Cobra in The Gumball Rally wasn't a prop. Warner Brothers put two genuine 1966 Shelby 427 Cobras on the road, CSX3255 and CSX3243

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1641804297562093&set=a.979848610424335

the front clip of a real deal 427 Cobra that was wrecked when it was new

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2213613979468318&set=gm.899610216470530&idorvanity=396353343462889

The charm and the attraction of the snake ...

Look at that stick shift!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10224291743141427&set=a.1617402035143

I was surprised to see one of the helmets from the 2018 House of Kolor at SEMA, being used as a hood prop

 http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-coolest-thing-i-found-at-sema-this.html for the 2018 photos of this helmet

this was a magazine cover for some rental company, for tux rentals 'Mr Formal Wear'

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by-part-2.1154030/page-205#post-13261649

427 Cobra and Ferrari 275 GTB were given up on, and parked for good 27 years ago, when the car collectors mechanic died. He simply stopped driving them

Skip the first 3 minute 35 seconds, and get right to the opening of the garage door



https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a15884960/ferrari-275-gtb-shelby-cobra-427-barn-find/

Mar 2018 update, at auction the Ferrari went for $2.53M and the Cobra went for $1.04M
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/barn-find-1966-ferrari-275-gtb-alloy-tops-gooding-company-auction-at-2-53-million/

3-time Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton owns/drives a real 427 Shelby Cobra in LA., and an Eleanor clone

http://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2015/04/lewis-hamiltons-427-cobra.html
https://www.facebook.com/LewisHamilton/photos/a.132708020143868.34685.132609463487057/906596806088315/?type=3&permPage=1

Ford Powered Racing Cars, 1965 Bridgehampton

https://revslib.stanford.edu/catalog/wy532pp6914

four of the 427 Shelby AC Cobras did not get a 427 engine. They were delivered with 428s.... what a let down!

I'm not big on Fords, and don't respect very many Ford engines... and way up at the top of the list of the big blocks I'll refrain from every speaking well of is the 428.

But when Shelby American couldn't get 427s, he plopped (appropriate term) 428s into four 1966 Cobras.

CSX 3282 was one of them. CSX 3301 and 3305 were two more

http://www.highdefforum.com/1190325-post2019.html
https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0111-104119/

New 427 Cobras waiting for Halibrand wheels at the LAX Shelby American facility. Photo from the George Watters Collection

one is being unloaded from the plane, with the top down

 The GT-40 program had priority for the wheels so the Cobras had to wait for Halibrand to get caught up.

These are Street versions without the Semi/Competition version's sidepipes, hood scoop and roll bar. These cars are also awaiting their chrome bumpers.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/stiffspeed/

Ken Miles giving Mort Sahl a ride in a narrow-hip 427 street car at LAX

and google says the image can be found somewhere at http://saacforum.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=27706.0

Steve let me know source of the photo is  http://saacforum.com/index.php?topic=27706.195  but it doesn't say a thing about the status of the cars, 

the incredibly wealthy, they do buy nice cars...

Lynn Park, a recognized expert in Cobras, is prepping CSX 3346 for Pebble Beach. It has less than 3000 miles on it, and has been treasured like King Tut's sarcophagi for since it was first bought in 1968, in the few last few dozen of the original production run. If anyone had ever enjoyed it, they would have driven it.

Now owned by Evan Metropoulos, brother of Daren, who had Chip Foose build the Terracuda and bought the Playboy Mansion, son of C. Dean Metropoulos, 2 billionaire who convinced rockabilly hot rodders that Pabst was good tasting, and who bought up Hostess when they went bankrupt.

CSX 3346 still has its initial invoice, most of its original belts and hoses, factory spark plug wires and engine compartment and drive train markings, plus the same Goodyear Blue Dot tires it left the production line on.

The New York Times says that Evan will be making a car museum in Van Nuys.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/automobiles/collectibles/at-pebble-beach-where-rare-is-common-a-shelby-cobra-stands-out.html

Eger Ford, 427 Cobra, SCCA champ, and in the background, the Shelby American van and trailer

also, a scooter on the trailer above the rollbar

Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/505973489414476/?fref=nf

CSX 3009

Uh oh, some one pulled a fast one. Carroll Shelby. Looks like a lot of shenanigans and illegal stuff were hidden about the 65 Cobra production so Ferrari could be attacked on the track

The set up:
Ford wanted Ferrari taken down a couple pegs
Shelby was a known contender for the title
The problem: 100 cars had to be built to get the FIA cert so it was legal for 1966 competition. They weren't.

Here comes the dirt!

In the present day, 50 years later, the Carroll Shelby Trust announced that they will finish what the old master started — building the remaining 1965 Cobra 427 S/Cs to be sold to the public as track-only race cars, three years after Shelby's death.

Back in 1965, Shelby completed 53 of the proposed 100 Cobra 427 S/Cs required to comply with FIA GT rules that stated all manufacturers must produce at least 100.

In 1988 Shelby decided to resurrect the remaining ‘65 427 S/Cs — primarily because he knew it would reap large profits, and restart his legacy that had faded through lousy GT500s rebadged as 1970s because they didn't sell in 1969, Turbo 4 cylinder Mopars, van kit conversions for GM, and the Dakota mid size truck.

Five ‘65 427 S/Cs were built and sold between 1990 and 1992, all with original 1965 titles.

Shelby had been quoted as saying the cars derived from old AC chassis he had kept in storage since 1965, but had lost the original titles. According to a Los Angeles Times report from 1993, this claim helped him secure duplicate titles from the DMV — but it later emerged that the chassis were in fact built by McCluskey Ltd. in 1991 and ‘92, with only the motor and transmission being original from 1965.

Shelby later backtracked, admitting that McCluskey did in fact build the chassis — said to be an exact AC replica, even duplicating the coarse welds and saw cuts to perfection — but responded by saying, “If I said they were 1965 chassis or if I inferred it, it meant that they were built in the ‘60s and I was using '65 engines which means that they are '65 cars if I so choose to say so."

Shelby reportedly asked Angliss to build the chassis for the then-new 427 S/Cs in 1988 and ship them to the U.S. labelled as “washing machine parts.” Shelby planned to let the cars rust in the rain for a while and then claim he had stored them since 1965. “It is perfectly legal for me to build a new car today and register it and sell it as a '65,” he said.

The new Cobra 427 S/Cs being built in 2015 will have a CSX VIN and badge number originally assigned in 1965. The MSO and title documents were all signed by Carroll Shelby himself, and the cars will only be track legal.

Like the revived Cobras from the ‘80s and ‘90s, these Cobras will be sold as zero miles, newly-made 1965 models. Except, they aren't.

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/even-death-cant-stop-carroll-shelby-from-selling-118800132277.html

John just told me about an original owner 427 Cobra (CSX3349) , 5585 miles (in this 2009 video), a lot of drag racing at York US30

Photo by Joe Grippa, at York US 30 dragstrip

photo by Bill Whitley https://www.flickr.com/photos/poppybill/sets/72157638347962583/



Eight-minute promo from the full-length video available through Jim Amos' Bee On Video. This video documentary tells the story of how The Penn Brothers bought a brand new 1967 427 Shelby Cobra and turned it into a drag race vehicle. The car stopped racing in 1976 and it has been sitting in a garage ever since.

Thanks to John!

A similar 1966 427 Shelby Cobra just sold for $990,000 http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1071774

Another original owner Cobra I was just was told about, CSX 3170, Bruce Cambern's 427 1966. He won the 2009 Optima Challenge with it

http://www.solomatters.com/scca_classic_american_muscle_invitational_challengers_announced

http://www.superchevy.com/events/1004chp-2009-optima-ultimate-street-car-challenge/optima-street-car-final-results-ridetech-autocross-winner.html

Full gallery at http://www.norcal-cobras.com/cobra_pictures/Bruce_Camberns-427/

there is an informative gallery on Craig Jackson's car collection on Motor Trend.com

found on http://www.motortrend.com/classic/features/1404_garaj_mahal_craig_jackson_collection/

The fantastic cars? An R code GT 350 Shelby Mustang, a 427  Shelby AC Cobra that Tommy Smothers once owned, the AAR Cuda Dan Gurney raced, a '70 Hemi Cuda Convertible, #68 ZL-1 Camaro, that hadn't ever been tilted or driven on the street, it had 190 racing miles, and the original owner still possessed it, and the Shelby EXP 500  

Ollie the Dragon, the "Essex Wire" 1965 427 Shelby Competition AC Cobra, CSX 3009

Garageblog.com Shelby historian, Gary Faules says that the car has been missing for many years and is indeed the Cobra that has won more races than any other.

But, proving there are more opinions than facts, the guys at GTPlanet say CSX 3035 was the winningest. http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/shelby-cobra-427-s-c-csx3035-1965.302618/

but yet another (CSX 2093) is also reputed to be the "winningest" by http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2014/3/6/For-Sale-1963-Shelby-Cobra-Dragonsnake-7719037/ and Mecum who was trying to sell it (the purple Dragonsnake)

But CSX 2473 is also written up as the "Winningest" http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z6749/Shelby-Cobra-289.aspx

And then of course, those aren't enough to claim the title, so CSX 2023 was also advertised for sale at auction as the "winningest" http://www.autoevolution.com/news/1963-shelby-289-cobra-auctioned-off-for-825k-photo-gallery-78788.html

The late Walter Probst, Essex Chairman of the Board, recalled that Essex responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to sponsor the Ford Racing Team. This was a means for promoting not only Ford's products, but also a host of specialized wires and wire assemblies produced by Essex. "It seemed a great way to share a promotional opportunity," Probst remembered, "and Paul O'Malley, Essex President, took the challenge and turned it into a winner for both Essex and Ford."

Fred Krammer, Essex Account Executive to Ford, was put in charge of the project and oversaw the purchase of the automobiles, their preparation for racing, and the recruitment of Team Essex.

To organize the Essex team, Krammer turned to Skip Scott. An outstanding 23-year-old driver from Paoli, Pennsylvania, Scott had been recognized as Rookie of the Year only a few months earlier. Scott had first worked with the Carroll Shelby racing organization in California. He apprenticed under Ken Miles, one of the finest race car drivers in the world and the second driver Shelby hired to test the new Cobra.

Dr. Dick Thompson, one of the first Essex drivers and a regular with the Shelby organization, noted that Scott "was a good businessman and a great promoter. He really put Essex and its machines on the world racing map."

1965, the first year of competition, was one of practice, teamwork development and learning about the machines. The company released announcements that it was sponsoring the team "in order to initiate an engineering and testing program for advanced electrical systems concepts."

The Team fondly called the snow white Cobra "Ollie the Dragon"; however, because the 427 had the scary habit of belching about two feet of flame through the intake on the hood. Team Leader Scott laughingly recalled that if you didn't keep throttling up, the big Weber downdraft carburetors would erupt in fire. Dick Thompson still remembers that the "Cobra was beautiful in the straightaway, but because it didn't have much in the way of brakes, it was always hairy in the turns."

The drivers of the Cobra in the 1965 circuit were first-rate and world class. Dr. Dick Thompson, a Washington, D.C. dentist was a semi-pro who drove some of Carroll Shelby's early Cobras. Not long after he was recruited by Skip Scott to drive for Essex, he drove the race at Riverside, California. Ed Lowther was another highly respected semi-pro who drove the Cobra throughout 1965. In the late '50s he drove Corvettes with Dick Thompson on the Gulf Oil team. As he won more races and his reputation grew, Skip Scott recruited him to race the Cobra with Dick Thompson in several key contests. Lowther fondly remembers the calm, professional teaching by Thompson. For Lowther, the formula for success in this Cobra was that everything was stock - no special designs or equipment - and this equipment, including the Essex Wire throughout, held up better than all the specialized gear.

Of course, abusing a car on a road racing track for a few hundred miles results in time on the repair track, even for a car with a racing pedigree as impressive as the Shelby Cobra.

By the end of the 1965 season these drivers had managed to win an overall national Fourth Place for Essex Wire in U.S. road racing competition, a remarkable feat for a team in its first year. Essex chose to move onto the International Grand Prix Circuit for 1966 with the new Ford GT40, abandoning the Cobra. The Essex team Cobra 427 was eventually sold to Ed Lowther, who went on to win numerous races, finishing first at Riverside and Daytona and winning a national championship in 1967. This particular Cobra, known affectionately as "Ollie the Dragon," was, in fact, the winningest Cobra ever made. (info from http://www.cobracountry.com/CCMkt-fotos/CCMkt-diecastcobra7b.html )

celebrity Hollywood photographer Andrew MacPherson

For more see: http://andrewmacpherson.com/essays.php

Miller Motorsports Museum, The Larry H. Miller Total Performance Auto Museum near Tooele Utah (35 minutes west of Salt Lake City)

http://www.automuseums.info/united-states/miller-motorsports-park-larry-h-miller-museum via
http://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2013/08/miller-motorsports-park-ford-collection.html

I've been looking for this Bill Cosby bit about the Shelby AC Cobra that Carroll gave him on youtube before, never found it til now... Dan at Hemmings just posted it

above is the one Carroll had the guys in the shop make for himself, and a lot of info just came out about it in an article on Hemmings last week.

"It was a car builder’s tribute to himself, so it must have been a helluva car, equivalent to, say, William Colt making a Colt revolver especially for himself.
Of note, CSX3015 wasn’t the only Twin Paxton Shelby built. While he still owned his car, after running into comedian Bill Cosby at a supermarket in Playa del Rey, California, near his condominium, Shelby chided Cosby for preferring Ferraris. Cosby reportedly retorted, “Well, you build a Cobra that will go 200 MPH and I’ll buy one.” So Shelby drove back to his factory at LAX airport and ordered another Super Snake built.
That car, CSX 3303, was only in Bill Cosby’s hands briefly. Reportedly, it scared him to death. He even recorded an album entitled “Bill Cosby at 200 MPH,” making light of the experience.  http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/09/25/incredible-barn-finds-der-snakemeisters-own/ and it's really interesting to read the comments to that post in my opinion

Such as Carroll used to be a part of a bunch of rich car enthusiasts called the Conquistadores Visatores who would run top speed from the California Nevada border to Elko Nevada, and when on one run the superchargers broke, so Shelby abandoned the car (he had many more) and it would up being bought by a songwriter, Jimmy Webb who like many others, didn't pay the IRS what they wanted, hid the car, and it eventually wound up being found in a shop after 17 years, http://www.wurthitdesigns.com/cobrastory.htm  getting bought by an Arizonian car restorer/collector/rare car seller who made it the talk of the internet by getting the Barrett Jackson machine pushing it's publicity in 2007 at the height of the car auction craze http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2007/01/carroll-shelbys-personal-cobra-sells.html




I posted about it when I first started this blog (and proves that there is cool stuff waayyy back in the archives if you ever look through them) http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2006/11/carroll-shelby-once-had-special-ac.html

of course, the question of what happened to Cosby's car...That car went to S and C Motors in San Francisco, who sold it to their customer, Tony Maxey who had a stuck throttle and plunged into lake Berryessa. The car was rebuilt by Brian Angliss in the U.K., a man who was Shelby’s nemesis through his founding of CP Autokraft, a company that made Cobra replicas. (Though one Cobra expert who, for a time had the wreck before it went to the UK, said, “When I had it, it wasn’t nothing but a stack of tubing.”)

 In the U.K., the owner of the car at the time also found its original engine, which fortuitously had been sold to the builder of a hot rod in the U.K. He had to buy the hot rod to get the engine so that made the rebuild a little bit more genuine – new frame, old chassis i.d. plate, new body and old engine.