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This Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 Might Steal Your Wallet

Offered between 1962 and 1967, the original Shelby Cobra is generally split in leaf- and coil-spring models. Leaves were originally fitted to the highly desirable early cars, which are powered by 4.3- or 4.7-liter V8s.
Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118 18 photos
Photo: python3po on Bring a Trailer
Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118Mark I Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2118
CSX 2118 is a 1963 Shelby Cobra fitted with traverse leaf springs, billed to Shelby American by AC Cars on April 30th that year. Shipped to Los Angeles on May 2nd, the open-top bruise was then shipped to San Jose that summer for use as a demonstrator before being invoiced to a Utah dealer.

Marion Willey and Son Ford were invoiced $5,195 plus $225 for options, $224.50 for the luggage rack, and $116.48 for the freight. Adjusted for inflation, $5,760.98 would be $55,779.09 nowadays, which isn’t enough to buy a Stingray. But as opposed to the C8, the Mark I Cobra in the featured clips is worth a lot more due to its rarity and sheer historical significance.

Offered on Bring a Trailer by a private party rather than a dealer, CSX 2118 is currently going for a simply insane $825,000. With 11 days of bidding left at press time, the final bid will probably surpass the $1M mark.

Sold to a gentleman in 1964, the car had been fully modified for racing. Wheel flares, a roll bar, and side pipes also need to be mentioned, along with a refinish in dark green. Advertised in the 1980s when the car is believed to have been black, CSX 2118 changed owners again in 2005.

This time around, the owner restored it to the original specifications through 2006, as per the 84BB1NNNYG4 data plate. 8 stands for the 289-ci engine, 4 means four-speed manual, B is for blue, B is for black leather supplied by Connelly Leather Co., 1 means 5.5-inch wire wheels wrapped in Goodyear tires, and the Ns reference no roll bar, no Webber carburetors, and no scoop. Y is the flat-head Cobra emblem, of which very few were made. G stands for wider wheels that aren’t original, and 4 means four owners. Currently on its fifth owner, this gorgeous Mark I is one of 126 units produced.

Equipped with a rebuilt and overbored 289-ci engine, fed by a Holley four-barrel carburetor, this Cobra shows 45,393 miles (73,053 kilometers) on the clock, of which 500 were added since 2005 by the current owner. True mileage remains unknown, but this detail won’t stop the bidding war.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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.
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