schätzpreis 1,5 bis 2 Mio Dollar, dies mit diesen Angaben: «Interestingly, Shelby Cobras: CSX 2001 – CSX 2125: The Definitive Chassis-by-Chassis History of the Mark I Production Cars by Robert D. Walker notes several inconsistencies with the remainder of the SAAC Registry listing. Despite the registry stating that CSX 2003 was “shipped to Sebring 3/63 for use as a display car during race week, and later sent to Dearborn for inspection by Henry Ford II,” Walker contends that the car had already been consigned to Ford Motor Company in Dearborn in early-1962. Alongside CSX 2004, Ford’s Special Vehicles Team in Dearborn evaluated the early Cobra as a prerequisite to signing any formal manufacturing or racing agreement with Shelby. Company engineers—including Henry Ford II himself—inspected and drove CSX 2003 during this period, examining its design and capabilities first-hand. It was after this important testing period that the car was shipped to George Reed’s Racing Rats (RRR Motors) in Homewood, Illinois (misidentified as Bill Reed of Chicago, Illinois, in the SAAC Registry). In Reed’s ownership, CSX 2003 was shown at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1963, while his second chassis, CSX 2051, was entered in the 12-hour race.
Sometime after this appearance, Reed sold the early Cobra to William “Bill” E. Webbe of Barrington, Illinois. After a ten-year period of storage between 1969-1979, the car was removed and treated to a restoration completed by renowned Cobra specialist Bill Kemper of Barrington, Illinois, in late 1980. Still wearing its original white with red interior color scheme, CSX 2003 was advertised for sale in December 1981 with 22,000 miles and was acquired by Jim Thompson of Illinois. The car appeared for sale again in October 1987 with 23,000 miles and was purchased by Bill Strakosch, owner of Wes Cadillac-Oldsmobile in Waterbury, Connecticut. George Stauffer of Stauffer Classics in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, acquired CSX 2003 in 1988 and added dark blue Le Mans-style center stripes to the car’s white finish. Robert Walker writes that, apparently unknown to the SAAC, the Cobra was then purchased from Stauffer by Mead, Colorado, resident George Raterink in the late 1980s.
The story of CSX 2003’s current ownership began somewhat serendipitously when the Virginia-based collector first acquired a 289 Cobra approximately one year prior to obtaining this exceptionally early example in 1989. The previous owner of the 289, who claimed to have been the car’s original owner, later approached the consignor seeking to repurchase his former Cobra. He agreed to the proposition, but only under specific conditions: „only if you find me another Cobra, and if I approve we can swap.“ The former 289 owner subsequently sourced CSX 2003 and presented it as a potential trade. Upon test driving the early Cobra, the current owner immediately recognized its exceptional state of preservation, noting that the car was in „pristine condition…very little had ever been done to it.“ After taking possession, he made only one significant alteration to CSX 2003 by electing to repaint the car to remove the blue racing stripes that Stauffer had added, thereby returning it to its original all-white livery as it had appeared when first completed by Ed Hugus. A few years after acquiring CSX 2003, the consignor received an invitation through his daughter—a Ford employee at the time—to attend a special event celebrating Carroll Shelby, hosted by Ford Motor Company in Washington, D.C. At this gathering, he had the honor of meeting Shelby personally, who examined the Cobra and praised its exceptional condition. It was during this encounter that Shelby signed the inner door of the glove compartment—the very signature that the car bears today. For the past 36 years, the consignor has cherished CSX 2003 as both a driving machine and a piece of automotive history. Remarkably, he used the Cobra as his daily transportation to the hospital where he worked as a surgeon! This daily use continued for many years until the Cobra’s increasing value and rarity ultimately convinced him to retire it to climate-controlled storage. Even in retirement, however, the consignor and his sons would periodically exercise CSX 2003 on weekends, ensuring it remained in proper working order while safeguarding its remarkable originality. In recent years, as the owner’s health has begun to limit his ability to fully enjoy the car, he has made the difficult decision to part with this beloved Cobra. His hope is that CSX 2003 will find a new custodian who can appreciate and enjoy it as much as he has throughout his long stewardship. As he reflects on his decades with the car, he notes poignantly that „it’s more than a car…it’s part of the family».

Mehr von den ersten Cobra haben wir: hier. Und dann haben wir auch noch das Archiv.