Only a handful of cars ever achieve legend status, and the original Shelby Cobra comfortably falls into that category. Its combination of low weight and enormous engine power provides performance almost beyond comprehension, and buyers must pay a seven-figure sum to park one in their garage today. Some companies offer replicas for a fraction of the cost, but they are typically a hit-and-miss proposition. The build quality of some is impressive, while others can be pretty awful. This is a Continuation Cobra, carrying a coveted Shelby CSX6000 Serial Number. It has clocked a mere 152 miles since its build ended, but the fire-breathing V8 hiding under the hood could be the star of the show. If a genuine Cobra is beyond your reach, this one is an alternative that costs considerably less.
Continuation Cobras first hit the market in the 1980s as it was recognized that there was a market for high-quality tributes to the original cars. The vehicles retain most of the iconic styling, although updated chassis and suspension design technology produced improved torsional stiffness and handling. The first run carried CSX4000 Serial Numbers, with the CSX6000 range following in 2009. The listing suggests our feature Cobra is a recent build because it has only accrued 152 miles since the builders downed their tools. The flawless fiberglass body sits atop a 4-inch tubular steel chassis. The presentation is all you would expect from a vehicle with a three-figure odometer reading. The Gold paint shines warmly, the trim is immaculate, and the windshield is crystal clear. Many reproduction Cobras stumble due to a lack of fine detail, but this car’s 15″ genuine knock-off wheels and “billboard” Goodyear tires are period-correct. The stainless sidepipes add a sense of presence, but these aren’t just about good looks. These pipes serve a purpose, allowing the monster under the hood to breathe effectively.
The gun version of the road-going 1960s Cobra featured a 427ci V8, and this car follows that tradition. However, it pushes the boundaries to a new limit. The aluminum 427FE Shelby Block, bored and stroked by The Carroll Shelby Engine Company, features a capacity of 468ci. The stainless headers are only part of the story that improves this monster’s breathing because it also sports aluminum Shelby cylinder heads, a hydraulic roller camshaft, and an 11:1 compression ratio. The combination places 600hp at the driver’s disposal, which feeds to the independent rear end via a five-speed Tremec transmission. This Cobra is a total package with enormous disc brakes and coil-overs on all corners. Its three-figure odometer reading means this beast isn’t broken in, but the seller states it is a dream to drive. I find that claim easily believable.
This classic’s interior is faithful to the original Cobra, with a genuine reverse-sweep Shelby speedometer, forward-bent shifter, woodgrain wheel, and the battery hidden behind the passenger seat. Its presentation is all you would expect, with no evidence of wear or other damage. The seats are spotless, and the carpet appears perfect. This is a hard-edged, high-performance vehicle, and its interior is uncompromising. Therefore, the lack of air conditioning and other creature comforts is unsurprising.
This Shelby Continuation Cobra CSX6000 is listed here on eBay in Windsor, California. This is not the seller’s first attempt to send it to a new home, and with a BIN of $195,000, the pool of potential buyers will be significantly less than for many other classics. They provide the option to make an offer, and it would be fascinating to know how flexible they are. It may not be a genuine article from the 1960s, but what do you feel is a fair price for this Cobra?
What a gorgeous car. …Love the white letter raised
tires. ….Plenty of HP. ….Not a big fan of the color.
Would love to have in my driveway.
One item on my “bucket list” that will never be realized. Beautiful automobile.
Dream on, what a beast.
The concept and ballz$ it took to bring the original to market are the stuff of legend. Now at age 71, I think this would be fun to drive for a few hours at most. For $195,000 there are a lot of choices that could equal this car’s performance and be something one could live with on a daily basis. I used to be fun at parties. Trust me!
Good one! Loved your comment!
Understandable..but if you gotta have a Cobra..and that’s whom this car is aimed at.
I am the last person in North America this car would be aimed at. I totally understand that.
Adam, I think your description and write up is dead nuts on, you nailed it! Not sure about the price tag, but if you want one of the nicest clones, you have to pay for it. I have often said (don’t know if it’s true) that Cobras and 32 Fords are the most reproduced cars on the planet. I do know the price paid for them is dictated by the quality of the build. This car is quality times ten.
Technically this isn’t a clone, but a continuation car since it is built by the Shelby organization. I have a clone, it won’t ever bring the money of a real or continuation car but I have about a third as much in it as a continuation car cost so I’m ok with it.
Ron: while it LOOKS like a “continuation car” it isn’t…for two reasons. They are provenance and accuracy. Provenance: the real ’60s cars were made south of London at the Thames-Ditton Works by AC Cars Ltd. and shipped to Shelby American at the L.A. Airport for the fitting of the engines and gearboxes. Accuracy: the real Shelby AC Cobras had aluminium-bodies with a Superleggera frame welded to the chassis. The CSX 6000 cars made by prisoners in Nevada, are fibreglass-bodied with no Superleggera frame, bolted to the chassis. They are very nice in their own right, with a partial connection to the real thing, but they are not quite the real thing…reflected in the fact that they are priced at a thirtieth or so of the cost of an original.
Hey, talking about fakes, replicas,tributes, clones, continuations etc is as effective as talking about religious dogma – and makes as much sense. For some people, the cars of ol’ Shel practically are a religion!
Neck-snapping Death-Missile.
Times sure have changed. In 1969 my cousin was the top Ford salesman in the state of Indiana for three consecutive years and was miffed at me when he heard I bought a new ’69 Vette. He told me he could of sold me a Cobra for $9000. Used of course. I would of had to have a daily driver. I only gave $4000 for the new Vette. If I only knew what the future would bring. Now days a ’69 Vette is in the high 20’s and a Cobra in the millions.
in February of 1966 I test drove a beautiful/like new 289 Cobra that a guy was trying to sell for $3500. I had a ’57 Gullwing, but could not sell it at the time. The equity I had in it would have paid for the Cobra, thus relieving me of any more car payments.
The only tough part with the Cobra was it’s all aluminum body, which would have made it ‘scary’ as a daily driver (which is what I used the Gullwing for).
A 69 Vette configured appropriately to compete with a Cobra is Not priced in the high $20’s. Think L71, L88.
Sweet ride!! Sellers feedback is 86.7%, not too good.
A friend of mine told me once the most exciting time she’d ever had was when she was offered a ride in an original Shelby and they were clocked at 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds. I can only imagine what that must have been like but I’d sure like to find out.
Yes, a friend of mine in college had a 260 Cobra. I had my Dad’s 1071 Mini Cooper S there for a while and we raced around the local roads a few times. What a riot!
I forgot to tell you the Mini could whip through these tight corners like it was on rails, while the Cobra slewed across both lanes doing lurid powerslides. He had me on the straights though…
Ah, youth!
I’ve seen the continuation Cobras (as Ron said they are built by the Shelby company, not clones/replicas by companies such as Kirkham, ERA, Factory Five, etc.) sell in the $150,000 – $200,000 range, but most are closer to $150K. The continuations are also available in aluminum and fiber glass, the aluminum outpacing the fiber bodies by about $25,000 or more.
The comparison being that the “average” for a replica is about $50,000, but a lot depends on the company – Kirkham will get a lot more than a Shell Valley.
If I read correctly, Superformance in South Africa for the 427 cars have a dedicated line for producing Shelby American spec fiberglass bodies and chassis’ along side their own vehicles within the same complex. Suoerformance uses a square chassis while Shelby spec have the original round tube chassis. There are slight differences you can spot for a Superformance body albeit subtle. Not sure about the aluminum bodies.
I got that information from the Shelby American Automotive Club (SAAC). Not sure if it’s true or not but I remember Superformance producing some stuff for Shelby American.
The text states the rear end is independent. Is this true? If it is, can anyone point me to some information on how an independent rear end is designed and fitted to the Cobra?
Not sure if all but in a CSX6000 series I saw online they use a Jaguar differential and then half shafts going out to the wheels. Not sure if Jaguar diffs are used for all CSX6000 cars.
In the 70s kits cars and I believe ERA replicas they also used Jaguar differentials. Factory Five Racing early on at one point used the rear differential from 80s Thunderbird Super coupes but I’m guessing there were reliability issues (Factory Super coupes were wearing out those differentials with just the supercharged V6, let alone a healthy V8 attached to it.) and sourcing them were hard as there weren’t a lot of them to begin with so now they have their own independent rear suspension set up but not sure what differential they are using.
Here’s some info from Factory Five. You can see how FFR does it.
Not sure if all but a lot of Jaguar rear ends use inboard brakes which are positioned closer to the diff vs the outboards that FFR uses.
https://www.factoryfive.com/galleries/mk4/independent-rear-suspension/
This car may be attempting to replicate CSX3047 – one of only 2 big block Cobras painted this Hurst Gold. Although subsequently painted blue, the current owner has meticulously sanded through nearly all the blue paint, revealing the original gold colour. I wish I could post a photo – you will see the real one has black finished sidepipes and rollbar and no carpets.
I think I have seen pics of it, or at least pics of a real 427 Cobra in gold and it is stunning. Pics were from one of those fancy car events outside on the grass I think.
Could have been it – it is a famous car, the ONLY unrestored 427 Competition Cobra left! I was privileged to drive it a few years ago.
Peterfromoz – A Jaguar rear axle assembly is the most common IRS used in Cobra replicas but people have used Ford, Corvette and all sorts of parts for an independent rear suspension. I my opinion, for 98% of us, a wasted endeavor as you will never know the difference in daily driving, and at a track day – a pro in a car with a straight axle will outrun an amateur no matter how fine or advanced the car.
The original Cobras sported an IRS