Carroll Shelby-owned Cobra Brings Huge Hammer Price
Legendary 427 Cobra roadster owned by Carroll Shelby from its birth to his death sells for millions at Mecum auction in Florida.
Just a few short weeks ago, we brought you the inside scoop on Carroll Shelby’s personal 427 Cobra roadster selling at Mecum Auction’s Kissimmee auction event. Though they did not offer an estimated sale price, we were not at all surprised by the lofty number it achieved. With something this rare and full of history, you have to expect big spenders to come out of the woodwork. That being said, its sale price is surely still to make your jaw drop.
Auto Evolution kept a close eye on the sale. If you’ll recall, we anticipated the Cobra selling for north of $5 million. Remarkably, we weren’t far off! The hammer price came to a whopping $5.94 million. With that monstrous price tag, this legendary Cobra is now in the hands of its third owner. This Cobra is now firmly within the Shelby collector car hall of fame. However, if you aren’t up to speed on what makes this car so special, we’ll give you a little reminder!
Perhaps the most “Shelby” Cobra there ever was.
No authentic Cobra is cheap. Even the continuation VIN cars still sold today by Shelby American can cost well north of six figures. However, the original cars built in the 60s all fetch a remarkable premium. This Cobra, though, is a bit more special than most.
Calling this car special is an understatement, even. This Shelby might have the most authentically Shelby heritage of any Cobra, rivaling that of CSX2000, the first Cobra ever built. Why you ask? Carroll Shelby owned this car from the day it was built until his passing in 2012. For 47 years, this Cobra stayed with the man himself. If this car could talk, you could write a series of novels on the stories it could tell. The Shelby estate sold it to its second owner in 2016. While some may find it a bit sad to see it leave the Shelby family, we are grateful that this iconic legend gets a chance to exchange hands with other admirers of these beautiful machines.
Not so original, but purely a Cobra
Carroll Shelby didn’t baby his cars, and this one was no exception. This Cobra was repainted and re-worked over its nearly five-decade stay with Carroll Shelby. Included in that legacy are two paint jobs, one blue and gold and the second time in red. Additionally, the original engine was swapped for a side-oiler 427 because Shelby felt it needed more horsepower. If that doesn’t tell the Carroll Shelby story in a nutshell, nothing will.
In 2019 the consigner who sold the car at Mecum had it fully restored and repainted its original hue of Charcoal Grey. Though it isn’t all original, nothing quite matches the Shelby spirit, like doing to your car what you want to do to it. We are happy to see that it is back to its original glory and truly hope the new owner continues to keep the Carroll Shelby spirit alive by way of this legendary car.
Photos: Mecum Auctions