RM Sotheby's will be presenting a truly legendary car at its Monterey sale which will take place over the course of 19th and 20th of August. The car is none other than the first ever AC Cobra, the car that kicked things off for the late Carroll Shelby, one of the automotive industry's finest pioneers.
Origins of greatness
The Cobra was born after Shelby reached out to British manufacturer AC and asked if it would be possible to build him a modified version of the Ace which could fit a V8 engine. AC kindly agreed but it was up to Shelby to find the engine. He first went to Chevrolet who turned him down but Ford were happy to help, providing him with a brand new 4.2 litre V8 engine.
The result was the AC Cobra CSX 2000, a car born from humble beginnings but went on to take the world by storm. It was a sportscar with real muscle and thanks to the Ford V8, the cobra could get to 60mph in 4.2 seconds and would reach a top speed of 153mph. That's impressive by today's standards let alone 1962.
The CSX 2000 was the only AC Cobra to exist for at least seven months after it was produced, but thanks to resprays Shelby was able to convince the public that the car was in active production. Very cunning but I imagine it must have changed looks more often than a diva in concert. The CSX 2000 was kept by Shelby all the way through to his passing in 2012 but don't think it was mollycoddled in a garage - far from it. The car saw plenty of action as it was tested by the press and was even used by employees at the Carroll Shelby School of High Performance Driving.
Shelby Myers, on behalf of RM Sotheby’s said: “We feel both incredibly honored and privileged to have been entrusted with CSX 2000’s sale by the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust. It is, without exception, the single most important and history-rewriting sports car ever offered at auction, after over 50 years of ownership and without ever leaving the care of its founding father. Supremely original and with extraordinary history, we’re beyond thrilled to celebrate and present this national treasure in Monterey this August.”
