The First Ever Shelby Cobra Is Going Under The Hammer

And it'll be worth every penny.

It's very rare to come across the "first ever" of something in a motoring auction. Yes, we know this week also saw the announcement that the inaugural production Lotus Elite would be going under the hammer at the Silverstone Classic. But on the whole you're more likely to find "the very first x" hidden away in an air-conditioned lockup than on the auction block. As such we were shocked to hear that RM Sotheby's will be featuring the first ever Shelby Cobra in its Monterey auction this August.

Often referred to in Shelby aficionado circles by its "CSX 2000" chassis number, this particular Cobra easily ranks up there as the most important car that Shelby has ever made. It was this very car, for instance, that the late Carroll Shelby and his team used to figure out how to cram a 4.2-liter small-block Ford V8 into a tiny AC Ace roadster. It was also used as a test bed for the cars that eventually became known as the Shelby Cobra 260. Furthermore, it's likely this Cobra variant is the most widely seen example ever built. Not only was it frequently demonstrated in motor shows across the US, but all the early road tests of the Cobra 260 were completed in this very example.

If that resume wasn't enough to make this particular Cobra tempting enough, it's also in incredibly original condition. That's as expected from a much-coveted car that's been owned by the company since the day it was founded. Okay, so the 260's not in concourse spec, but this specific Shelby was kept under the stewardship of the late Carroll Shelby right up to his death in 2012. That little detail is probably enough to tip the values of this inaugural Cobra into sky high territories. Shelby Cobra 260s were already creeping into the $2,000,000+ figures in 2013, so lord only knows what an example as significant as this will fetch at the Monterey auction this August!