48 August 2012 • Victory Lane

– story by Art Evans– photos by Dave Friedman

Fifty years ago, Carroll Shelby gave birth to one of the most successful sports cars of all time: the Shelby Cobra. It seems altogether fitting and proper that America’s premier vintage racing event, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (formerly known as the Monterey Historics) at Laguna Seca Raceway (now officially called the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) has designated Shelby Cobras as the Featured Marque. The weekend will be a remembrance of Shelby himself, who died on May 10. (Those interested in reading my obituary can go on line to SportsCarDigest.com/RememberingCarrollShelby.)

Although the Monterey Classic Car Week is always filled with more events than anyone can, or would want to, attend, the other most important happening is the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. There will be a special class for Cobras to honor the anniversary as well as Carroll Shelby. Famed collector Bruce Meyer

has entered his Shelby Cobra with serial number, CSX2001. It is the first production Cobra. (The very first Cobra was the prototype, CSX2000.)

In addition to the large number of Cobras entered in the vintage races at Laguna Seca, there will be a “Heritage Display” in the paddock with a collection of some of the most significant Cobras including the prototype, the first Cobra raced (at Riverside by Bill Krause on October 13, 1962) and quite a few more, some of which were driven by Ken Miles, Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant and other famous pilots.

Carroll Shelby made deals with AC Cars in England and the Ford Motor Company in 1961. Working with Dean Moon in his Santa Fe Springs shop in Southern California, Shelby instal led a 260-CID engine and Borg-Warner 4-speed transmission in an AC roller in early 1962. It was the prototype. The

second AC roller was shipped to Shelby’s buddy (and mine), Ed Hugus in Pittsburgh where Ed completed CSX 2001. Shelby had appointed Hugus East Coast distributor. (CSX 2001 ended up with a winning record in Europe before being acquired by Bruce Meyer.) The prototype was placed in the Ford display at the April New York Auto Show. As a result, Ford dealers began placing orders along with deposits.

Previously, Lance Reventlow had been making Scarabs at a facility in Venice, California. When he decided to abandon

the project, Shelby was able to take over the lease along with hiring Lance’s employees and equipment. Shelby moved in and production started. In August 1962, Shelby submitted papers to the FIA to homologate the Cobra

in the over 2-liter Production Class. The FIA requirement was that 100 units had to be made within 12 months. Even though only eight were completed by then, the FIA approved the application. Editor John Christy of Sports Car Graphic wrote a very complimentary article that appeared in the May 1962 edition and prospective customers started to place orders with Ford dealers. Shelby entered Bill Krause in Cobra (CSX 2002) in a 3-hour race at Riverside on October 13, 1962. By the ninth lap, Bill had a commanding lead and was on his way to an easy victory when the Cobra suffered a broken axle. The race included a number of Corvettes with top drivers. This first time out clearly demonstrated the superiority of the Cobra’s speed and handling.

Carroll Shelby’s Ford Cobras

Ken Miles on his way to winning at Riverside, April 1964.

Steve McQueen went to visit Carroll Shelby at Shelby American in Venice, California with the intention of buying one. For some reason I can’t determine, the sale didn’t materialize.

Carroll Shelby and his assistant, Joan Sherman, took a spin in the very first, the prototype Cobra (CSX 2000), shortly after its construction.

Victory Lane • August 2012 49www.victorylane.com

But Shelby’s Cobras didn’t do all that well on the track until Ken Miles came on board in 1963. According to Shelby, “Ken was the heart and soul of my testing program. He was a world-class driver. Since his death, not a day goes by that I don’t think about him.” In September 1963, Miles and Bob Holbert won the GT class and

were second overall at the Road America 500. The next month, Davey MacDonald won the Times Grand Prix. Dan Gurney and Phil Hill won Sebring and Dan won the Bridgehampton 500. At the end of 1963, Cobras had captured their class in the SCCA National Championship and the Manufacturer’s Championship in SCCA’s United States Road Racing Championship. Cobras scored a clean sweep—taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd—in the GT Class at Sebring in 1964.Then at Le Mans that year, Dan and Bob Bondurant

won the GT Class in a Daytona Coupe and finished fourth overall behind Ferrari sports-racers. Cobras went on to dominate their class during the rest of the decade. Today, they are greatly sought after by

vintage racers.As an aside, Miles had an outstanding

1965 season with Shelby. After winning Daytona and Sebring and leading at Le Mans, he was placed second due to considerable controversy. Ken was killed in August while testing a new Ford GT at Riverside. His best friend, my father, delivered the eulogy.

Cobras came in a number of configurations: 1962: 260 Street, 260 Racer, 289 Racer, 289 Street – Hardtop – Auto Transmission; 1964: Daytona Coupe, Daytona Super Coupe, 427 Prototype, 390 Cobra, Dragonsnake; 1965: 427 Racer, 427 Street. The last sixties-era Cobra—a 427 roadster—was sold during August 1968.

Shelby closed the doors and went out of the car-making business at the end of 1969. During the seventies, he spent a lot of time exploring Africa. For a time he was a part-owner of a safari company. During the eighties, he produced high-performance Dodges for Chrysler.

In 1992 Shelby began producing 427 Cobras using “leftover” serial numbers from the sixties. Since these cars are 20 years old now, they may qualify as vintage in some organizations. Starting in 1999, he started to produce new Cobras. In 2003, he established a production facility at Las Vegas making Cobras and Shelby

Mus t angs . I n 2007 , he re-established the relationship with the Ford Motor Company with selected dealers marketing Shelbys.

The problem for those interested in acquiring a Cobra for vintage racing is how to identify an authentic car. Cobras are among the

most widely copied with numerous knock-offs around. Some vintage racing organizations are strict about authenticity; others not so much. But at any rate, one wouldn’t want to get stuck paying the going price for a real Cobra and later find out that it’s a replica. Between 1961 and 1968, Shelby American and AC Cars produced a total of 998 Cobras. All carry a serial number starting with the letters CSX.

When a car was completed, it was shipped to a dealer and there was an invoice to that effect. Likewise, when a dealer sold a car, there was another invoice. So authenticity can be established through each car’s provenance. Luckily for collectors, the task has been done by the Shelby American Automobile Club in a large book titled: World Registry of Cobras & GT40s, now in its fourth edition. (Write to SAAC at PO Box 788, Sharon, CT 06069, www.saac.com.) Investing in the book will be a cost savings in comparison to buying a knockoff.

Insofar as the history of the company that produced Cobras, I wrote a book in 2010 titled, The Shelby American Story. ($39.95 + $5.95 s&h, 800-289-3504, email: orders@enthusiastbooks.com) If you would like to acquire a copy autographed by me, send me a check to 800 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo Beach, CA 90277. (My thanks to Rick Kopec for his assistance in preparing this article.)

Shelby American made only six Daytona Coupes. The 289 cid Ford engine with four Webers put out 390 bhp and had a top speed of 198 mph.

Dan Gurney in a Shelby American Cobra led most of the race at the October 1963 Los Angeles Times GP 3-Hour event and ended up fourth overall.

Carroll Shelby driving Bruce Meyer’s Cobra CSX 2001 along California’s Pacific Coast Highway in 2006.

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Shelby American Automobile ClubPO Box 788, Sharon, CT, 06069860-364-0769 www.saac.com

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