This year's edition of the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction event was full of surprises. Other than modern exotic muscle such as the 2016 Shelby GT350R Mustang (sold for $1 million), there was the amazing Ron Pratte Collection comprised of more than 120 vehicles, including this unique Super Snake.
Among those 120+ cars, the Scottsdale event saw the record-holding Futurliner bus and the iconic Bonneville Special exchange owners too. But believe us, this bad boy 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake was probably the hottest lot around. For starters, this is the only '66 Super Snake left in the world. It's that 'effin rare.
The existence of chassis CSX 3015 started as a 427 (7-liter) competition roadster, a variant that spawned only 23 copies. Records tell us that this car was built for an European promotional tour. After the Old Continent roadshow, Shelby Cobra CSX 3015 came back to the US and was converted to Semi-Competition, making it a road-legal ride.
Carroll Shelby himself ordered his team of engineers and grease monkeys to further spruce up the beast with a duo of Paxton blowers. In addition to the extra oomph, the transmission was also uprated with a heavy-duty grade Lincoln Cruise-O-Matic. That's how the 427 Super Snake came to be. This unit and only one other were ever made, but the other is no longer among us.
CSX 3303, the brother of CSX 3015, was first sold to comedian Bill Cosby
Cosby sold it right after his first drive because... the Super Snake scared the beejesus out of him. After Cosby, the second owner managed to cook it up big time and drive it into the Pacific ocean. It's no wonder how that happened. All things considered, the 427 Super Snake is very scary to drive. Widow maker 101.
As for the one that survived, CSX 3015 got a new owner after $5.5 million were put on the table. Before the hammer struck and "Sold!" was shouted, the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake underwent a "money no object" resto job, with workers discovering that the car is extremely original, block, heads, rear end and all.
Editor's note: dear new owner of CSX 3015, please don't freak out and drive it into the ocean like big-block CSX 3303's last owner (Tony Maxey) before the car got totaled beyond repair. Enjoy it responsibly!
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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