With the very first Eagle racing car constructed by Dan Gurney’s All American Racers, Indycar chassis 201, already on the docket for its annual Monterey Classic Car Week auction, RM Sotheby’s has just added the very first Cobra constructed by Carroll Shelby CSX 2000, to the list of cars coming up for bids at this year’s sale, set for August 19-20 at the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center.
Perhaps the most historically important American sports car ever built, CSX 2000 was the seed from which the Cobra legend and the subsequent Shelby American enterprise sprouted. The story is familiar, as Shelby, seeking a Ford-powered answer for Chevrolet’s Corvette, dropped the Dearborn automaker’s new 260-cubic-inch small-block V8 into a lightweight English AC Ace chassis to create one of the most iconic cars ever built.
“Carroll and (RM’s) Rob Myers discussed Cobra #1 many times, and they were good friends. Their agreement that Rob would offer the car for Carroll’s Trust, after he was gone, was a very emotional one for both of them,” states Joe Conway, co-trustee of the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust. “(Shelby co-trustee) Neil Cummings and I are now simply carrying out Carroll’s wishes, with no disrespect meant to the other individuals who meant so much to Carroll and did so much for his business and his Foundation over the years.”
Bidding is sure to be brisk when this little blue beauty rolls up onto the auction block next month, all to the benefit of the Shelby Trust. For complete information please visit www.rmsothebys.com
